Deaf Culture

By Abigail Torres-Jimenez
Deaf, deaf, and hard of hearing what's the
difference?
- The uppercase Deaf is used to refer to a person / group of people who share a language,
in this case ASL (American Sign Language)

- The lowercase deaf is used to refer to the audiological condition of not hearing

- The term hard of hearing is a person with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Most of the time
someone who identifies with this term does not want an affiliation with the Deaf
community.

- Although there are different references in the end it is up to that person and who they
identify with
Causes..
There are many causes of deafness outside of being born deaf for example;

Conductive Hearing Loss- hearing loss due to problems with the ear canal, drum, middle
ear and little bones.

Causes

- fluid in the middle ears

- Ear infections
- Allergies
- Benign tumors
- Otosclerosis = an inherited disorder cause hearing loss due to ear’s inability to amplify
sound

Treatment- Medicine or surgery can help

continued...
Sensorineural hearing loss- (nerve related hearing loss) hearing loss due to problems in the inner
ear, permanent

Causes

- Exposure to loud noise

- Head trauma
- virus/disease
- Autoimmune disease in inner ear
- Family history

Treatment- Cochlear Implant( surgically implanted device to enable deaf person to ear sound) /
hearing aid can help
Mixed hearing loss- refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Main
damage occurs in the outer, middle and inner ear.
 Background History

In the early 1800s not many places offered education for the deaf.
The first school for the deaf opened in 1817 in Hartford,
Connecticut. The school initially began as an Asylum for Education
and Instruction for the Deaf and Dumb person.

Terms from the 1800s

Asylum- meant a safe place , later transitioned into the term

institution

Dumb- referred to individuals who did not speak or understand

speech
Important People
Mason F. Cogswell- wealthy physician who founded the connecticut school so his daughter Alice
could have an education.

Rev Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet- a minister became interested in educating deaf children when
he met Alice.

Laurent Clerc- deaf teacher , teacher instructor in America school for the deaf, attended Royal
Institute for the Deaf in Paris

Together all three men maintained the first school for the Deaf.
 American Sign Language
~Initially Linguists did not/would not recognize sign language as a language because “natural language had
to demonstrate abstract thought, emotion and complex information. Till 1960 when William Stokoe wrote
‘Sign Language Structure: An Outline of the Visual Communication Systems of the American Deaf’”

~ASL is the visual/gestural language that is the primary form of communication within the deaf
community in America & Canada

~Unlike English, ASL doesn’t trace back to Britain on the contrary it goes back to French sign
language. (Laurent Clerc) started in Hartford in 1816 first sign language teacher who brought sign
language from Paris where he taught teachers.

~Students- deaf students arrived at Hartford from all over the states and each brought their own
sign language. Ex; New York, Philadelphia, Martha’s Vineyard

~ASL is not universal, like any language it differs in different parts of the world.
 Culture
“What makes Deaf people a cultural group instead of simply loose organization of people with a similar sensory loss is the
fact that their adaptation includes language. An environment created solely by sensory deprivation does not make
culture...what does fom a culture for Deaf people is the fact that the adaptation to a visual world has by human necessity
included visual language. In the United State this is American Sign language”- Susan D Rutherford.

Rich and Diverse Literature

Dozens of newspapers and magazines written by and for deaf people ex: Silent News, Silent Worker, Deaf Life

Oratory- use of particular , archaic (old), signs, used in formal occasions

Folklore- traditional language arts (jokes, punes, games, narratives)

Performance art- poetry ( bases upon visual rather than aural patterns) and plays

composed in ASL
The National Association of the Deaf was founded in 1880 and there are members from all over the states.

The National Fraternal Society of the Deaf founded in 1901- provides insurance to deaf people, over the
years this society has expanded its operations to become involved in legislative, civic and social activities

1945 the American Athletic Association of the Deaf- organizes sporting events at the nationals

Deaflympics
Deaf Etiquette
Deaf Zones are Signing zones- when a Deaf person is in the room, please sign, turn off your voice

Facilitate lip reading- use your voice do not slow down or over enunciate words

Respect conversational space- do not walk through two people signing

Initiating conversation- to get someone's attention wave discreetly or tap them on the shoulder

Exchanging notes- notes are okay but if you have o do it constantly considering taking ASL classes to
better communicate

Respect Native ASL Users- if you are corrected, take the feedback. Do not try to say you know what you
are doing
 Resources
http://www3.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/info-to-go/deaf-culture/american-deaf-culture.html

https://gallaudet.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/institution/Deaf%20Eyes%20Exhibit/Formatio
n_01place.htm

http://www.hearingloss.org/content/types-causes-and-treatment

http://www.eyesign.org/index.php?page=deaf-culture-etiquette-2

https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/learning-american-sign-language/

https://www.deaflympics.com/

Baynton, D., Gannon, J., & Bergey, J. (2007). Through deaf eyes : A photographic history of an
American community. Washington, D.C.: Galludet University Press.