Mj's Story Of If You Were Born Deaf

In chapter 1, two Deaf sisters Helen and Vicki were interviwed by Carol. Their interview stood out to be the most in the chapter because it showed children spend their time learning what things are supposed to mean. As Carol interviewed the two Deaf sisters and they both argued about Michael being deaf or hearing it made me question why they both had a different answer if their both deaf. Also when Vicki mentioned Michael being Deaf and hearing I noticed you can;t be Deaf and hearing. I also noticed that children are often wrong for the most intertesting reasons and right for reasons we never expect. This was interesting because when Vicki reaches her older sister age she will be better undertanding and

Chapter 2 delves into the lives of families with deaf children. It also goes into the genealogy of the Deaf community. It is a common factor that Deaf parents would prefer having a Deaf child, simply because having a hearing child would be more complicated for them. This does not mean that they would love their hearing children any less, The birth of a Deaf baby secures that the legacy of more Deaf children is possible. They are more than happy to celebrate when this kind of news is brought their way.

The video titled “The D: Detroit Deaf Education” is about the deaf students and their parents explaining their experiences with Detroit Public Schools, specifically the deaf education that the students are receiving. I chose this video because it is directly related to my major, ASL Education and hopefully Deaf Education in the future as well. I wanted to see what it’s like for the students in Detroit Public Schools and if the education they receive is appropriate for them as well.

Nathie Marbury was a Black Deaf role model as well as an educator. Helping form a community for the Black Deaf. Marbury taught both the hearing and the deaf throughout her lifetime.She contributed to the deaf and hearing worlds through her work in teaching and various other accomplishments.

For my Deaf event, I attended Deaf Coffee Night at Starbucks. When I walked in, I was happy to be able to look around and see people communicate through the use of only their hands, body and faces. I was also encouraged by the fact that I understood a majority of the signs I saw. After I ordered my drink, I approached a table of two people who were using ASL and I introduced myself. One person at the table was hearing while the other was Deaf, but both were happy to include me in their conversation. We talked for quite awhile about each of our lives. It was interesting to notice that throughout our conversation, the three of us were equally engaged in the conversation at hand about the lives of these strangers. This is a lot different then most conversations in the hearing world since most of the time we do not talk about our lives for that long and when listening to the lives of other people we do not actually care to pay close attention.

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

Lynn’s deafness was found through a series of many events. These events consisted of seeing many doctors to see if she could hear or not. Lynn was taken to a doctor to make sure that her ears where fully developed, this doctor said that she was fine. Lynn was also taken to a speech therapist that told them that she could learn and that all she needed was to be talked too. Just talking to her would do it all and that one day she would be able to talk to them. This information gave them some hope that she would be able to communicate someday. They also tried the John Tracy course to help her better learn to lip read to be able to talk to them. This had over a thousand classes to it and things for the family to do. Which they tried intensely with Lynn and did the games and things that came with it with her on a daily basis. (79).

In Mark Drolsbaugh’s educational and witty autobiography “Deaf Again”, he describes his journey as a child born to deaf parents, losing his own hearing in his childhood, and navigating both hearing and deaf worlds while trying to discover his identity.

After reading Deaf Again I learned a lot of new things I didn?t know 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

The book A Loss for Words by Lou Ann Walker is a biography about Lou Ann. Her parents are deaf and she and her sister are hearing. The book describes the troubles and embarrassment she felt and had while growing up. She loved her parents dearly but often felt embarrassed, or infuriated about comments people would make to her about her parents. Lou Ann exclaims that “their world is deaf, their deaf culture, their deaf friends, and their own sign language it is something separate, something I can never really know, but I am intimate with.”(2) Lou Ann was both speaking and she could also sign. She felt it hard to fit into one culture. She had a love for her parents and the

“To the hearing world, the deaf community must seem like a secret society. Indeed, deafness is a culture every bit as distinctive as any an anthropologist might study.” (Walker 1986) Lou Ann Walker’s autobiographical book, “A Loss for Words” details the story of her childhood with two deaf parents. She is the oldest of three children, with two sisters who are named Kay Sue and Jan Lee. All of their names were chosen for ease of lipreading for her parents. As she is the eldest of the three, she begins to act as an interpreter, and does so; often dealing with store keepers, mechanics, and others who would not know American Sign Language, but who would still need to understand what her parents are saying. Lou Ann, as she grows up, realizes

In the book, “A Loss for Words” by Lou Ann Walker, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of a family that is somewhat separated by deafness and hearing. The author Lou Ann Walker, does an excellent job at showing the reader all that she has to go through as she grows up. The reader can see all that is going on as she describes everything that is happening in depth to them. This gives the reader a chance to see how many children that are born to deaf parents are used to be interpreters for them and also how the hearing world that they live in sees the deaf community around them.

Truthfully, in coming to this event I found myself in the role of a deaf person attending any hearing event. In the hearing world, a deaf individual will not understand a majority of what a hearing person says, however they piece together what they do understand in order to stay present in the conversation. In this situation, I felt the same way where I significantly missed most of the story although, I kept watching and used my imagination to fill in the missing spots. This event was accessible for other deaf members in the community. One thing I never consider, but it is now obvious to me now, is that during the Q&A there was an additional individual on stage signing the question asked back out to the audience. This is way more convenient for the deaf audience rather than having them turn their body in all different direction just to find out they can’t see who is asking the question. The Weber music hall was a perfect place to host this event as it was not too small where not everyone could fit but it wasn’t huge where Dack couldn’t see the individual asking the

Being able to hear is something I think most people take for granted. But what if you cannot hear? On July 15, 2015, I was afforded the opportunity to observe eight-year-old Braydon Smith and five-year-old Peyton Smith, who were born deaf. Their names were changed to protect their identity. Their younger sister, Mackenzie, whose name was also changed to protect her identity, did not have any issues with her hearing. I met with both boys and their mother, Sandra Smith, at a relative’s home in Belton, Texas. However, the family lives in Loganville, Georgia. I found both boys to be energetic, and playful. Their mother seemed excited to tell her sons’ stories. Present at the meeting was Sandra Smith,

In 1997, Mark Drolsbaugh printed a book titled Deaf Again. In this book, Mark narrates his life story from a hearing child to deaf adult and all of his hardships. Mark was a hearing child born to deaf parents. As he matured, his hearing began to worsen and soon he was labeled as deaf, communicating became harder. He would make mistakes in class and be ridiculed for it. He did not understand the reason for the ridicule and eventually stopped putting effort in his studies. A pediatrician told his parents to look into speech therapy and hearing aids for him. His parents felt he would be happier if he connected more with his hearing side than subject him to a life ruled by his disability. However, his parents were fluent in ASL and regularly communicated with each other by signing. His guardians felt being taught to sign would hinder his development. As he aged, he experienced a larger disconnect from the hearing world, resulting in an isolating feeling. Eventually Mark learned ASL and gradually let the Deaf culture become a bigger part of his life. As his involvement in the Deaf culture grew he found a comradery that he had never had before. Soon, he began to see the value that came from communication and relationships with others above all else.