The Importance of Language and Culture

The major recent event that inspired the writing of this article is because of a Pediatrics article that published the statement, “seems clearly preferable to an approach that focuses solely on oral communication” in regards to all deaf children being taught sign language. This statement has caused a lot of controversy. Even though the article has been republished without this statement, this article brings up a discussion of what this statement truly meant and if it meant that all deaf individuals should learn spoken language. Since this article was published and republished, there has been a lot of discussion on what is best for deaf children in regards to communication and how the decision a family makes can be surrounded by judgment

The purpose of this research paper is to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? There are three sub-questions that will assist in answering the major question: (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? With these questions answer, it will give a better understanding as to what Deaf culture is and that it is indeed a culture.

Two centuries ago, the Deaf community arose in American society as a linguistic minority. Members of this community share a particular human condition, hearing impairment. However, the use of American Sign Language, as their main means of communicating, and attendance to a residential school for people with deafness also determine their entry to this micro-culture. Despite the fact that Deaf activists argue that their community is essentially an ethnic group, Deaf culture is certainly different from any other cultures in the United States. Deaf-Americans cannot trace their ancestry back to a specific country, nor do Deaf neighborhoods exist predominantly throughout the nation. Additionally, more than ninety percent of deaf persons are born

Linguistic research has allowed Auslan to be recognised as the preferred language of the deaf community. This understanding is important as ‘it has a direct impact on the lives of deaf people in terms of educational and employment opportunities’ (Lucas, Bayley and Valli, cited in Johnston and Schembri 2004, p. 2). This recognition has ‘lead to the improvement of services for deaf people such as increasing access to information by means of sign language interpreting’ as well as opening new career opportunities such as adult educators and relay interpreters (Johnston and Schembri 2004, p. 2).

In the part six of the book called For the Progress, a Return to Deaf-Centered Education discussed about the early century, deaf American children studied all their subjects in their most fluent language, ASL that way they can continue their education (Lane, pg. 165). Basically, the author argued that deaf children shouldn’t be isolated in a hearing school, and should be taught how some bilingual children are taught; through both languages for better understanding.

In programs designed with deaf children in mind, Deaf children are not only surrounded by a sizable number of Deaf students, which provides them with a socially accessible environment, but are also exposed to educational programming through which the student gains access to the Deaf community, the history and the values of Deaf

During registration last semester, when I decided to take this course to see if I wanted to continue onward with ASL as my minor, I was not sure what to expect. Through my brief introduction of Deaf culture during my first sign language courses, I knew some vague details about historical events. Gallaudet had been mentioned several times within not only my workbook, but also by my professor. I could have given you a short synopsis of the oral movement that threatened to wipe ASL out as a language. Though I knew these facts, and a few traits about Deaf culture that I had experienced firsthand, there was so much that I had not considered before the readings and journals for this course opened my eyes.

“Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers” (Chavez). Language a puzzle piece of a person’s culture. In history Americans used the demise of others to receive their glory. People like the African slaves and Native Americans suffered at the hand of the Americans. Focusing mostly on the African slaves, Americans cut their culture away from them by forbidding their language in their new “home” and forced their language onto them. Though the Americans believed that they had the upper hand by cutting off the African culture, the Africans exceeded their power by founding their own american culture, through African American Vernacular English.

With this overarching theme between mainstream education for Deaf children and the residential schools for Aboriginal youth, I found myself making connections over the oppression of the language and cultural aspect of the Deaf community versus Aboriginal community. During the Milan conference, also known as the International conference for educators of the Deaf, a declaration was made that education instructed in Sign Language should be abolished and replaced with oral education. The convention passed 8 resolutions, which majorly revolved around the knowledge of disadvantaged Deaf learners, the need for Deaf oral teaching, and strategies to teach Deaf students verbally, and the lifelong advantages of this type of instruction. The Milan conference led to joblessness of the once employed Deaf teachers, and an overall reduction in Deaf professionals until the mid 1960’s (Moores, D). Moreover, the quality of education and life of Deaf students was undesirably impacted.

One of the most emotional taxing yet gratifying parts of raising a deaf child is that the mother is typically the one member of the family most capable of communicating with the deaf child. She becomes not only a mother, but an educator, social guidance counselor, communication specialist, interpreter, and audiologist consultant (Mapp 15). The girl’s mother went to the school district when the girl entered high school hoping sign language classes were available as a precaution in case her half deaf child continued to lose her hearing. They refused to even consider letting sign language qualify for her foreign language requirement. Another recurring theme in the challenges faced by parents is the abundance of ignorance in the faculty of school systems themselves. One frustrated parent wrote said about mainstreaming her deaf child into a hearing school, “…the teacher sometimes forgets…her limits and limitations…and does something

Imagine one day you walk into a room, in which everybody is talking and laughing but the only thing you can possibly hear is a very faint noise. How would you feel about your inability to communicate? About 13% the total U.S. population is deaf or hearing impaired (Harrington). It is impossible for them to go to clothing store without a deaf interpreter which makes them feel as not self-sufficient and isolated from the rest of the society. Past research has examined that by implementing American sign language in public secondary schools as a foreign language elective can effectively diminish the number of isolationism incidence among deaf and hearing impaired individuals (Pfeiffer 88). However, the major obstacle faced when implementing ASL as a language

However, from the Deaf community’s point of view, deaf children are the future of their culture and not teaching the next generation of signers is “genocide” of their culture (Lane & Byhan). Some children who are proficient in both spoken and signed language may choose later in life to live as if they were deaf, a choice they are largely unable to make if they are not introduced to a signed language early in life. (Dillier & Spillmann, 1997). One study showed that deaf individuals who are not introduced to a signed language as children never become fully proficient; even those who began learning as early as age 5 are significantly less proficient than those who were taught from birth (Newport, 1990). Children who are introduced to both a spoken and signed language from birth are introduced to both cultures, and hopefully excluded from neither. If deaf children are only taught a spoken language, the risk of being isolated from both cultures arises – if they are unable to communicate fully with the spoken world, and have no knowledge of a signed language, they may feel alienated and experience less-than-satisfactory social and physiological growth. (Krammer, p. 346). Although some Deaf community advocates argue that cochlear implants are “unethical” because they disconnect potential Deaf community members from

In the chapter “Bilingual and Bicultural Education for Deaf Children” learning English as a second language in schools was discussed and the criticism and benefits that come from it. I’m glad the Education Opportunity act talked about in this chapter includes the child developing a healthy identity and takes into account the psychological well-being of the child (295). There have been studies that suggest bilinguals have an advantage over monolinguals, and that they can analyze sentence structure better (297). It goes to show when given a fair chance, people can flourish. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the students were cognitively able, they just didn’t speak English. The idea of having a teacher who knows sign to teach deaf children English is amazing and I’m glad they tried to implement that in the classrooms. That was they

My essay topic is the language development of deaf infants and children. In my opinion, this is an important topic to discuss, due to the lack of public knowledge concerning the deaf population. Through this essay, I wish to present how a child is diagnosed as having a hearing loss (including early warning signs), options that parents have for their children once diagnosed (specifically in relation to education of language), common speech teaching methods used today, typical language development for these children, and some emotional, social, and mental difficulties faced by the deaf child and the child’s family that have an immense effect on the child’s education.

The Deaf Studies in the 20th century focused on the studies of sign languages and of Deaf culture (Bauman & Murray, 2010). It was during the late part of the 20th century when sign languages and their practical use for communication of deaf students were formally studied. Many systems were explored, but the study of American Sign Language (ASL) became popular. A powerful argument why formal studies of sign language existed was to give Deaf students access to various modes of communication. Later, the study