Deaf people in Germany???

armymech81

armymech81

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I am hearing, but I am looking for the culture here in Bayern, Germany:fingersx: :bowdown:
 
If you want to know, my wife is deaf and I enjoyed the deaf culture in the states and always looking for more friends everywhere
 
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to AD. I hope you will enjoy the stay with us and happy posting away! :)
 
Welcome to AD! :wave: Dave

P.S. I've seen several folks post from Germany so they may be able to help you. Hang around! Guten Tag!
 
Hi, I am a Deaf military brat myself. I also am of German-American heritage. I have never been to Germany yet. I would like to someday. I think there are one or two people here on AllDeaf.com who are from Germany.

Maybe this will help point you in the right direction ..... Ask them about Deaf events and socializing in Germany .....

Institut für Deutsche Gebärdensprache

Gott Segnen Deutschland, Das Vaterland !
 
:welcome: To All Deaf armymech81!!
Good Luck finding you some friends from Germany. I know there some here:)
Have fun posting &
Enjoy your stay here:thumb:
 
Welcome, do you speak German fluently?
There is a German-language online forum for deaf people at:
www.glcafe.de so perhaps you can go there and ask about events in the Munich/Bavaria area.
 
I don't know German yet. I want to learn German and also German Sign. Thanks for welcoming me too. I have seen a couple ppl here post from Germany. I just don't have a car yet to drive around and look yet.
 
Herzlich Willkommen in AD...


wow, I live in Bavaria, Southern of Germany. I know Grafenwöhr, Germany because I work for US caserne in Katterbach, too. Are you solider? Did you know US Army caserne, Katterbach?

I´m deaf and English. I know German sign language because I married to a German and live in Germany for over 21 years.

Are you an American?
 
Liebling:-))) said:
Herzlich Willkommen in AD...


wow, I live in Bavaria, Southern of Germany. I know Grafenwöhr, Germany because I work for US caserne in Katterbach, too. Are you solider? Did you know US Army caserne, Katterbach?

I´m deaf and English. I know German sign language because I married to a German and live in Germany for over 21 years.

Are you an American?
Click to expand...

I am an American soldier stationed in Graf. I am not sure abt Katterbach. I just got in country just a month ago. I really don't know much outside of Graf and military Vilseck. I plan on getting out more and everything. I am just trying to do some reseach and make sure my wife can come over too. Another thing, I don't read german yet, I just know my numbers.:grouphug:
 
armymech81 said:
I am an American soldier stationed in Graf. I am not sure abt Katterbach. I just got in country just a month ago. I really don't know much outside of Graf and military Vilseck. I plan on getting out more and everything. I am just trying to do some reseach and make sure my wife can come over too. Another thing, I don't read german yet, I just know my numbers.:grouphug:
Click to expand...

only number awww... It will take time to familiar German language when you stay few months later....

Yes I can understand... Grafenwöhr is an around one hour drive from Katterbach.

No problem, I can understand both German and English language because I live here in Germany for over 21 years.

I will trying to provide you English links for German Deaf culture since there´re many Deaf culture in German websites. I hope Kuijfe75 will find the English link for you...

All what I know is: Deaf Club

2 Deaf clubs in Nuermberg (big city) I visit women club there sometimes and other deaf club rare... (most private visits)
Bamberg
Ansbach (small town, where I am member of deaf club - only 25 members)
Munich - (big city - few deaf clubs) I only visit there when we stay at our friend´s house for the weekends. (around over 2 hours away from my area).

A lot of Germans prefer to visit privately over deaf clubs.

I beleive there´re big deaf club in Berlin, Frankfurt and north Germany... They have plenty than Bavaria.
 
This is something I typed for the Deaflympics about the German Deaf Community. Liebling, if you see anything that you think needs to be corrected, feel free to let me know! Thanks.

German Deaf Community

The Deaf Community in Germany is indeed very rich with a multitude of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Associations throughout the country. The German Deaf Association (Deutsche Gehörlosen-Bund, or DGB) was started in 1927 under the name of „Reichsverbandes der Gehörlosen Deutschlands“ or loosely translated as „The Deaf Associations of the German Empire.“ The DGB currently has 24 associations; out of which are 16 state associations, German Deaf Sport Association, Association of Deaf Catholics of Germany, Federal Association of Teachers of Sign Language, Federal Association of Sign Language Interpreters, Association of ‘Deaf Culture and History,’ German Deaf Card-Playing Club, Society for Sign Language and Deaf Communication and German Group of Evangelistic Pastors.

In all, there are about 34,000 members under the DGB, which includes approximately 600 different clubs and associations. The DGB is member of the following organisations: German Equal Welfare Organisation, in the German Support Group for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Federal Assistance Group for the Disabled, the European Union of the Deaf and the World Federation of the Deaf. According to the DGB website, about 100,000 people in Germany are considered “deaf” or “hard of hearing” who uses sign language.

Deaf Culture and Cultural Events

Deaf Germans’ opinion on their identity varies greatly, with some considering themselves to be truly disabled, to some considering themselves to be nothing but a linguistic minority paired with a language of their own (DGS), history, culture, etc… Many major German cities have a Deaf Centre where deaf and hard of hearing people can meet regularly and participate in various activities such as theatre groups, variety show nights, etc…

Germans are known for their passions with local folk festivals and cultural days. Many Deaf Centres host a score of events throughout the year. Typical expressional forms, besides sign language prose, are theatre, pantomime, dancing, magic and video projects. More and more German deaf artists are making notice of their artworks.

In different big cities, there are Deaf theatre groups, which present their pieces in sign language in local, national and international festivals. One can experience this every four years through the “German Culture Day of the Deaf.” Another cultural high points for the Deaf and their friends are the “Berliner Sign Language Festival” and the “German Deaf Theatre Festival.”

Sport and Deaf Community

Many hearing Germans actively pursue some kind of sport hobbies in their leisure time. This is no exception for the Deaf Germans, which has a very strong sport association, called German Deaf Sport Association, or Deutschen Gehörlosen-Sportverband (DGS). Sport was obviously an important part of the German Deaf community, with the DGS being set up in 1910, and currently has 12,000 members out of 168 clubs. The DGS held its first national championship in Essen in 1920, and holds annual competitions throughout the year for different sport disciplines. Members of the DGS took part for the first time in international competitions in 1928 in the World Games for the Deaf in Amsterdam. Germany has hosted two Summer World Games for the Deaf (1931 – Nürnberg and 1981 – Cologne) as well as two Winter World Games for the Deaf (1955 – Oberammergau and 1967 – Berchtesgaden).

DGS (Deutsche Gebärdensprache), or German Sign Language

DGS is the lingua franca of the German Deaf community, though it is not as uniform as that of the United States. Sign language dialects are very noticeable throughout the country, especially from the north to the south, and from the west to the east. Fingerspelling is seldomly used in DGS. A form of Signed German exists as well, and is known as Lautsprachbegleitende Gebärden.


German Media for the Deaf

There are several media outlets enjoyed by Deaf Germans, such as Deutscher Gehörlosen Zeitung (German Deaf Newspaper) published by the DGB, or Das Zeichen (The Sign) published by the Gesellschaft für Gebärdensprache und Kommunikation Gehörloser e.V., etc… On the internet, there is a website which shows different news and stories in German Sign Language, at spectrum11 | Info-& Nachrichtendienst . A popular website for the German Deaf community is the Taubenschlag Magazine, which can be found at Taubenschlag - das deutsche Portal für Hörgeschädigte The Bayerische Rundfunk (a German channel) broadcasts a deaf-themed programme called “Sehen statt Hören” (Seeing instead of Hearing), which is presented in sign language.

German Laws regarding Deafness

The German Bundestag and the Bundesrat agreed on between February 28 to March 22, 2002 on the “Law on Equality for the Disabled People and Alternation of other Laws” (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz). This law came into power on the 1st of May in 2002. This law’s goal is to provide equality for the disabled people, and the establishment of barrier-free design for the living space. Disabled people should have all access to the living space and not be discriminated against. The Bundesgleichstellungsgesetz recognises also the German Sign Language as a valid language, thus opening the path for more websites and information, especially the news to be translated into German Sign Language.

This law applies also to all deaf and hard of hearing people in regards to communication assistance through sign language interpreters, in either German Sign Language or Lautsprachbegleitende, real-time captioning typists, as well as tactile sign interpreters for the deafblind individuals.


Modes of Communication

Deaf Germans make a great use of fax machines when communicating with deaf and hearing people. A “Schreibtelefon” (TTY) exists as well, though is not as popular as fax machines. There are Relay Services available to assist communication between the deaf and hearing Germans. “Bildtelefon” (Videophones) also are available to the Deaf Germans. Many Deaf Germans have mobile phones (also known as Handys) and send text messages known as SMS. Computer and internet is also becoming increasingly popular, which allows people to send emails, place phone calls through relay services, etc…

Close-captioning

Special televisions with a chip inside it, known as Teletext, will display subtitles on German-language programmes. Not only does Teletext provide subtitles, they also provide news and information on different things. Usually, a special number needs to be pressed in, and entered in order to view the desired information. Various channels have different numbers for their close-captioning capabilities, such as 150 on ARD, 777 on ZDF, etc…
The rate of captioned programmes in the German-speaking countries is at only 5 percent, though things are improving. Recently, the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, and the current World Cup 2006 were captioned live for the Germans, which were big news for the German Deaf community. Some of the national and local news on the television are rebroadcasted with a sign language interpreter superimposed on the screen, interpreting the news. Occasionally, films are shown with open-captions in German cinemas, though some original-language films are shown with German subtitles.

Education for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Historically, the German method of teaching deaf students was based on the oral method. The “German”, or Samuel Heinicke’s method of teaching was also known as the oral method, and was rivalled with the “French” method, or the sign language method. This was fastened down by the resolution of the Congress of Milan in 1880. In the 1950s, a new method was developed, which is known as “auditive-verbal method.” This method puts an emphasis on the student’s ability to listen to spoken words rather than to learn through speechreading, thus training the student’s ability to hear and discern sounds.

Taubenschlag.de lists approximately 65 schools for the deaf throughout the country, as well as nine vocational schools and additional schools for further education. These schools vary in their teaching modes, such as oralism to signed lessons. The biggest vocational school in the nation is called Rheinisch-Westfälische Berufskolleg Essen, located in Essen, Germany.

The philosophy of integration of deaf and hard of hearing students in a hearing classroom is not a popular one in Germany, although parents do have the ability to decide wherever their child to be sent to. The German society do not agree on hiring a caseworker and a sign language interpreter in order to include a deaf or hard of hearing student in an entire school of hearing pupils. They would prefer that the student be sent to a special school, where a caseworker can be responsible for several pupils rather than just one.

Conclusion: Goals of the Deutsche Gehörlosen-Bund

DGB views themselves as a representative of the social-political, cultural and business interest of the deaf in Germany and as a forum for the sign language community. The Preamble of the DGB constitution does not recognise deafness as a hearing impairment, but rather as an identity oriented around the signing community and the deaf culture.

Ever since the DGB’s previous goal of having the government recognise the German Sign Language as a language has been achieved, the group has shifted their attention to the interest of the families with deaf and hard of hearing children. They are concerned about the quality of education of the German deaf youths, and are working with various groups in order to improve some weak spots, such as setting a standard for the quality of sign language interpreters. DGB are now giving seminars and workshops to groups to educate them more about the Deaf community and issues. They also are working on improving the rights of the deaf individuals and on maintaining studies of the German Sign Language.


Bibliography:

Deutscher Gehörlosen Bund e.V. : German National Association for the Deaf

Taubenschlag - das deutsche Portal für Hörgeschädigte : Taubenschlag: Portal for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Gehörlosigkeit - Wikipedia : Wikipedia article on Deafness

Deutscher Gehörlosen-Sportverband - wir über uns - gehörlosen-sportverband : History of the German Deaf Sport Association
 
Thank you for share the wonderful information about Germany here, Kuifje75. :thumb:

I saw some, I will answer this weekends. I printed your post and will read it again and discuss with my hubby for our relax weekends, after that you will have our answer.
 
I don't mind to have you or Sunshinelady correct some of our posts... It helps to fresh our memory... :D
 
Liebling, thanks for the help. I had a blast over the weekend and had a chance to visit some places. My wife, soon as she gets here, will love it here. I was told the other day that she might get approved to come here not due to my research.
 
Heyloooo... good sleep?

i am glad to see you again today evening.
we will have fun to chat and drink a lot of beers, heh! :cheers:
 
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