50
Amy
Through this book you might have noticed there are two different terms: Deaf and deaf. The big D and the small d. Is this a mistake? No. Does it matter if deaf is spelled Deaf or deaf? Yes, it does. A person is defined by being either Deaf or deaf. The basic definition of Deaf and deaf is this. Using a capital d, Deaf, describes a person who identifies themselves as culturally deaf. This person will use ASL and usually does not see deafness as a disability. A lowercase-d, deaf, is a person who has a slight hearing loss, little or no connection to deaf culture and ASL, and might consider deafness as a disability. Not all deaf people are Deaf.
Some people with a hearing loss will be Deaf—others will be deaf; it depends on the person’s background. Some deaf adults started as deaf, and later in life became Deaf. For example, a person with a hearing loss might have been mainstreamed into a public school and used a different method of sign language and spoken language. Then, in adult life, that person became involved with the Deaf community and changed their language to ASL. Therefore that person with a little d became a big D and now considers themselves Deaf, a part of Deaf culture. People who consider themselves deaf usually are not found in the Deaf community and remain in the hearing society.
We Deaf have our own culture. What is it? Deaf culture defines who we are and how we live. Deaf culture describes many things such as social behaviors, art, literature, history, and values. Deaf people attend Deaf clubs and organizations that support Deaf issues and understand history related to our deafness. In Deaf environments, we use flashing lights instead of noise for fire alarms, door bells and warning devices. Lights alert us to telephone calls and that someone is at our door. Pounding the table is used to get someone’s attention, and hand waving is used for that and to show appreciation. Deaf people also share common feelings or experiences or situations in the community, and our main communication is American Sign Language.
ASL is a very expressive language. Deaf people use facial expressions and nonmanual behaviors for ASL grammar. When using ASL, your eye brows, head movements, and eye gaze are clues to what you are signing. These are called nonmanual behaviors. Their main function is grammar, but they have some emotive purpose. Is it a question? Is it a rhetorical question? Is it an angry or happy comment? Hearing people do this with their tone of voice. For example, “Oh, wonderful!” can be sarcastic or a happy expression.
Deaf do not understand the tone of a spoken voice, or puns and idioms in the spoken language. ASL has its own idioms. For example, if hearing people are talking and someone joins them and asks, “Tell me what you are talking about?” instead of stopping and starting the conversation all over, they might say, “Sorry you missed it. I will tell you later.” If this happened to Deaf people, they would sign, TRAIN-GONE, which means the same.
Another example, for Deaf people, is about asking a “wh” question. If the first two letters of the word begin with “wh”—why, when, where, etc.—this is called a wh-question. When signing wh-questions, a person lowers their eyebrows and leans forward to represent the grammar in ASL. If the person raises their eyebrows, that indicates the question only needs a “yes” or “no” answer. There are many different ways to use the eyebrows to define the meaning of ASL grammar. The same is true for head movements and eye gaze. The use and understanding of facial expression is part of Deaf culture, something hearing people may not understand.
As Deaf people, my friends and I sometimes wish there were more Deaf people in the world. Many hearing people do not understand us. If most of the people in the world were Deaf, the hearing people might understand what it is like to be Deaf. They would have to adjust, and use an interpreter or they would not understand what is going on around them. They would need to learn to adapt like the Deaf people have. Could they do it? Yes for some, no for others.
The Deaf have a good advocate with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). This group works to make Deaf people equal with hearing people at jobs, in school, and in daily life. NAD works to pass laws beneficial to Deaf and investigates discrimination complaints they receive. You do not have to be a member of the NAD to report an incident to them.
If a parent of a deaf child is having difficulty with their school board, the NAD may become personally involved if it is an unusual case. In any event, they will explain to the family their deaf child’s right to an interpreter and the right to attend school in their home community. Similar things happen if a Deaf worker complains that his employer does not supply an interpreter for meetings. NAD will advise the Deaf worker and the employer of the law and what is required. I have never been discriminated at my jobs. I guess I am lucky.
Getting jobs is easier if Deaf people work with other Deaf people, because we can communicate with ease and understand each other. I would prefer to work in a Deaf world, with just Deaf people around me, but for most Deaf people that is not possible. It would be easier for me to communicate if everyone around me was Deaf, but I still adjust anyway.
Deaf people can accomplish much in our Deaf world. Our world is smaller than hearing world, but Deaf people still have many of the same opportunities. I am a proud capital-d Deaf person.