10 Facts about the Deaf
By Nancy
1. The first baseball player was William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy in the 1800s. He was nicknamed "Dummy" because he was deaf and mute (doesn't talk orally). Hoy was the first to introduce us the baseball signs that you've seen on the playfield today. There is a website about him: http://www.dummyhoy.com
2. During the Holocaust in World War II, Nazis either put deaf people to death or by sterilization. In sterilization of deaf people, this is called "eugenics" because Nazis believed this will prevent deaf babies being born.
3. The football play term "huddle" was first introduced by Gallaudet University’s deaf players, when they formed a circle to prevent signs being seen by the quarterback in 1894.
4. The middle finger that was "obscene" in the USA was the same sign in Taiwan that meant "brother".
5. ASL (American Sign Language) is NOT universal -- there are different ways of signing one word in each state and each country. The word "drown" is signed differently in California and in Florida (as in "dialects" from hearing people).
6. The first "hearing aid" was cupping the ear with the hand to hear well. Later they introduced the "horn" where you put one end to your ear and the other end for someone to speak to you.
7. In the "Silent Era" (1800s to 1920s), movies had subtitles but no sound. Did you know that most of the actors during that time are deaf or children of deaf parents? Actor Lon Chaney ("Phantom of the Opera") was one of those actors who had deaf parents. Their skills in showing various facial and gesture expressions in the silent movies were cultivated by learning from deaf parents.
8. One of the first movies about deafness was a 1940s movie called "Johnny Belinda".
9. Juliette Gordon Low, a deaf woman, was the founder of the Girl Scouts of America in 1912. Here’s her biography and how she started the Girl Scouts: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/low_biography
10. Deaf-Blind people also uses sign language called the Deaf-Blind Manual Alphabet. This is a simple system used by some deafblind people. Instead of watching the hands and arms of friends, they touch the hands of the person making the signs to learn what is being said. To know more about this, go to this link:
http://www.deafblind.com/manual.html
By Nancy
1. The first baseball player was William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy in the 1800s. He was nicknamed "Dummy" because he was deaf and mute (doesn't talk orally). Hoy was the first to introduce us the baseball signs that you've seen on the playfield today. There is a website about him: http://www.dummyhoy.com
2. During the Holocaust in World War II, Nazis either put deaf people to death or by sterilization. In sterilization of deaf people, this is called "eugenics" because Nazis believed this will prevent deaf babies being born.
3. The football play term "huddle" was first introduced by Gallaudet University’s deaf players, when they formed a circle to prevent signs being seen by the quarterback in 1894.
4. The middle finger that was "obscene" in the USA was the same sign in Taiwan that meant "brother".
5. ASL (American Sign Language) is NOT universal -- there are different ways of signing one word in each state and each country. The word "drown" is signed differently in California and in Florida (as in "dialects" from hearing people).
6. The first "hearing aid" was cupping the ear with the hand to hear well. Later they introduced the "horn" where you put one end to your ear and the other end for someone to speak to you.
7. In the "Silent Era" (1800s to 1920s), movies had subtitles but no sound. Did you know that most of the actors during that time are deaf or children of deaf parents? Actor Lon Chaney ("Phantom of the Opera") was one of those actors who had deaf parents. Their skills in showing various facial and gesture expressions in the silent movies were cultivated by learning from deaf parents.
8. One of the first movies about deafness was a 1940s movie called "Johnny Belinda".
9. Juliette Gordon Low, a deaf woman, was the founder of the Girl Scouts of America in 1912. Here’s her biography and how she started the Girl Scouts: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/low_biography
10. Deaf-Blind people also uses sign language called the Deaf-Blind Manual Alphabet. This is a simple system used by some deafblind people. Instead of watching the hands and arms of friends, they touch the hands of the person making the signs to learn what is being said. To know more about this, go to this link:
http://www.deafblind.com/manual.html
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