Miss-Delectable
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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15500964&BRD=1459&PAG=461&dept_id=506062&rfi=6
Terry Hostin does not turn at the sound of a screaming child. He is not bothered by a neighbor's noisy music. As a Deaf man, Hostin embraces a different way of listening.
Hostin uses American Sign Language to communicate and "hears" with his eyes.
Thanks to Hostin and the Kansas Educational Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the public can learn more about sign language and the Deaf culture at the William Marra Museum of Deaf Culture, 455 E. Park, Olathe.
The museum shares the history, culture and experiences of the Deaf.
A partnership between the foundation and Kansas School for the Deaf established the museum.
The museum's displays provide an opportunity to bridge the gap between the hearing and the Deaf world, Hostin, the foundation's president, said.
"Now that the museum's open it leads to a lot of possibilities," Hostin said. "Parents of Deaf can come here when they first find out and get more information."
In America 12,000 babies are born Deaf each year. Ninety percent of those children are born to hearing parents.
It is important for Deaf children to realize they are not alone and learn about the history of their people, KSD superintendent Robert Maile said.
KSD teaches Deaf history at every grade level.
"One of the goals of the museum is to help Deaf children realize the rich culture they have," Maile said.
This culture includes a history of oppression common to most minority groups.
Deaf people were not allowed in public education systems until the 16th century.
In the 1700s, Gallaudet, located in Washington, D.C., became the first Deaf school in the United States. Its graduates dispersed and established Deaf schools in Indiana and Kansas.
KSD came to Olathe in 1866. In the 1880s, the government banned schools from using sign language. The ban lasted until 1960. Teachers forced children to lip read and try oral communication in the classroom.
Some schools followed the rules more strictly than others, Hostin said.
Some teachers allowed students to use sign language with each other during lunch and at recess. Other teachers forbade sign language all together.
"In school, kids would get hit if they signed," Kathi Hesser, interim museum coordinator, said.
The system wanted Deaf people to act as though they could hear, Hostin said.
Members of the Deaf population who stood against this assimilation bonded together and established a sense of Deaf pride.
These Deaf people informed others that Deafness was not a disability. It is a different way of life, they say.
"I. King Jordan says I can do anything except hear," Hostin said.
Deaf people just do some things differently.
Hearing people have smoke alarms and door bells; Deaf people use lights to signify smoke and company.
"Hearing people talk in the living room, but Deaf people stay in the kitchen because of the bright lights," Hostin said.
Deaf people gravitate toward each other because of their common experience.
Hostin was the only Deaf member in his family. He remembers dinners with his parents and three siblings. Hostin's family would talk the meal away, but he heard nothing.
Hostin's parents did not learn sign language when he was a child. Their doctors told them not to.
Hostin married a Deaf woman with a similar background. The couple have two hearing sons who speak but ASL is the language used around the dinner table.
Hostin continues to spread Deaf awareness.
The Deaf Culture Center is another piece in the cultural awareness puzzle.
"The Deaf Culture Center will help the public understand," Hostin said.
Terry Hostin does not turn at the sound of a screaming child. He is not bothered by a neighbor's noisy music. As a Deaf man, Hostin embraces a different way of listening.
Hostin uses American Sign Language to communicate and "hears" with his eyes.
Thanks to Hostin and the Kansas Educational Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the public can learn more about sign language and the Deaf culture at the William Marra Museum of Deaf Culture, 455 E. Park, Olathe.
The museum shares the history, culture and experiences of the Deaf.
A partnership between the foundation and Kansas School for the Deaf established the museum.
The museum's displays provide an opportunity to bridge the gap between the hearing and the Deaf world, Hostin, the foundation's president, said.
"Now that the museum's open it leads to a lot of possibilities," Hostin said. "Parents of Deaf can come here when they first find out and get more information."
In America 12,000 babies are born Deaf each year. Ninety percent of those children are born to hearing parents.
It is important for Deaf children to realize they are not alone and learn about the history of their people, KSD superintendent Robert Maile said.
KSD teaches Deaf history at every grade level.
"One of the goals of the museum is to help Deaf children realize the rich culture they have," Maile said.
This culture includes a history of oppression common to most minority groups.
Deaf people were not allowed in public education systems until the 16th century.
In the 1700s, Gallaudet, located in Washington, D.C., became the first Deaf school in the United States. Its graduates dispersed and established Deaf schools in Indiana and Kansas.
KSD came to Olathe in 1866. In the 1880s, the government banned schools from using sign language. The ban lasted until 1960. Teachers forced children to lip read and try oral communication in the classroom.
Some schools followed the rules more strictly than others, Hostin said.
Some teachers allowed students to use sign language with each other during lunch and at recess. Other teachers forbade sign language all together.
"In school, kids would get hit if they signed," Kathi Hesser, interim museum coordinator, said.
The system wanted Deaf people to act as though they could hear, Hostin said.
Members of the Deaf population who stood against this assimilation bonded together and established a sense of Deaf pride.
These Deaf people informed others that Deafness was not a disability. It is a different way of life, they say.
"I. King Jordan says I can do anything except hear," Hostin said.
Deaf people just do some things differently.
Hearing people have smoke alarms and door bells; Deaf people use lights to signify smoke and company.
"Hearing people talk in the living room, but Deaf people stay in the kitchen because of the bright lights," Hostin said.
Deaf people gravitate toward each other because of their common experience.
Hostin was the only Deaf member in his family. He remembers dinners with his parents and three siblings. Hostin's family would talk the meal away, but he heard nothing.
Hostin's parents did not learn sign language when he was a child. Their doctors told them not to.
Hostin married a Deaf woman with a similar background. The couple have two hearing sons who speak but ASL is the language used around the dinner table.
Hostin continues to spread Deaf awareness.
The Deaf Culture Center is another piece in the cultural awareness puzzle.
"The Deaf Culture Center will help the public understand," Hostin said.