Questions & it's Culture(s)..

[Anne.]

06/16/06 Friday...

(Actually I have no idea where to post this, so any way...)

Hi, I am hearing person, & I just wanted to know past histories of
Deaf Culture(s) etc...(Please don't be mad at me for these questions..).

In the hearing world...

We had racism (loooong time ago ) etc...

In the deaf world...

Was there anything like that at all?? or is it just wether a person is either deaf or hearing & nothing more than that??

Oh, before TTY (sp?) was ever existed, I also wanted to know how Deaf People communicated. What year was TTY invented & who intvented it.?.

In the difference in hearing aids....

Which do you all prefere? the regular ones? or the smaller ones which is hard to see, but small & compact enough for the ear?? How many do you prefer to have 1 or 2?? Why? or not have it at all?? why???

Do you prefer to speak (if you can) or sign, or both? (I have a deaf friend here in Hawaii who can speak & sign).

What do you think of interpreters? Do some of them actually interprets what you sign??

Don't get me wrong now, I do have alot of respect for deaf people & their culture aswell.

I just want to learn more about it.

Message back soon or when you can.


P.S. I hope I am not asking too much questions here. :Oops:

Thank you.

HUGS.

 

[Murasaki]

why the blushing smiley? it's okay to ask questions! that's how we learn

 

[Anne.]

why the blushing smiley? it's okay to ask questions! that's how we learn

Awww, thanks. I thought maybe it might be too much of an overwhelming questions.

Thanks for your support.

Bye for now.

 

[gnulinuxman]

I would have posted this earlier if I could have.... darn Internet connection...

Anyway, you're not asking too many. Asking a lot of questions is definitely better than not asking enough.

OK, since I am hearing myself, I can't answer all of them, but I can answer at least some of these. But I will give it a shot..

(Actually I have no idea where to post this, so any way...)

General is always a good "catch-all" place to put things.

In the hearing world...

We had racism (loooong time ago ) etc...

In the deaf world...

Was there anything like that at all?? or is it just wether a person is either deaf or hearing & nothing more than that??

The biggest debate within the deaf world is between signers and oralists. Not all deaf people sign. Some even HATE signing. Within the oralist camp there are generally two more divisions: cochlear implant lovers and lipreaders. (more info on cochlear implants (CI): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant)

Anyway, there are some deaf people who think all people should speak orally (vocally) ONLY, and others think that all deaf people should sign (not only sign though). There are a few signing extremists (who think signing is the ONLY way and voice shouldn't be used at all), but more often, cochlear implantees think that they are so much better than anyone else in the community, and, whether they realize it or not, they are extremely rude to signers. I have more details on this here: http://www.alldeaf.com/showpost.php?p=537781&postcount=31

Oh, before TTY (sp?) was ever existed, I also wanted to know how Deaf People communicated. What year was TTY invented & who intvented it.?.

The original one was invented by Robert Weitbrecht in 1964. More info is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_devices_for_the_deaf

What do you think of interpreters? Do some of them actually interprets what you sign??

Interpreters are required to interpret both ways if the deaf person chooses to sign. If the deaf person is comfortable using her/his voice, then the interpreter doesn't have to.

Don't get me wrong now, I do have alot of respect for deaf people & their culture aswell.

I just want to learn more about it.

Asking questions shows interest and willingness to learn, which is a good thing.

HUGS.

to you too.

 

[ismi]

Was there anything like that at all?? or is it just wether a person is either deaf or hearing & nothing more than that??

Absolutely - you could talk about prejudice and discrimination over the deaf/hearing border, or over the oralism/ASL-only/TC/etc border as gnu mentioned. Not sure exactly what you meant there - if you're asking if there has been racial and other prejudice in the deaf community, sure; it's like any other group.

Oh, before TTY (sp?) was ever existed, I also wanted to know how Deaf People communicated. What year was TTY invented & who intvented it.?.

Long distance communication wasn't really an option then. I don't recall exactly, but I *think* the TTY was 'invented' (or rather, repurposed) as a communications device for the deaf in the 60s or 70s by a deaf physicist. Or a physicist with a deaf friend? Anyway, the relevance of physics there is that the earliest computer networks were university-affiliated, and many physics students and professors used them; TTYs were at one time used to "dial in" to university computers from home.

Which do you all prefere? the regular ones? or the smaller ones which is hard to see, but small & compact enough for the ear?? How many do you prefer to have 1 or 2?? Why? or not have it at all?? why???

It depends. The smaller ones don't necessarily have all the same features and the same level of amplification as the big ones, so they're not an option for some. That's a really complex issue, and one that varies from person to person. My hearing aids are pretty obvious, especially since I buzz cut my hair; I like the way they look, though. As far as why you'd want two, well - it is much harder to hear with only one ear. Plus, you have no sense of direction with only one (although direction is tough even with two). That said, not everyone has enough residual hearing to use an aid, and not everyone wants to (for reasons I'm sure others will explain - that's not an argument I'm going to start right now, lol).[/QUOTE]

Do you prefer to speak (if you can) or sign, or both? (I have a deaf friend here in Hawaii who can speak & sign).

I speak; I'm learning to sign now, but it's more a hobby than anything else. Again, this is a question that varies a lot from person to person, and I'll leave it for someone else to answer.

Be forewarned: several of these questions - on hearing aids, on signing vs. speaking, and so on - are questions that are controversial. That's not to say you shouldn't ask them; just be aware that we all have our opinions and biases. Gnulinuxman's post, for example, contains several statements that I personally would disagree with (not that they're necessarily invalid; just that I disagree with them).

 

[gnulinuxman]

Be forewarned: several of these questions - on hearing aids, on signing vs. speaking, and so on - are questions that are controversial. That's not to say you shouldn't ask them; just be aware that we all have our opinions and biases. Gnulinuxman's post, for example, contains several statements that I personally would disagree with (not that they're necessarily invalid; just that I disagree with them).

Yeah, ismi is right--these are very controversial, and there are a LOT of flame wars going on over these topics. :Ohno:

 

[Anne.]

Thank you soo much...

Gooodnesss. :jaw: Thanks so much for all those great infos, Gnulinuxman & ismi.

With those quetions, I hope I don't stirr up any dissagreement with everyone here at all.

I just needed some questions answered, that's all.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer them.

God Bless you both.

P.S. Hope, maybe more people can chip in for more answers on how they feel about my questions etc.

Bye for now. Thanks again.

 

[gnulinuxman]

God bless you too, Annie, but feel free to spend more time elsewhere on the forum. There is much more to see here than just deaf issues...

Well, your questions weren't offensive--like we said, many people have VERY different points of view on these issues.

 

[Anne.]

More questions....

I was told that hearing people shouldn't become deaf teachers, as they are not deaf, & have not learned about being in a deaf world/culture or don't know how it is like.

I wonder, there alot of people studying alot of things, & having some sort of certificates etc.. stating that they have studied this & that, & have alot of knowledge in it,

I wonder, If a hearing person studies about the deaf culture long enough, maybe for many many years, can that person still continue with the idea of being a deaf teacher, or is that completely different as to being any type of teachers at all????

Just thought I would ask.

Thank you.

 

[ksbsnowowl]

Granted, my experience in the world of deaf teachers is all secondary (through my fiancee), but she took me to meet some of her gradeschool deaf teachers over last Christmas break, and every single one of them was hearing.

I don't see it as a problem, but then, I am hearing. Some deaf may have different oppinions from myself and my fiancee.