Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Reflection on deaf culture
Reflection on deaf culture
Reflection on deaf culture
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The communication styles I have encounter in the Deaf/ Deafblind community so far are ASL, Tactile ASL, and some Oral communication. ASL was nothing new to me I have used it in many times before both in class, as well as in the Deaf community over the past five years. Tactile and Oral methods are new to me and I had not met anyone till this experience with the DSZ who used these forms to communicate. Yes I had the knowledge of these styles I just never had first hand experience seeing or using these methods. When I finally used Tactile it was interesting but I do have to say it’s not my favorite, this being because it requires a lot of touching, which I am not fully comfortable with. Overall to broaden my experience I am trying to keep an open-mind to all the possible things I can encounter and try. I feel as though I was placed with an awesome Deaf Guide to help broaden my experience. I have been apart of the Deaf community at home, and since I have a Deafblind individual as a Guide it opened many new …show more content…
experiences. I am trying to learn as much as I can from this opportunity and my Deaf Gulde so I can gain strong relationships within the Deaf community. I do feel that my mindset is on track to immure myself into the community, but my busy schedule, may need adjusting to do so. As I have previously mentioned I have been involved with the Deaf community at home for about 4 years now.
Over that time and the time spent here with the DSZ I have to say I have learned so many things about the Deaf community. How most individual that joins the communities are here for friends and family, to have and build connections with other individuals, to share their interests and experiences, as well as to just have a good time. Most individuals I have meet in the community have great pride in being Deaf, and don't see themselves as disabled. I have also found that the Deaf/Deafblind community is very diverse, including not only those individuals who are Deaf/Deafblind but also there hearing family members and friends, Interpreters, and others such as Deaf Studies or ASL students. At this point I would have to say nothing really surprised me yet, this may be do to the fact that I am open to all things and know that the community is always
changing. Before starting my experience with you all at DSZ I was nervous. This was because I was informed I was being paired with a DeafBlind individual as my Deaf Guide. I was nervous and worried due to the fact I had no previous experience using tactile. Was I going to understand his signing and more importantly will he understand me due to my lack in knowing the techniques of tactile. This was one Pre-conceived idea that I had. I had feared this at first and was worried what would have happened if we couldn't communicate effectively. But in the end I meet my guide and everything has gone smoothly since, he understands what I am saying and I understand him as well. He is a very understanding man and has taught me a lot about working with Deafblind individuals.
I learned a lot about Deaf people, ASL, and/or Deaf Culture after reading this book. Deaf people are normal just like anybody else and they should not be treated any differently. Some people treat Deafness as a disease that needs to be cured, but it's not. If a parent comes to learn that their child is deaf they react very crazily and act like their child is dying and that deafness is some fatal disease. Deaf people should be treated just like anyone else and no differently. They are not disabled and can do great things in this world.
After reading Deaf Again I learned a lot of new things about Deaf culture and was drawn in by the story of Mark Drolsbaugh. "The hardest fight a man has to fight is to live in a world where every single day someone is trying to make you someone you do not want to be" e.e cummings. I was brought into the book immediately from this quote and realized how difficult it must have been for Mark to find his identity. He was trying to hang on to his hearing in fear of going deaf as if there was something wrong or not proper with being deaf. It took him a long time, twenty-three years to realize that the Deaf culture is receiving and it was there for him to embrace the entire time. It would be difficult to be able to hear and then slowly lose your hearing while having to communicate in the world we live in. Both his parents Sherry and Don were Deaf and I enjoyed reading the part where Mark was brought into this world through childbirth and the signing and conversation that was going on inside while the process was taking place. Like the anesthesia machine not working, which had to have been painful.
The movie “Audism Unveiled” was a very interesting and powerful movie. I never realized that deaf individuals are discriminated against. This could be partly because I have never been immersed in or educated about the deaf culture until this year. One of the things that struck me the most while watching “Audism Unveiled” was the many heart wrenching stories about children being unable to communicate with their own non-signing hearing families.. The deaf child would have to ask their family members, why everyone was laughing or what’s going on. The family members would just tell them “I’ll tell you later” or “Nevermind. It’s not important”, resulting in the individual feeling isolated. Personally, I agree with people saying that if a parent has a deaf child they should learn how to sign; communication is what brings families together. As a result, the most intriguing thing to me was the stories of family members never learning American Sign Language; leaving their family member isolated.
Overall, reading this book from cover-to-cover has certainly assisted in opening my eyes to Deaf culture and the Deaf community I live in. Major questions have been answered, and I feel more confident and familiar with their culture than I have before. I feel I have a better perception of why Deaf people react the way they do to specific situations with hearing people and why they have different etiquettes, like how common it is to hug someone as a greeting. I have a very positive basic reaction to the information and would absolutely reference back to this book if I have any questions.
Kimmy Bachmann A Journey into the Deaf-World Chapter 1 The narrator begins this chapter by introducing himself as well as his colleagues and co-authors. Ben Bahan, the narrator, is a deaf man from New Jersey whom was raised by deaf parents and a hearing sister. After spending an immense amount of time studying American Sign Language (ASL) he moved on to now become an assistant professor at Gallaudet University in the Deaf studies Department. His colleague Harlan Lane, a hearing man, is a specialist in the psychology of language and having many titles is a key aspect of this book as he believes, as does most of the Deaf-World, that they are a minority language and takes up their point of view to the hearing world.
While reading Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again where he wrote about his experiences with becoming postlingually deaf, I realized that I was able to relate to some of the situations he encountered, especially when he spoke of his frustrating childhood due to his disability. As he grew older, he needed to find new ways to cope with and accept his deafness. Because of his unique viewpoint with deaf parents who were not allowed to sign around him, the book gave readers a different perspective to look at deafness with. Drolsbaugh’s personal account of his life was inspirational as he grew up with a truly exceptional situation, yet was able to overcome his obstacles and become successful after he quit denying who he really was.
What I found most interesting about Jarashow’s presentation were the two opposing views: Deaf culture versus medical professionals. Within the Deaf culture, they want to preserve their language and identity. The Deaf community wants to flourish and grow and do not view being deaf as a disability or being wrong. Jarashow stated that the medical field labels Deaf people as having a handicap or being disabled because they cannot hear. Those who are Deaf feel as though medical professionals are trying to eliminate them and relate it to eugenics. It is perceived that those in that field are trying to fix those who are Deaf and eliminate them by making them conform to a hearing world. Those within the Deaf community seem to be unhappy with devices such
Hearing about the deaf clinking of glasses (wrists) for cheers was very interesting to me. Having hearing is a privilege and being able to receive and express communication is how we all function; I can not fathom losing one or both modes of communication. Learning about deaf culture should be implemented in school. Many children and even adults do not know how to interact with a deaf person and can either offend the deaf person or make the situation extremely
I found this quote to fit perfectly with what I experienced in the deaf event that I attended the latter week. On Wednesday April 6, I went to Pizza Royal, an event that even though it was miniscule I can say with assurance I will remember for the rest of my life, surprisingly. I really did not know what to expect as I entered the restaurant, besides the fact that I was nervous my communication skills would be poor with a deaf person. As the night went on, I learned a lot of about the people I met there including characteristics such as, friendliness, mirth, and patience. The list goes on.
Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th...
The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
Hearing people can have a place in the Deaf community. Each minority group tends to welcome genuine allies and the Deaf community is no exception. But it is important for people who hear to remember our role as allies. We join the community to show our support, not to lead. We can help educate other hearing people, but we are not missionaries to bring Deaf people into the mainstream. Deaf people are the appropriate leaders of their own civil rights movement and teachers of their children. Our role is not to give Deaf people a voice; it is to make sure that the voice already present is heard. And we can do that. We can teach other hearing people to listen.
During the first Saturday of every month I volunteer at St. Columbkill Church in Parma, Ohio which has a program for teenagers and young children to come and socialize and learn about the bible. With the church being located in Parma, Ohio there is a great amount of diversity within the teenagers, which makes the volunteering fun and exciting. Some of the teenagers who participate in the church group are people who were born Deaf. To help assist with the children who are Deaf, the church brings in a ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter, therefore the teenagers are able to participate fully in the church activities and not feel left out. Before taking a ASL class I was not able to communicate with the Deaf teenagers at any level. After taking a semester of ASL I was able to pick up on certain signs and I was able to communicate with the Deaf teenagers more
Imagine seeing people speaking, moving their mouths and not being able to hear anything. Welcome to the world of deafness. The journey for someone who is deaf can be challenging, but those challenges can be overcome with perseverance. Today I am going to share with you the story of my journey with deafness and see that if I am my disability. It is an experience that has shaped my life through body, mind, and spiritual matter.