In searching for an article with a direct connection to the Deaf community I was shocked to see how many instances of Civil Rights violations have occurred recently in the United States. I could have easily referred to several stories that are similar to that of Mr. Abreham Zemedageghu.
In February of this year a homeless man named Abreham Zemedageghu, was jail for six taken to jail and held for six weeks with no way to communicate with his jailers because he is Deaf and was denied an interpreter. Mr Zemedageghu uses American Sign Language and has a very basic usage of written English. Here is where the problem really begins.
Not only did the Jail, located in Arlington Virginia, not provide him with an interpreter but they had only a TTY as an option. The TTY was a very high tech method of communication for the Deaf community in the 1960’s and a1970’s but is now seriously outdated. With the prevalence of smart phones and video phones most are relegated to attics and garages as a reminder of days gone by. Mr. Zemedageghu did not even understand why he was in jail for two days.
It
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§ 794, guarantees persons with disabilities equal access to any entity that receives federal financial assistance, either directly or indirectly. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12141 et seq., now extends these same rights to inmates in all state and local facilities.
In the end I was disgusted by the frequency of this type of occurrence. It prompted me to search for an organization that deals specifically with the Deaf inmate population. I found HEARD which works on many different Deaf rights issues. From their website I learned that the number of Deaf inmates is not tracked in our penial system. How then are the rights of these people to be monitored and protected? It also leads me wonder what effect the privatization of the prison system will have, and what I can do to help the
In the movie, “Audism Unveiled,” they were many testimonials of different deaf people explaining their stories of oppression simply because of the
The rights of a prisoner to read, write, speak, practice their religion, and communicate with the outside world are often cut far outside what is necessary for established security. This also leads to prisoners to stop communicating with the outside world and family.
In this book, Deaf in America, by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, the two authors wrote stories, jokes, performances, and experiences of Deaf people. They also wrote Deaf culture and Deaf people’s lives from various angles. This book is great navigator of Deaf world for hearing people and even Deaf people as me. There are several factors attracting reader. To begin with, I could learn about backgrounds of deaf people and hearing people. Authors wrote about a Deaf boy who was born into a deaf family. Until he discovered that a girl playmate in neighborhood was “hearing”, he didn’t notice about “Others”. Authors
I immediately became aware upon entering the building and taking seat at a round, conference-style table arrangement that there was no sign language interpreter available. I asked the authority figure as to whether or not one could be provided and she was unable to accommodate. If I required a translator, it would be my responsibility to access a person to provide that service and bring them along with me to the meeting. This information immediately got me thinking about what course of action I would have to take if I were not only deaf but experiencing a socioeconomic crisis.
All throughout the entire "Deaf President Now" movement, the message was clear that deaf people have the self-determination and capability as any other hearing person. To watch hundreds of deaf students and supports protest from Gallaudet University to our nation's capital, using American Sign Language as their only medium of communication. Only shows the effect of the "power and intelligence" (Van Cleve p. 173) behind sign language. "With similar unity in the future, they may move into a
This documentary does an excellent job of advocating for the acknowledgment of people who are deaf within society. This is shown through not only the brilliantly written and performed poems of the students but also in the basic, everyday struggles each of them face, such as the desire to fit in or be valued by those around them. Deafness is not a specific to any gender, race, culture, or religion. The struggles many people who are deaf go through are relatable to all and
The book also describes how life has changed for deaf adults through the years. Previously, many deaf adults were not able to get jobs in many places, because there were not many places that were accepting to them. These days, however, almost every business or company is looking for those that are fluent in American Sign Language, due to the simple fact that they would be able to accommodate that many more people and earn more money for their business. Also, there were not many outlets for deaf adults to use in relation to entertainment or basic needs, because again, mostly everything was catered to hearing adults only. However, they have recently developed many different ways for the deaf to communicate with the hearing and with one another, including TTY, full-keyboard, and internet phones and closed-captions on television stations and movies.
In prison, there aren’t many ways to stay in contact with the outside world. Access to social media is strict, there are even certain books that are not allowed in prison, though most inmates have a reading level at or below one. Some prisoners are afraid that phone calls are being recorded and that what they say will be held against them. These regulations are taken for security precautions.Though some people would agree that some practices are unnecessary, they have good
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 PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. 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.” The
For many years, a grapevine-like system of communication has kept deaf people informed of community news across the United States. Frequently, deaf individuals who live in one area of the country socialize and communicate often with deaf individuals in other areas. Members of the Deaf community often express concern that sharing information in treatment will result in having one 's life story fed into that grapevine. As a result, many who struggle with a chemical dependency also fear a loss of respect and status within the Deaf community should their struggles be made a part of that shared information. The confidentiality that is an integral part of therapeutic treatment consequently can come into conflict with the communication style of the Deaf culture (Guthmann & Shelley, 2001).
When the law was signed, new doors opened for the deaf and hard of hearing culture for a better opportunity in gaining equal rights. President Bush appointed four titles to protect deaf and hard of hearing people. In “The ADA and Deaf Culture” by Tucker, B. Title I, prohibits both public and private employers from refusing to hire or promote an individual because of his or her impairment and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants or employees who are deaf or hard of hearing (Tucker 28). If a deaf or hard of hearing employee can pass the essential part of the job qualification, he or she is protected by the ADA to be hired. Also, the ADA prohibits employers to discriminate disabled people in means of recruitment, job applications procedures, pay rates, and promotions. The second title, Title II, “Requires all state and local government agencies to make all of their services accessible to individuals with disability” (NAD 22). This ensures people with disability to be able to participate in services, programs, and activities who can meet the essential eligibility requirements. Such places that must make these accommodations are schools, libraries, police and fire department, public hospitals, jails and prisons, motor vehicle departments, parks and
“You have to be deaf to understand the deaf”’ is a deaf poem by Willard Madsen, and he was written at 1971’s. He was a professor of journalism and former Associate Professor of Sign Language at Gallaudet University. He was born from Peabody, Kansas in 1930s. He lost his hearing to scarlet fever when he was two age. He attended public junior high school before he transferring to Kansas school for the Deaf at Olathe. He went on to study at Gallaudet. He graduating in 1952s with a degree in the education. He do taught at the Louisiana school for the Deaf for five years after, he received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University. After he joined to Gallaudet faculty in 1957s, and he taught at gallaudet for 39 years when he have retirement at 1996s. His career was spent to teaching journalism and english to preparatory students. He was a founding member of American Sign language Teachers Association, which provided certification for sign teachers across the country. He wrote two text book for sign language but, he was well known as a poets in both American Sign Language and English. Classics of Deaf cultures are “You have to be deaf to Understand” and “NO!”.
Deaf people face many problems including discrimination in the work place. Their employers refuse to give them proper accommodations are flat out won't hire them(nad.org).
Since 1997 there have been forty seven reported cases of crimes against deaf or hard of hearing people.(Heard’s statstitics) Nine deaf or hard of hearing people have been shot and killed by police since 1997; six of those have happened in the last three years. That is a huge increase in shooting against the deaf community. With all of the cases that have been reported none were given an interpreter. All law enforcement is required to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Since 1997 there have been forty seven reported cases of crimes against deaf or hard of hearing people. Nine deaf or hard of hearing people have been shot and killed by police since 1997; six of those have happened in the last three years. That is a huge increase in shooting against the deaf community. With all of the cases that have been reported none were given an interpreter. All law enforcement is required to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.