All The Young Dudes

Can It Be A Good Thing To Be Deaf?

Rachel Cooper is a hearing philosopher who penned a paper on the subject of deafness. The paper is titled, CAN IT BE A GOOD THING TO BE DEAF?, and it attempts to answer the question, Can It Be A Good Thing To Be Deaf? Now, you and I, would already consider that question answered. Hosed and dusted. When I say you and I, I do mean those of us who identify as Deaf with a capital D, and who do not consider ourselves disabled. However, there are those who beg to differ. Like the deaf and the hearing. Well, that’s life! [shrug]

Still, the topic peaked my interest and I wanted to see what Rachel had to say on the subject, and if she had anything new to add to the debate.

I have to admit though, my initial response was “Whaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttt?” and words like inconsistent, obfuscation, moving goal posts, and trust a hearing person to write this, rent my morning stupor. Luckily, I had a nice long walk [as one does, when one doesn't drink herbal teas, or have partner who will imbibe them with more pleasant thoughts upon waking]. The long walk allowed me to stomp out all the caustic thoughts I was ready to pen in rebuttal. Seriously, I was planning to re-read the essay [for my own credibility, if nothing else] before pulling ideas out of thin air [as many do] and pen [well, type] a more measured response.

Upon re-reading, the paper made a lot more sense, and I could see where Rachel was coming from. In her own words:

Increasingly, Deaf activists claim that it can be good to be Deaf. Still, much of the hearing world remains unconvinced, and continues to think of deafness in negative terms. I examine this debate and argue that to determine whether it can be good to be deaf it is necessary to examine each claimed advantage or disadvantage of being deaf, and then to make an overall judgment regarding the net cost or benefit. On the basis of such a survey I conclude that being deaf may plausibly be a good thing for some deaf people but not for others.

The above premise is a laudable aim. One which I’m not convinced that she successfully achieved. Her overall conclusion, “I conclude that being deaf may plausibly be a good thing for some deaf people but not for others.” to answer is rather lame. It feeds into the divisiveness of the various methods used to deal with deafness. It shifts accountability for the status of Deaf and deaf people from the hearing world and onto ‘deafness’.

While the question itself, CAN IT BE A GOOD THING TO BE DEAF? is a superfluous one, it still needs to be asked. Time and time again, because successive degenerations [pun intended] of hearing people still go “Duh!” when confronted with the conundrum that is deafness. [Sorry couldn't resist that barb!] Because of the ignorance of Deaf history, and the hegemony of the disability model still reigns supreme, newly deafened people, deaf, and Deaf people just coming out, often have no barometer by which to measure themselves, other than the disability model.

The paper CAN IT BE A GOOD THING TO BE DEAF? serves up a myriad angles, that are worthwhile for hearies and deafies to exercise their brains over. It is equally beneficial for us Deafies to grapple with them too - the issues raised in the paper I mean.

Like I said, the question is a superfluous one, and one that has already been answered. I know being Deaf is good. Let’s get on with life!

It’s a lot like the question of homosexuality actually. The only people really obsessed with homosexuality is heterosexuals themselves. “Why are you Gay?” “When did you become Gay?” “Were you abused as child?” and that’s not touching upon social, cultural and religious vilification issues. And so it is with Deafness. Why? Why? Why? Why, in……………..deed!

To highlight the superfluity of the question, what if we substituted Gay, Woman, Black, or other minority group for deaf?

Increasingly, Gay activists claim that it can be good to be Gay. Still, much of the heterosexual world remains unconvinced, and continues to think of homosexuality in negative terms. I examine this debate and argue that to determine whether it can be good to be Gay it is necessary to examine each claimed advantage or disadvantage of being Gay, and then to make an overall judgment regarding the net cost or benefit. On the basis of such a survey I conclude that being Gay may plausibly be a good thing for some Gay people but not for others.

Or

Increasingly, Women claim that it can be good to be Women Still, much of the world remains unconvinced, and continues to think of Women in negative terms. I examine this debate and argue that to determine whether it can be good to be a Woman it is necessary to examine each claimed advantage or disadvantage of being a Woman, and then to make an overall judgment regarding the net cost or benefit. On the basis of such a survey I conclude that being a Woman may plausibly be a good thing for some Women people but not for others.

Or

Increasingly, Black activists claim that it can be good to be Black. Still, much of the hearing world remains unconvinced, and continues to think of Blackness in negative terms. I examine this debate and argue that to determine whether it can be good to be Black it is necessary to examine each claimed advantage or disadvantage of being Black, and then to make an overall judgment regarding the net cost or benefit. On the basis of such a survey I conclude that being Black may plausibly be a good thing for some Black people but not for others.

But the following premise is never put forth:

Increasingly, Hearing people claim that it can be good to be Hearing. Still, much of the Deaf world remains unconvinced, and continues to think of Hearingness in negative terms. I examine this debate and argue that to determine whether it can be good to be Hearing it is necessary to examine each claimed advantage or disadvantage of being Hearing, and then to make an overall judgment regarding the net cost or benefit. On the basis of such a survey I conclude that being Hearing may plausibly be a good thing for some Hearing people but not for others.

I get exasperated when treading familiar ground presents findings that reinforces the dominant viewpoint. If I were a hearing a parent reading Rachel’s premise as quoted above, I would take that as evidence that my individualised solution to dealing with my child’s deafness is right. Of course,  Rachel’s paper isn’t that simplistic, but I’m not convinced though, that the paper poses any direct challenge to hearing people’s perceptions of deafness, let alone the question, “What is normal?”  I don’t think she goes far enough. Her language is not forceful enough. Where I might say, “Well, it so. Here’s why!”, I can see hearing people go, “Yeah, but! Yeah, but!”

Then again, my complaint that the paper doesn’t pose any direct challenges, or that the language is not forceful enough, is more to do with my preference for a heated rhetoric, foaming mouth, champing at the bit, ready to wreak havoc and administer justice, style of debate. Thumping the lectern and throwing out the Bible!

Sure, Rachel’s paper forced me to consider deafness from a philosophical point of view, and to consider it dispassionate detachment. I did enjoy re-reading the paper. But it is hard to deal dispassionately with something that I consider to be an intrinsic part of me. Though, dispassionate debate and argument in the d/Deaf sphere is in short supply. The hearies generally aren’t much better. Their general approach is rarely dispassionate or objective [then again, not every Hearing person can be a Harlan Lane can they?]

Yes, there is much to savor in Rachel’s paper, and I don’t feel that I’m doing her paper justice [her conclusions notwithstanding]. In her discussion of the five senses. She shows how their value fluctuates according to circumstances. For example, while to hear may be good thing, too much sound can be detrimental. Living near the railroad tracks as opposed to living in quieter suburban streets. Another interesting take, is her description of the problems between the deaf and the hearing worlds as relational.

Rather than the communication problems stemming from the child’s inability to hear, or from her parents’ inability to sign, the communication problems suffered by deaf people are relational problems - the problem stems from the fact that the child cannot hear coupled with the fact that her parents cannot sign. As such, the communication difficulties of deaf people can be solved either by hearing people learning sign language, or, potentially, through altering the deaf person (e.g. through cochlear implantation).

Still, the crux of the matter lies in the conclusions she draws.  While I understand the reasoning, I simply don’t agree. Rachel’s conclusions do not state outright that being deaf is good. She states that whether it is a good or bad thing to be deaf is hard to determine [arched eyebrow] and that the value of being Deaf/ deaf, relies on the weight of its advantages or disadvantages in a given circumstance. That is all very well, but I can’t help shaking the feeling that the larger question of hearing peoples perceptions of deafness and the role those views and perceptions play in the determination that deaf is good, is largely ignored.

I do recommend that you read, Can It Be a Good Thing to Be Deaf?

ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY:

Response To Amy’s Vlog Response On Militant Thinking
Are Parents of Deaf Babies Fully Informed of Choices?
British Sign Language in decline..

Adversity and…the audacity of hope?

Deafhood and Education

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Tales Of The Deafhood - Deaf Communities: Deaf Gays and Lesbians [Links to Important Survey]

In the last entry, Tales Of The Deafhood - The Epiphany,I wrote about the impact of Oralism and how it shaped Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community as we know it, but as Paddy shows, the reaction against it has spurred on the development of Deaf people and created opportunities that many of never experienced before. However, as positive as these developments are, it has largely ignored the various minorities that exist within the Deaf Community: Deaf Women, Religious Minorities, Deaf Ethnic Minorities, Deaf Gays and Lesbians, Deaf Youth, and yes, Deaf Disabled [I can guarantee you will cause a Hearing person's brain to short circuit, should you try to explain this concept to them.]

As the following quote from Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search Of Deafhood - Deaf Communities: Deaf Gay and Lesbian Groups [Page 63]:

In the last decade, Deaf Gay and Lesbians groups have emerged, and begun to gain acceptance from the wider Deaf community. Clubs, organisations and networks have been established and in the UK, relationships with organisations like the BDA were finally formalised in 1985. There is also a strong international Deaf Gay and Lesbian network. One difference between the UK and the USA is that in the discourse of those aged under 28 it is commonly said that there appears to be a much larger percentage of Gay and Lesbian Deaf than in the majority society, especially with Deaf families. However, there is almost no research into these subject and speculation would be unhelpful…”

While it is great that the Deaf Community, and Deaf people, are progressing inspite of the obstacles that are continually placed in their way, much work still needs to be done within the community for Deaf people to grow as human beings. After all, a community and culture is as healthy as its healthiest individuals. As Paddy also says, Deaf people live in the mainstream culture, and as such are heavily influenced by its prejudices, other than its

To this end, a research project into Deafness and Sexuality has been initiated by a colleague. You can read my original posting here. I was approached for some help, and ended up helping to create the survey, and trying to promote the project. I am inviting readers of this blog to do in the survey. Confidentiality is guaranteed, as you do not have to provide your name or email. The survey can be done anonymously.

Just a note, while Deaf Gays and Lesbians are the focus of this survey, we have agreed to open it up to people who identify as straight [heterosexual], bisexual, or transgender. The reason is that no research, to my knowledge, has been carried out into Deaf Sexuality. So, I hope that you would consider doing this survey, or past it on to someone who you think will.

Link:
Research Project
Survey
Deafness and Sexuality

Reading Matter In The Meantime:

Tales Of The Deafhood - The Epiphany
Tales Of The Deafhood - An Introduction
What is Deafhood?
Deafhood: A Process Of Self Repression
Many Tribes

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Tales Of The Deafhood - The Epiphany

Before I commence the next chapter in the on going series, Tales Of The DeafHood, I would like to present you with a word that keeps cropping up, at various points in my life. More so, since beginning the work of self awareness that took me through counselling, reading, courses, workshops, social events, much angst, before finally culminating in the pinnacle of great self esteem, that I decided that I would work my way through the spunks that made up the sign language class that I was dragged along to, at The Fox, in the backstreets of Birmingham [yes, THE UK, NOT the USA] Sorry Liam, that is a story for another time, maybe when I’m drunk. Incidentally, this is where I met my X [and that too is a story for another time! Right Alison? And our friendship is yet another story. When do the laughs begin I hear you ask?].

Anyway, the word is EPIPHANY. The meaning as I have come to understand it, is as follows:

1. Epiphany

• a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
• A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: “I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself” (Frank Maier).

2. Epiphany

• A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

3. Epiphany

• A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
• A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: “I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself” (Frank Maier).

Unlike Deafies who were born into Deaf families, or went to [or grew up in] Deaf [boarding] schools. My path took a different route. I was assessed as not needing support of any kind, and as a result, I was placed into a hearing school, which was the mainstay of my education all the way up to college.

At it was at college, that my first epiphany occurred. For years I had been labouring under the misapprehension that I was disabled. That I couldn’t do anything like normal people could, and that I was an object to be pitied. Never mind the logic of the situation, the fact was I thought like a victim. And ironically enough, it was this thinking that led me onto the path to salvation and redemption. My intention was to carve out an alternative niche, if I couldn’t participate in the hearing world.

The source of the epiphany was the film, AND YOUR NAME IS JONAH, and if my memory serves me right, that film was also my first introduction to sign language [though I do have a hazy recollection of having a white card, with the Auslan Alphabet prior this].

As I near the end of chapter one, Deaf Communities, in Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search Of Deafhood,the memories come flooding back. The ignorance, the misunderstandings, the lack of understanding, the confusion, the learning, networking, friends, the faux pas, and ultimately self awareness.

Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search Of Deafhood, shares much in common with Harlan Lane’s, The Mask Of Benevolence, but it goes further in underscoring, just how big an effect, oralism had on the Deaf community. It’s influence went way beyond the bickering over communication methods, a red herring of an argument, which is the right to choose the communication method you are most comfortable with. When I first encountered this argument over 10 year ago, on my second trip to the UK, I could see it for the bullshit it was. It raised more questions than it answered, and gave people a convenient excuse to avoid answering the hard questions raised by the wreckage of Deaf education and Deaf people’s lives.

And that is where I will leave you my dear friends, in anticipation of the next installment in, Tales Of The DeafHood!

Reading Matter In The Meantime:

Tales Of The Deafhood - An Introduction
What is Deafhood?
Deafhood: A Process Of Self Repression
Many Tribes

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Tales Of The Deafhood - An Introduction

Spurred on by MM’s negative review and gross misunderstanding of Paddy Ladd’s Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search Of Deafhood, and the positive press and vibrant discussion of Deafhood in blogs, forums, and email groups, I just had to buy my own copy. So, I did. I could have read the online version over at Google Books, but I’m old fashioned in that I love to hold a REAL book in my hands. Besides, these eyes of mine are getting on a bit and reading from the computer screen strains them. Hence, a real book made of paper, finds happiness in my hands [and vice versa].

This post is the first of what I hope will be a continuing dialogue about deafhood, deaf culture and self realisation inspired by Paddy’s [and other similar] book [s]. As well as sticking the boot in any dismissal of Deaf Culture and Sign Language as valid and right, this series will be a refutation of MM’s negative review and his [and other like minded people] wanton disregard for the hard work that Paddy and other people put into showing there is nothing wrong with being Deaf. After all, their hard work results in maps and guides that help us [ALL, including the snotty little oralie who prides themselves on speaking well and not doing much else] along the rocky path towards salvation and redemption.

But first, dear reader, a short diversion.

We all know that “life is difficult, and that personal growth is a complex, arduous and lifelong task”. Living one’s life is a herculean task that never stops until you draw your last breath. And at 46 years of age, my own journey towards self empowerment, self realisation, self actualisation, and ultimately finding my place in the world [grand scheme of things] continues unabated.

I walk the road less travelled because I have no other choice. My deafness and my sexuality, force me to eschew the pleasant diversions of the manicured curb or the speed of the open highway, in favour of a meandering and a wandering path that leads to, “God knows where, but I’ll know when I get there!” My hunger for knowledge, understanding and meaning, lead me to reject the received wisdom, which often leads to an oppression and a suppression of all that is good in life. More than this, my spirit and my body are in open revolt to the idea of entrusting my very being [health and happiness, salvation and redemption] into the hands of my benevolent benefactors who assume they know what’s best for me,

The road less travelled is a road that few ever travel. It requires that an honesty and level of introspection, that few willingly submit to. It requires that we have an open conversation with ourselves, and the courage to forge an alternative path, should the one you are travelling on, lead us astray. It requires that we ask questions and demand answers. It requires that we lay down a challenge to the dominant forces that attempt to determine the course of our lives. The road less travelled is not a highway, where speed will get you to your destination and back before sundown. There are no maps and very few sign posts to guide us as we travel along this road, and at night, no there are no lamp posts to light the way. The road less travelled is full of potholes and unexpected turns, and it never returns to the same point that you started from.

If you have read the books, The Road Less Travelled, Owning Your Own Shadow, or even Zen Guitar, [even though Zen Guitar is about playing the guitar and, why you play it, ultimately, it's about motivation and fulfillment, and not technique. Lessons which we can take and apply to living] will understand this very well.

I am midway through Chapter One: Deaf Communities, having read the Introduction, and already waves of recognition and nods of agreement permeate my reading. The last time a book on Deafness got me this all shook up, was Harlan Lane’s, The Mask Of Benevolence. Already, I have many questions, but they will have to wait until I have delved further into the book. Already, there is much misunderstanding and ignorance of what this book is about and what Paddy is trying to achieve, but this misunderstanding and ignorance will only be cleared up if we are willing to move beyond the idea that we must align ourselves with, and measure our worth as a people against our Hearing forebears.

The scope of Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search Of Deafhood is huge. The task that Paddy has set himself, is an ongoing one. A task that we are all invited to contribute to. And I hope, you, dear readers, will come along for the ride.

Reading Matter In The Meantime:

Understanding Deaf Culture
Culture Versus Awareness: Refuting MM
Deaf Versus Deaf Refuting Carl
Awareness Versus Culture
The Deafhood Review
Deafhood:A Process Of Self Repression
The Secret Order of Deaf Militants

Elsewhere In The City:

HFEB: BDA draft letter to Professor Marcus Pembrey
HFEB: Explanatory clause on deaf selection
Parliament: Deaf Embryo selection to be made illegal
Paddy Ladd email: UK bill to outlaw embryos with the Deaf gene.

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Hollywood Speaks: Deafness And The Film Entertainment Industry

The current topic that I am studying as part of my Media Communications course [Bachelor Of Communciations], is Screen History and Research. It is not a chronological history of film and television, but of different approaches to film history.

The topic deconstructs film history in to the different compoentnst that go into making films. For example, the history of colour, sound, special effects, economic forces, marketing, the studio system, the star system, and so on.

It really is quite fascinating, and gives you an appreciation in to how all these different elements converge to create the films we watch and enjoy.

Of course, my mantra is to insert the Deaf perspective into my studies, and as such I am interested in captioning, access, sign language and portrayals of Deafness.

I haven’t found much in the way of research, except for this book, Hollywood Speaks: Deafness And The Film Entertainment Industry, and when I get my other PC back, I will salvage a paper on the history of captioning. [If only I backed up all my links]. There is also this link to films with Deaf themes, Films Involving Hearing & Speaking Impairments [NOT MY TITLE], and a relevant site, Media and Disability.

I intend to write a review on the book Hollywood Speaks: Deafness And The Film Entertainment Industry, when I have finished reading it. The edition I have was published in 1999, and already it needs some serious updating.

In the meantime, I have two weeks worth of readings to catch up on, as well as finish the aforementioned book, and an exam to sit [ I wasn'tgoing to do it, but that's another story], and some more research [there could be a project there for me].

Cheers all!

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