Living within a 2 culture environment

Living in a two culture environmentLets try to understand who we are in this environment Why is Deaf culture different than hearing culture?Discuss this with your table group.Culture is a way of seeing lifeLife is seen through different eyes (mind or heart) because of different life experiences

What makes the hearing and Deaf experiences so different?

The mind of the common hearing person sees the Deaf person as Someone who cant: TalkEnjoy musicWrite or read wellHave a respectable well paying job

Or who needs:Help, and we know best how to give that help

Deaf history runs deep withhearing people who claim to know what deaf people need, focusing on what they cant do:

Hearing: We can make you hearing, arent you happy for that?Deaf: I do not wish to hear, did you ever ask me?Hearing: We can teach you to talk and read lips, arent you happy for that?Deaf: It is unnatural and ineffective. Did you ask me?Hearing: You can get what you are missing, your hearing, arent you happy for that?Deaf: I never had it to miss it. Do people in Kansas mourn not having the beach; they have never had it and are content anyway.

Cant and need are generally words used by people exhibiting AudismAudism describes the mentality that to be able to hear and to speak is necessarily better and leads to a higher quality of life. On this basis, different forms of discriminating behavior against deaf and hard of hearing people may arise. Audism can manifest in different areas of life, exhibited mostly by hearing people. It can also occur within the Deaf Community as some deaf or hard of hearing persons share the attitude that being hearing is better.Discuss thisWhere else have we heard these kind of views in history?

Come up with at least 10 examples.Discrimination With your group, define it. I would argue its the absence of something rather than the presence of something.

Discrimination The absence of seeing value.

The Deaf persons eyes and heart tell him that many hearing people Cant or wont consider that the Deaf experience has value.

Lets take a look at an ASL students interview with hearing people asking about the difference between hearing and Deaf cultures.

Would you classify some of these peopleas selfish (wont) or ignorant (cant)?

Selfish- devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

Ignorant- lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact.Deafhood is a term coined by Paddy Ladd in his book Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood. While the precise meaning of the word remains deliberately vagueLadd himself calls Deafhood a "process" rather than something finite and clearit attempts to convey an affirmative and positive acceptance of being deaf.Deaf IdentityMore so than hearing people, I would say there is a definite identity associated with being Deaf, there are no negative feelings associated with it, but much pride.PerspectiveWhen a Deaf person sees people/friends who know how to sign, yet carry on with their hearing friends in the company of their Deaf friend without involving the Deaf friend, what message does that send? How does the Deaf friend feel?

Discuss this with your group?You could compare it tobeing at a party with all your friends, you are the youngest at 15 and they decide to go to the Grand Prix Go-carts that require a drivers license. You dont have one, but the others do. They decide to take you home so that they can follow through with their plans. They have purposely rejected you.

Would you call this selfishness or ignorance? Or would you call it something else?Discuss it with your group. What would you have done, as one of the older friends?They could have easily made accommodations to do something you could also enjoy doing. You may very well be depriving yourself from something which could have been equally or even more fun by involving everyone.

What if. your friends decided to go to the Grand Prix Go-carts, but you werent there when they planned it. Would you have expected them to not consider going because you werent old enough?

How are the two scenarios different?

When a person is part of a larger group, their feelings should always be considered when making plans.

Make your plans to consider those who will be involved.Rejecting othersbecause of selfishness or ignorance hurts everyone.

Those doing the rejecting have lost:An opportunity to share an experienceTo get to know who that person is FYI: because Deaf people are so Proud of their identity and they have a unique view on the world, to include them in your life is to gain that view for yourself. Priceless!

The rejected person feels:Unwanted and rejectedDevaluedAlone FYI: Deaf people may have these feelings daily (Audism), however they are typically very friendly, patient, happy and well adjusted people. This just takes us back to pride in their identity.

The interview continuedThese are ASL students.Compare the hearing ASL students to the first hearing group.Did you have a different feeling about them? How were the first group and the second group different? Why?

Discuss with your group.

Ignorance and/or Selfishness vs. Knowledge and Acceptance?

Lets go all the wayHow did Deaf people answer the same question?How did that make you feel? Why?

Discuss with your group.What did our interviewer learn?

Discuss with your group.ASL students are advocates of Deaf people, not helpers, but willing to speak up on their behalf.

DisclaimerYou are in a unique and valuable situation, most ASL classes dont have a Culturally Deaf student as a member.

This lesson was not meant to make you feel bad, but it was a learning moment that presented itself and as your teacher I am obligated to help you make sense of what was happening in class on Friday.

You are all perfectly lovely people with no malice in your hearts. I believe this was a case of ignorance(you didnt know what you didnt know).How did Haddy feel after sitting for over 1 hour reading the lyrics to songs that you were singing, rocking out to and chatting to each other about?Could you consider his feelings at that time? Why?Did Haddy make suggestions for accommodations? Did you consider them?Would you consider them now?How did todays lesson affect you?Journal Write