DEAF CULTURE What’S It All About? THOMAS H
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DEAF CULTURE What’s it all about? THOMAS H. GALLAUDET Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, LL.D., (December 10, 1787 – September 10, 1851) was a renowned American pioneer in the education of the Deaf. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first institution for the education of the Deaf in North America, and he became its first principal. When opened in 1817, it was called the "American Asylum for Deaf-Mutes" in Connecticut, but it is now known as the American School for the Deaf. LAURENT CLERC The first year of his life, he fell into a fireplace which caused him to become deaf, lose his sense of smell, and created a permanent facial scar on his right cheek. Clerc's family believed his deafness and inability to smell were caused by this accident, but Clerc later wrote that he was not certain and that he may have been born deaf and without the ability to smell or taste. The facial scar was later the basis for his name sign, the "j" hand shape stroked twice downward along the right cheek. Clerc's name sign would become the best known and most recognizable name sign in American deaf history and Clerc became the most renowned deaf person in American history. Clerc attended the famous school for the Deaf in Paris and was taught by Abbe Sicard. Clerc eventually became a teacher there. In 1815 he traveled to England to give a lecture and there first met Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet was invited to visit the school in Paris, where, in 1816, he invited Clerc to accompany him to The United States to establish the first permanent school for the Deaf (American School for the Deaf) in Hartford, CT. HISTORY OF DEAFNESS HANDOUT Thomas Hopkins Galludet Gallaudet's wish to become a professional minister was put aside when he met Alice Cogswell, the nine-year-old deaf daughter of a neighbor, Dr. Mason Cogswell.[7] He taught her words by writing them with a stick in the dirt. Then Cogswell asked Gallaudet to travel to Europe to study methods for teaching deaf students While still in Great Britain, he met Abbé Sicard, head of the Institution Nationale des Sourds- Muets à Paris, and two of its deaf faculty members, Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu GALLAUDET….CONT’D Having persuaded Clerc to accompany him, Gallaudet sailed back to America. The two men toured New England and successfully raised private and public funds to found a school for deaf students in Hartford, which later became known as the American School for the Deaf. Young Alice was one of the first seven students in the United States. This is where his school began. Even some hearing students came to this school to learn. In 1821 he married one of his former students, Sophia Fowler. GALLAUDET…CONT’D His son Edward Miner Gallaudet (1837–1917) founded in 1864 the first college for the Deaf which in 1986 became Gallaudet University. The university also offers education for those in elementary, middle, and high school. The elementary school on the Gallaudet University Campus is named Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES), the middle and high school is Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). Gallaudet had another son, Thomas Gallaudet, who became an Episcopal priest and also worked for the Deaf. GALLAUDET…CONT’D A memorial honoring the 100th anniversary of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet's birth was erected in 1854 at the American School for the Deaf.[12] A Great Americans series 20¢ postage stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service in 1981 to honor him WHAT IS DEAF CULTURE? Deaf people can do everything except hear. Everything! Deafness is not a handicap! Carol Padden has defined Culture as a set of learned behaviors of a group of people who have their own language, values, rules of behavior, and traditions. (1988) Culture results from a group of people coming together to form a community around shared experience, common interests, shared norms of behavior, and shared survival techniques. Such groups as the deaf, seek each other out for social interaction and emotional support. DEAF CULTURE……… ASL is the natural language for the Deaf. To equate the fluency of English to hearing people, ASL is the match for Deaf people. Literature Much like the American culture, Deaf cultural values are not openly written or explained. Deaf children learn how to fit in with Deaf culture from positive and negative feedback about behaviors and from the stories and literature that are passed down through the generations. There is a wealth of Deaf art, poetry, stories, theatre, media, games, deaf jokes, and books that teach the culture (most of which are not written down!) These avenues always demonstrate and support the way Deaf people live their lives: being Deaf and proud! CONT’D…. Eyes -In hearing culture, it is rude to stare. However, in Deaf culture, staring is necessary. If you break eye contact while a person is signing to you, it may be seen as rude. Facial Expression-In hearing culture, facial expression is very limited. If you move your face or body a lot while you are talking, you can be seen as "weird" (and nobody wants to be weird!) However, in Deaf culture, facial expression and body movement is required for ASL. It's part of ASL grammar! CONT’D… You will also see both the terms "deaf" and "Deaf" used. They are referred to as "little d" and "big D." "Little d" deaf refers to people who have lost their hearing. "Big D" Deaf refers to people who are involved in Deaf culture and share the values, behaviors, and language of that culture. Just because you are deaf, doesn't mean you are Deaf. And in some cases, just because you are Deaf doesn't mean you are deaf (as is the case for some hearing children of Deaf parents--CODAs). CONT’D Socializing is a very important value of Deaf culture. Because there are so few Deaf people in an area, social lives are invaluable. In a society where the Deaf are commonly misunderstood, the support of others is more than necessary Back before text messaging and modern technology, Deaf people would only communicate with each other in person or in letters. They would take advantage of the little time they had to mingle with another Deaf person... Nothing much has changed since then! Deaf people will stay at a gathering very late to get in as much time as possible with their friends. When a hearing gathering generally ends around 10 at night, a Deaf gathering much later. DEAF CULTURE LISTENING DEVICES Hearing Aids Assistive Listening Devices Cochlear Implants 1)How would you get a deaf/hard of hearing person’s attention? 1. Tap on the arm 2. Tap on the shoulder 3. Wave 4. Flick lights on and off HOMEWORK A. Read Martha’s Vineyard Handout B. Review Lesson 15 C. PREPARE TO ATTEND DEAF EVENTS.