The Medical and Cultural models of Deaf people represented by the Museum metaphor (see “The Museum”) are elaborated upon here, and other key terms (”deafness”, “oppression”, “colonialization” and “subalterns”) are explained or expanded upon. (18:49 mins.)
The book opens with a metaphor of entering a museum about Deaf people. The metaphorical story is retold here with a brief explanation of what the metaphor refers to. (See also Ella Mae Lentz’s wonderful and far superior version).
This morning, I read my newspaper and saw this article (which can be seen in this link LPGA English Language Requirement) which states that the LPGA is requiring anyone who enters their tournaments to be able to show proficiency in English. This requirement is discriminatory to qualified golfers from around the world who may not speak English, as well as the Deaf. I am providing you here with a sample letter that I have written (and sent) and the contact information for the LPGA in the video.
In this continuation of my Introduction to Deafhood series, I explain what Deafhood is in terms of what it is not as well as what it is.
On one of my email listserves, Gardy Van Gils, a Deaf woman from Holland, sent this story of what happened in a meeting of Deaf and Hearing people in her workplace discussing how Deaf and Hearing can work together more effectively, when one woman stood up and said what was on her mind. Read the story in the link below to see what happened next. This story points to why it is useless to change what we call ourselves by, since Hearing people’s attitudes will still be of us as “disabled” people until we are able to get societal attitudes changed.
Regarding my last post on “People of the Eye and Hand”, I have a confession to make. Watch my confession and forgive me, please.
Some people have propsed not calling ourselves “Deaf” because this has a negative connotation for Hearing people. After some thought, I have come up with a new name and sign we can use to refer to ourselves that that will reflect a positive image of who we all are.
Recently, there have been a few vlogs discussing the idea of replacing “Deaf” with “ASL” due to the perceived negative stigma of “Deaf” among Hearing people. In this vlog, I take a look at different cultural groups and their names, the power of choosing one’s own name, and Deaf culture and identity itself in answer to the question “Should we call ourselves “ASL People”?
This morning, I came across an advertisement that got me thinking back to my childhood and some more recent experiences involving hearing aids. Sit back while I tell you a story that will get you laughing and thinking.
Some people have been saying that they are “free thinkers” and others who support Deafhood and Deaf culture are not being “free thinkers”. Here, I take a look at society to explore whether people are truly “free” in their thinking.
