The Effect of Provisions for the Deaf**

[Boult]

As I was reading the book "Deaf World A Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook" edited by Lois Bragg published 2001

Anyway in Chapter 40 "Thoughts on the Effects of Provisions for the Deaf" by David J. Kurs and Benjamin J. Bahan 1998, On page 279 I quote:

Provisions for the deaf are not limited to welfare money. These also include discounts on mass transportation fares, ski lifts, movies, and so on. By examine this provisions and deaf people's perspectives of them, we can understand more about how this role evolves. The following joke, taken verbatim from a widely circulated e-mail, accurately shows many Deaf people's perspectives on SSI:

One day Jesus came back to help handicapped people to be cured. He encountered a group of Blind people. He was surprised to hear that blind people can read by Braille, walk around with their canes or seeing dogs. He asked them if they want to be able to see. They replied, "Yes, of course!" He cured them. They jumped in a joyous manner. They threw their canes away. Some felt close to their seeing dogs and kept them anyway.

Later Jesus entered a Paraplegic Convention. He was amazed to see people riding in electronic wheelchairs everywhere. He managed to get on the podium and announced that he could cure them and they could walk. Some yelled, "Yes," Some of them talked to each other, "Who in the hell did he think he was?" Jesus proceeded to cure them. At first, some tried to get up and walk. They succeeded. Others observed and managed to walk. Soon the whole building was filled with joyous screams and people walking around. the wheelchairs were left behind and forgotten by their former owners.

Jesus entered the deaf clubhouse. He observed the Deaf people signing to each other. He was impressed with the beautiful ASL they used. He tried to call them to attention without any luck until one person blinked the lights for them to pay attention. Jesus thought to himself that it was a keen idea. He announced that he intended to cure them of deafness. Every deaf person said, "No! No! No!" He was surprised by their replies. He asked them why they didn't want to be cured. They said that they didn't want to lose SSI benefits.

Deaf people are able to laugh uproariously at this joke, but they shy away from forwarding it to hearing people. Does this reveal a skeleton in the closet ññ are we truly ashamed of our dependence on provisions? In Journey into the Deaf-World (1996), Lane, Hoffmeister, and Bahan argue:

Members of the Deaf-World pay a high price for "going on the dole": their standard of living remains low; they forgo the psychological benefits that derive from working....And they literally buy into the system which construes the salient difference between Deaf and hearing people to be an impairment possessed by Deaf people. (p. 347)

So are they afraid of forwarding this joke to hearing people? I wondered... I did copy and pasted and emailed to my family and hearing family because I find the joke very funny. I am not ashamed of my deafness and not ashamed of myself taking provisions. .

Anyway...

on page 280-281 "Because They Are There"

The next question we come to is: Why do Deaf people take SSI and ask for other entitlement? As mentioned earlier, there are discounts for deaf people on mass transportation fares, ski lifts, and even movies. In our interviews, the most commonly-given answer in response to taking those provisions was, "Because they are there." ?By taking these benefits, they deaf embrace the concept that "I am deaf, I have suffered; therefore you owe me."
In interviews with fourteen people from the metropolitan Washington, D.C., community, we discovered some things about the role Daf people accept as receivers. For instance, to apply for SSI some Deaf people advise others to "act very deaf." ?They are advised to build a wall between the Social Security administration and themselves; in doing so, they give up their intended status as a member of a linguistic/cultural community and assume the label of "disabled." Yet, these very same people criticize Deaf peddlers for selling ABC cards. With peddling, you depend on pity to sell cards. With SSI, you depend on a certain perspective to receive benefits ññ a perspective that, in fact, is not far from pity.
We can see this perspective in the actions of the United States government. The crowning achievement of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal was the passage of the Social Security Act of 1935. It was well-intentioned, meant to help bail out those who were in need during the Great Depression. The New Deal evolved slowly into Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. During the 1960s the scope for welfare assistance exploded ot the point that virtually every low-income American could receive benefits. Even today, the welfare budget is something that federal lawmakers are afraid to touch. Our desire to help others out of poverty or misfortune may have backfired on us in that these programs and attitudes all create a culture of entitlement without the receiver really asking for it or participating in the architecture of the fiscal and service structure. We suggest that welfare is a forged relationship between social phenomena and the human instinct for survival.

later on page 281-282 that deaf people is a receivership by default!

The dynamics within a family are the result of the greater dynamics of society as a whole. This establishes the child in the role of expecting provisions. This expectation is further confirmed as the child enrolls in school, where deaf students are taught how to fill out forms to apply for SSI and vocational rehabilitation. Some state vocational rehabilitation counselors will not serve clients unless they apply for and receive SSI, thereby encouraging them to enter the world with SSI. Golden Access Passports at National Parks are usually forced down deaf tourist' throats. In all, the act of expecting provisions just a becomes a natural byproduct of the system to which deaf people have become accustomed. They are encouraged by the system to participate.
The irony lies in the fact that many deaf people wish to be freed from these bonds, but are extremely fearful of the threat of abandonment by the provider agencies. If the government abruptly stopped SSI and VR benefits, would the deaf revolt, wanting to initiate the provider-receiver relationship again and thus begin the circle anew? The people that we interviewed said there would be public outcries and protests if provisions were taken away.

Well, I wasn't taught how to receive provisions while in mainstream high school but after I got out, My mother asked NTID, they told my mother how to help me receive provision, so I enrolled in SSI/SSD and VR that's how I got into NTID without my parent paying one cents. I also got scholarship funds from a episcopal church in Georgia. it was one time thing to pay for NTID. But in the end, I ended up having a Student Loan from the Govt which I still have to pay back...


I hope this is good foods for your thoughts!

(Boult's Note: I posted this on DOL back in 2002 so I thought I'll post this in here as well as foods for your thoughts! And please don't post religious stuffs. That is not what this thread is about.)

 

[Sweetmind]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mookie
What is big deal about recieving the SSI/SSDI?

Most of the hearies obtain free rides to any military schools. Some of them obtain free education while on R.O.T.C. Others would get the government position to work for several years so that the federal government would pay their education debts.

That is not fair for the deafies for not getting any good opporunity in future...

Thank you! A ex miltary guy earned $4,000 dollars per month from Social Security Disability because he has bipolar depression while his wife earned 45,000 dollars per year. Is that necessary for him to have too much money that taxpayer is paying for? I think not!

http://www.jfanow.org/jfanow/index....id=2784;&sort=D

More Than 50 Million Americans Report Some Level of Disability
Date Mailed: Saturday, May 13th 2006 11:28 PM
U.S. Census Bureau News
U.S. Department of Commerce * Washington, D.C. 20233

RELEASED May 12, 2006 (Friday)

Robert Bernstein CB06-71
Public Information Office
fax: (301) 763-3030/457-3670
voice: (301) 457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov

More Than 50 Million Americans Report Some Level of Disability

About 18 percent of Americans in 2002 said they had a
disability, and 12 percent had a severe disability, according
to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Among
people with disabilities, more than half of those 21 to 64
years old had a job, more than 4-in-10 of those ages 15 to 64
used a computer at home and a quarter of those age 25 to 64 had
a college degree.

"The demographic snapshots contained in this report help
planners and decision-makers assess the needs of this important
segment of our population," said Census Bureau Director Louis
Kincannon. Americans with Disabilities: 2002 [PDF] was compiled
from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Approximately 51.2 million people said they had a disability;
for 32.5 million of them, the disability was severe.

About 56 percent of people ages 21 to 64 who had a disability
were employed at some point in the one-year period prior to the
interview. People with a severe disability status reported the
lowest employment rate (42 percent). This compared with the
employment rates of people with a nonsevere disability (82
percent) and those with no reported disability (88 percent).

Similarly, 32 percent of people ages 25 to 64 with a nonsevere
disability and 22 percent with a severe disability were college
graduates. The corresponding rate for those without a
disability was 43 percent.

Among other findings, people with a severe disability had an
increased likelihood of having Medicare or Medicaid coverage,
living below the poverty level, reporting their health status
to be "fair or poor," receiving public assistance and having a
household income below $20,000. For instance, the poverty rate
for people 25 to 64 with no disability was 8 percent, compared
with 11 percent for those with a nonsevere disability and 26
percent for people with a severe disability.

The report defines a person as having a disability if they have
difficulty performing a specific activity such as seeing,
hearing, bathing or doing light housework, or had a specified
condition, such as Alzheimer's disease or autism. (See
attachment. [PDF]) People are considered to have a severe
disability if they are completely unable to perform one or more
of these tasks or activities, need personal assistance or have
one of the severe conditions described in the report.

Other highlights:

* Four million children ages 6 to 14, or 11 percent, had a
disability. The chances of having a disability rise with age:
72 percent of people age 80 and older had disabilities.

* Approximately 11 million people ages 6 and older, or 4
percent, needed personal assistance with an everyday
activity.

* Among the population age 15 and older, 2.7 million used a
wheelchair and 9.1 million an ambulatory aid such as a cane,
crutches or a walker.

* About 7.9 million people age 15 and older had difficulty
seeing the words and letters in ordinary newspaper print,
including 1.8 million who were unable to see.

* There were 7.8 million people age 15 and older who had
difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million
unable to hear.

* About 14.3 million people age 15 and older had limitations in
cognitive functioning or a mental or emotional illness that
interfered with their daily activities, such as Alzheimer's
disease, depression or mental retardation. This group
comprised 6 percent of the population.

* Among adults ages 16 to 64, 11.8 million or 6 percent
reported the presence of a condition that makes it difficult
to remain employed or find a job.

* Median earnings for people with no disability were $25,000,
compared with $22,000 for people with a nonsevere disability
and $12,800 for those with a severe disability.

* Of those ages 15 to 64, 36 percent with a severe disability
used a computer and 29 percent used the Internet at home.

These data were collected from June through September 2002 in
the Survey of Income and Program Participation. As in all
surveys, these data are subject to sampling variability and
other sources of error.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Public Information Office
(301) 763-3030

__________________

 

[sr171soars]

My response to Mookie's original post in the other thread that got all messed up...

There is a big difference with military, ROTC and gov't position (like PHS for doctors out on reservations) over SSI/SSDI. Those things are given with a stipulation for something in return like doing time in the respective programs. They aren't handout programs. I know for a fact that the PHS will demand you pay back for time you don't serve. I believe it is similar for the military where you got to serve x number of years to get the money.

I don't mind some people getting SSI/SSDI especially those that aren't capable for legitimate reasons but I really don't think it should be just for anybody who happens to be deaf. It is too easy for one to stick a hand out when one is quite capable of working. Case in point, those who are on welfare are often stuck there because they have no motivation to improve. Hey! Life is often not fair and one just got to make the most of what hand that they were given. I paid my way through life and I better for it.

SM - I can agree it appears quite outrageous that the ex-military guy is swinging $4000 a month. I would love to know the circumstances of that one.

 

[Boult]

What is big deal about recieving the SSI/SSDI?

Most of the hearies obtain free rides to any military schools.

see what sr171soars says in his post.

Some of them obtain free education while on R.O.T.C.

That is usually part of high school. paid by defense dept. so highs school save money and less for taxpayers. I guess that's what happening. my high school in georgia didn't have that. So not all high school have ROTC program so it is selective few in strategic location like near military base.

Others would get the government position to work for several years so that the federal government would pay their education debts.

That is not fair for the deafies for not getting any good opporunity in future...

That is called perks which is part of benefit package which you get when you work for government. so it is not "provisions"

 

[Passivist]

This is an ongoing discussion in the UK too, regarding cash and other support deaf get. However the debates come from the wider deaf and HI community not from mainstream. Over the last 10 yars many many millions of £'s sterling have been invested in BSL support and interpreting, there appear no obvious signs (No pun intended), this has actually furthered the BSl users advance. IN media there is one debate going that suggest BSL should NOT be the primary sign used for ocnveying news, because very few deaf can follow signed (BSL) access on-screen.

I found this a revelation, the hype was BSL cultural deaf could NOT follow without this access, yet some research suggested most read the captions, not watched the signed access. A number say they perfer signed english because it is allied nearer what is being said, IS the sign mode used in UK education, and, hearing people were found more ready to adopt that sign mode to BSL with its huge variations and grammar issues. In real terms deaf BSL was a hindrance for communication, despite, being a common 'language' among cultural deaf.

In real access terms a deaf 'language' was only of use tothe deaf, and not as a real or viable tool to communicate to hearing. The need for constant dependency on terps also went against it. The thing with being deaf is th eneed for the widest possible access modes you can attain, deaf 'langauge' is not this ? Does ASL/BSL just mean you have nowhere else to go, but with another ASL user ? So no advance or real cccess to the real world is the aim of deaf sign ? Just improve your own ? Where does that leave the (d)eaf and others ?

 

[Boult]

Thank you, Passivist, for sharing this with us.