10 Facts about the Deaf

Nancy

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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
 
hmmm this part about the deaf/blind sign language is very interesting
 
Before her marriage, Juliette had suffered from chronic ear infections. She had lost most of her hearing in one ear because of improper treatment. At her wedding, when she was 26, she lost hearing in her other ear after a grain of good-luck rice thrown at the event lodged in her ear, puncturing the eardrum and resulting in an infection and total loss of hearing in that ear.
Oh so she was late-deafened. That's probaly why they don't really make a huge deal over her, the way they still make a big deal over people like Helen Keller. I was in Girl Scouts for many years, and I was in kindergarten when they started Daisy Scouts. I remember one of my friends who was younger then me, was a Daisy and I couldn't be a Daisy b/c I was too old.
 
Good ones, Nancy. I've used the DeafBlind Manual alphabet myself -- it's widely used in Australia -- I worked for a deafblind Association and I used it from time to time to communicate with deafblind members of the Association and clients being accommodated by the Company.
 
Coolie! I shall learn the Deaf/Blind manual alphabet. I never had learnt how to do that.

10 facts on deaf; very good :ty: .

Wonder if one can get a vid or dvd on Johnny Belinda :dunno:

Johnesco: I shall check out the url you listed.
 
Nancy said:
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


I learned this a while back in a workshop.

It was really cool.
 
hi Nancy thats amazing, the 10 facts about the deaf. You learn something new every day. cheers for blog. ;-) take care. kev
 
Hmmm.... now I'm curious to see how Cali and Fl people sign "drown" differently.
 
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: Welcome to the "Dummy" Hoy Homeplate

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: History: Juliette Gordon 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:
The Deafblind Alphabet Manual Page

For number 3, actual the idea came from Paul D. Hubbard, but yes others who got involved in the idea got the credit.
 
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