Deaf Community Rallies For Reform

[Miss-Delectable]

KBCI 2 Boise, Idaho

Last week 134 students at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC were arrested for protesting the university's incoming president, Jane Fernandes. Gallaudet is the nation's only liberal arts school for the deaf. The students look up to a new president as a national leader, and her impact is felt all the way to Idaho.

"She didn't learn sign language or become part of the deaf culture and the deaf world until she was 23 years old," Carol Ann Moxley, an activist for the deaf, told CBS 2 News. "And so she, they feel, doesn't have a complete understanding of their needs."

Saturday these deaf Idahoans in meridian protested her selection as a sign of solidarity for Gallaudet. But there is a wide range of problems in Idaho's deaf community right now, and these people want their voice heard.

A major issue here today is of cochlear implants, a revolutionary technology that would allow the deaf to actually hear. But many in the deaf community aren't in favor of the idea.

"It's not about how much hearing a person has; you should look at the person as a whole," Richie Moses told CBS 2 News.

Moses is an American Sign Language teacher and activist in the deaf community. He believes implants in young deaf children that might allow full hearing in the future would destroy the current culture.

"They think that if a deaf student learns to speak, the better that the student will be," Moses said. "Which is of course not true."

Moses sees an effort by the state of Idaho to force deaf children to learn lip reading or to have these hearing implants. He's also annoyed that the deaf and blind campus in Gooding might be converted to a rehab center for meth users.

"To take away that, it will take away access to their language, to their culture," Moses added.

The faculty and the students may be against Gallaudet's president, but here in Idaho, protesters hope this will bring reform for the deaf community.

 

[Awauphi]

That is so sad that deaf culture is melting away... the school will be converted to rehab center? jeez! this is not good!

 

[Passivist]

With due respect to Ms Delectable, aren't you in overkill mode re Gallaudet ? I've lost count at the flood of topics all centred around the Gallaudet thing, that's not only entirely biased toward the protestors, but has become (Sorry)very repetitive. This looks NOT like the protest is winning but getting desperate to keep the focus on them. I (And a lot of other deaf people), are not entirely convinced the protest is legit. We've read blogs where pro Fernadez comments are not allowed to, what is the point of a democracy if the deaf won't use it but abuse it ?

If you take Fernandez OUT of the issue, most is about the not deaf enough claims, this lost the protestors any moral high ground they might have had, as it set deaf against each other, the ensuing bile and such thtacame afterwards shows how divided the deaf really are. There IS no unity of deaf people, there never has been, we're a fragmented and decibel/sign/oral led group of factions, sitting along side each other often in deep suspicion of each other. Gallaudet may lose its accreditation grades beacsue the powers tobe are fed up with the pervention of anyone learning anything whilst this fiasco goes on, the students,have suffwered enough surely, if just ONE individual is seen as a major threat to the deaf 'image' then culture has no future, as there are always going to be some who won't go with it.

Recognise differences, but not make a martyrdom or heirachy of it.