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Chapter 1 public speaking and communication
Disabilities in modern society
Chapter 1 public speaking and communication
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Imagine growing up and having to deal with strange looks all the time because it is difficult to hear. Often being ignored by parents because they do not understand the situation, or anyone for that matter. Imagine living in a wheelchair at the hospital for a small portion of life. Having an adversity throughout the majority of life is not something many people would take very lightly. However, there are some people who do not want this burden to take over their lives. Kathy Buckley is a powerful woman who has triumphed over many calamities such as being deaf, being run over, and having cancer all before the age of thirty.
Kathy was born in a relatively small town by the name of Wickliffe, Ohio. At a very young age, her family began to notice that something was wrong. Kathy had an inability to communicate. As a child, Kathy remembers attempting to play with other children, which was often difficult (Buckley). “By the time I’d hear someone say ‘hey Kathy, come and get us’ the game would be over,” she said (Buckley). Originally, her parents concluded that she was slow. However, it wasn’t until the 2nd grade that school administrators, psychologist, and audiologist determined that it was just a case of hearing loss. Having hearing loss affects your ability to speak correctly. When she discovered that she had a hearing loss, she had to begin wearing a hearing aid. Unfortunately, her hearing aid did more bad than good. The hearing aid she would wear was loud and painful to the point that it would bring her to tears (Buckley). While at school, her teachers did not give her the proper attention that someone with a disability should receive. She soon decided to transfer to a school that was specifically for her needs. To her benefit sh...
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...n: New York, New York, 2001. Print
Buckley, Kathy. “I Insist on Respect.” Horse and Rider (2010): 80. Print
Disaboom. Ed. Karen Putz. 2008. Web. 31 Oct. 2013
“Don’t Buck with Me.” Esbian News Mar. 1997: E2. Print.
Hirsch, Arthur. “Being hearing impaired makes Kathy Buckley a one-of-a-kind comedian.” The Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 1996. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
Kathy Buckley. Ed. Kathy Buckley. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
“Key Note Speakers.” Kathy Buckley. 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
Mckinney Speakers. Ed. Mckinney. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
Millner, Rachel. “Kathy Buckley: Now Hear This.” Road and Travel.com. Road and Travel. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
No Limits to Life and Laughter with Kathy Buckley. Ed. Christine Zeiger. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
Weeaks, Carisa. If You Could Hear What I See, by Kathy Buckley. Jan.-Feb. 200: 163+. Print.
Workers for Jesus. Ed. Stan Griffin. Web. 5 Nov. 2013
Although both his parents could sign, he was raised without learning how to because his doctors told his parents and grandparents that they were afraid signing would interfere with his speech and interfere with his learning and education because he would no longer try and use his speech and hearing skills. Mark talks about his struggles faced while attending different schools and just not being able to understand people because all he can do is read lips which was especially difficult when he wasn’t familiar with the movement and pattern of the person’s lips. He also talks about the schools he attended and how they affected him in different ways and how kindergarten at the Henry H. Houston School made him feel out of place because he wasn’t able to sing along or hear any of the music in class. Then, in third grade he switched schools and attended the now Plymouth Meeting Friends School and thought it was going well until another boy kicked a football at him and knocked him to the ground causing him to lose his hearing aid battery. Another school experience he didn’t enjoy was at Germantown Friends School where Mark states 95% of the time he had no clue what was going on and that when the teacher was done lecturing he would scramble around asking for the assignment and had to learn how to do it on his own. He was so ashamed of being deaf considering that’s all his grandparents wanted to believe that
Have you ever felt like there was nothing that you can do for your child? In this book, Deaf Like Me, by Thomas S. Spradley and James P. Spradley, I can see the journey that Lynn’s parents took to get her help. (Spradley & Spradley, 1978). This book was an excellent read. I really liked the way that they described the ways they tried to help Lynn to understand the world around her. The book, is a great asset for any family that might be unexpectedly put into a situation that they know nothing about such as a deaf child.
In Jessica Shea’s article “The Invisible Crutch”, a few items that she listed are taken for granted by nondisabled people but could apply to Sharon and Karen. “9. If I ask to speak to someone ‘in charge’, I can be relatively assured that the person will make eye contact with me and not treat me like I am stupid’ (Shea, p. 40) is the first example. While the last part does not always apply to nondisabled people, it certainly applies to the disabled. In the account of Sharon, she was talked to like she was stupid by medical staff and her own family. This is a very common thing the disabled have to deal with. My grandfather deals with this on a daily basis and he works in the IT department at Colorado State University. The next example is, “19. My daily routine does not have to be carefully planned to accommodate medication or therapy schedules” (Shea, p. 40). Nondisabled individuals can plan their day however they see fit according to work, prior engagements, or hobbies. For disabled people—maybe even Sharon—therapy and medications are a normal part of their day. Going without them means being in high amounts of pain, falling behind on progress made in therapy, or risking their health in general. There is a lot that the nondisabled take for granted whether it is realized or
Lynn has been through the special education system and was diagnosed with dyslexia in her twenties. During her elementary years, Lynn could not quite put her finger on it but she was different from the other children. She had difficulty reading and writing and could not keep up academically with her peers. Around this period of time, Lynn began taking special education classes where she would receive instruction, which would help her get on task. As she moved through junior high to high school, her LD became more apparent. Lynn felt alone and different from the other children, which was shown through her voice as she felt ashamed for having to go to summer school.
The book, Deaf Again, written by Mark Drolsbaugh, is an autobiography telling his life story which starts with a young boy growing up who goes through the process of losing his hearing and then, as he gets older, he struggles with trying to fit in as a normal child. When Mark was very young, he could hear fairly well, then gradually he went hard of hearing until he eventually went completely deaf. Even though he had two deaf parents, the doctors advised speech therapy and hearing aids because they did not understand Deaf Culture and they thought that Mark would be a lot happier if he could hang on to his hearing persona. Throughout the rest of the book, Mark goes through a lot of stages of trying to fit in with everyone and eventually does find himself and realizes that being Deaf is not a disease, but just a part of who he is. About the time Mark was in kindergarten, he thought he was a normal child just like everyone else, but he started to distort things he heard in class and was wondering why everyone would be laughing and why he would be getting corrected.
middle of paper ... ... Their disabilities have made them stronger, more determined people. Mariatu Kamara and Ishmael Beah’s stories show that no matter how hard life can get, no matter how hard or how many times life knocks one down, he or she can always pick him or herself up and turn their life around for the better. Works Cited Beah, Ishmael.
Many people never realize or take much notice on what deaf people go through in life, but by watching the movie "Love is Never Silent", hearing people are able to have a clear view of what it is like to be deaf in the hearing world. Many different perspectives towards how deaf people live, socialize, party or work are built by many distinctive types of people. As the movie "Love is Never Silent" shows, Margaret and her family are isolated from their community. They aren 't allowed to sign in front of the hearing because it 's strange and abnormal. Seeing a deaf person sign during a time where being different can make a person look like an outcast makes hearing people pity the deaf and end up treating them as ignorant people. Although deaf
She begins the journey of accepting herself as a deaf person and being deaf in her community. She experiences bullying and is really insecure about herself and the use of her hearing aids. She also took advantage a few times. There are two different types of the word deaf. Deaf with a capital D means that your language is American Sign Language and you can choose to sign all the time.
Throughout A Loss for Words, Lou Ann discusses the impact of having deaf parents played in her and her sister’s childhood. Some examples include, being an interpreter and a guide for her parents while she was growing up, causing her to more of an adult rather than being a child (Walker, 1986, p. 2). Lou Ann never minded though she loved to feel important and to help her parents, along with her two sisters, with their business affairs. It was not always easy though Lou Ann says that, “in a few instances I was an unfaithful go-between,” for instance, “the garage mechanic who refused to serve them because [her parents] were deaf” (Walker, 1986, p. 21). As children of deaf parents, Lou Ann and her sister were apart of the deaf culture, but they were also the connection to the hearing world as well. Her parents would often look to her for clues in different situations such as a thunderstorm, someone walking into a room, etc., but they never tried to place any pressure on her it simply came naturally to Lou Ann to help her parents because they relied on her. If I were Lou Ann I probably would have done the same thing, no one should feel helpless and have no one that can help them accomplish tasks that need to be done.
First, starting with Kolb’s childhood she explains how being the only deaf student in her elementary school made her stumble across a few challenges. For instance, as 6 or 7-year-old in the cafeteria, one of her friends said it was rude to point even
For those who are not familiar with the story of Helen Keller or the play 'The Miracle Worker', it recalls the life of a girl born in 1880 who falls tragically ill at the young age of two years old, consequently losing her ability to hear, speak, and see. Helen's frustration grew along side with her age; the older she got the more it became apparent to her parents that she was living in more of an invisible box, than the real world. Her imparities trapped her in life that seemed unlivable. Unable to subject themselves to the torment which enveloped them; watching, hearing and feeling the angst which Helen projected by throwing plates and screaming was enough for them to regret being blessed with their own senses. The Kellers, in hopes of a solution, hired Anne Sullivan, an educated blind woman, experienced in the field of educating sensory disabilities arrived at the Alabama home of the Kellers in 1887. There she worked with Helen for only a little over a month attempting to teach her to spell and understand the meaning of words v. the feeling of objects before she guided Helen to the water pump and a miracle unfolded. Helen understood the juxtaposition of the touch of water and the actual word 'water' Anne spelled out on her hand . Helen suddenly began to formulate the word 'wa...
"On Being a Cripple" is an autobiographical essay by Nancy Mairs. The author was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her late twenties, and has since then lost full use of several limbs. Despite the stigma around the use of the word, Mairs refers to herself as a "cripple". With the use of this word she attempts to accept the reality of her situation without feeling sorry for herself. The author also demands the same of her readers and the people that she meets in her life. Mairs writes to those who wish to learn more about what it is like to live with this debilitating disease and how people react to it. She uses this essay to make a point about how society labels people while telling her story in a manner which cites examples from her life. She describes her life through everyday situations that occur when living with MS. Mairs does not have the same physical abilities that most of us don't think twice about, but she carries on with her life without the need for pity or a new vocabulary that attempts to make her condition seem less severe.
Disability and reactions to those who are disabled are socially constructed, and vary from generation to generation and from culture to culture. As these precepts change and alter with time and knowledge how we treat those who are labeled as disabled evolves- sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. Harriet McBryde Johnson’s and John Hockenberry’s experiences are all too familiar. The challenges faced by these two individuals many times were not with the disability itself, but was from how the world responded to them. Harriet McBryde Johnson had many of her work colleagues unaware and unbelieving of a dire prognosis because of how she personally handled life, how integrated she was with the world around her. Her experience in Cuba
With that knowledge the deaf character gained more confidence when communicating and was able to achieve bigger goals in their life then when they had little to no knowledge of how things worked in society. Reading about these characters just gave me a small insight into the deaf community but with the documentary ”Through Deaf Eyes,” has open my mind and eyes that they are people who can thrive in and change the world just as anyone can when they put their mind to
Instead of addressing the fact that Laura has a disability, Amanda ignores it. Amanda expects Laura to have many gentleman callers, like she did. In reality, Laura is shy and self conscious, because she has not gotten over her minor disability. Amanda does not help Laura overcome her disability but denies it, and gives in to the illusion that Laura is okay. “Why, you’re not crippled, you just have a little defect--hardly noticeable, even (1.2.17)!” Laura’s disability drove her to miss class every day and go to the park. This created the illusion for her mother that she was getting an education, but in reality she was ditching