Deaf Culture Test One

What are the different roles of ASL in the culture of the Deaf World?

1. ASL is a symbol of identity. It is something unique to the Deaf World which Deaf individuals can take pride in. It allows previously isolated individuals to become part of something special. 2. It is a medium of social interaction which provides full and easy communication. 3. It is a store of cultural knowledge, including Deaf values, customs, and information. It brings people together and gives them something in common.

What are three culturally related behaviors which Bonnie mentioned that tended to lead to cross-cultural conflicts with hearing people?

1. Eye contact (staring vs. appropriate) 2. The use of light 3. "Talking straight"

Provide two examples of advice which professionals may give Deaf parents of a Deaf child which is typically poorly received.

1. Sometimes professionals advise Deaf parents not to use sign language because they think it will inhibit speech. This aggravates Deaf parents because sign language is the best way for the parents to communicate with their child. Parents may feel like they are being told not to speak with their child. 2. Some make deafness seem like a problem, which is untrue and insulting to successful Deaf adults.

Explain two reasons why Thomas Hopkins Galludet contracted with Laurent Clerc to go with him to Hartford, Connecticut?

1. to establish the first school for the Deaf in America 2. to bring signed language to America and to develop the language

Until what year did Americans assume that Deaf people were uneducable?

1817

When did the term "American Sign Language" come into use? Why?

1965; this is when Dr. William Stokoe published the Dictionary of American Sign Language.

Approximately how many Americans are hard of hearing? How many of them are Deaf?

35 million; 300,000 are profoundly deaf.

Explain what the term CODA is and explain what it represents in Deaf Culture.

A CODA is a child of Deaf adults, and in Deaf Culture it represents someone who is "in between" the Deaf world and and the hearing world, someone who holds a role in both. It is a unique group of individuals with their own meetings and traditions.

Why was Children of a Lesser God considered to be important as a seminal film?

A Deaf person had a leading role and used sign language throughout the whole film. It showed a Deaf person interacting with a community rather than being in isolation.

What was the probable cause of Clerc's Deafness?

A fall when he was two years old. He was burned badly by falling into a fire and shortly afterward became ill with a fever. Afterwards, he was deaf.

What is the reason for and role of humor in Deaf World?

A population whose history has a lot of oppression will often produce a lot of comedians. Humor is a form of release.

Who was Jean Masseau?

A teacher at the Institue for Deaf and Mutes.

Who was Dr. Cogswell?

A well-known doctor at Harvard with a Deaf daughter.

Are CODAs deaf or hearing? What are the communication preferences of CODAs? Why?

About 90% of CODAs are hearing, and 10% are Deaf. Most CODAs prefer signing to speaking because it was the language they grew up with and they do not have to think about it as much as they have to think about talking to hearing people.

How did Laurent Clerc receive his "name sign"?

At the age of two, he was burned by a fireplace and got a scar.

What were the characteristics of Deaf people living in 19th Century America?

Before 1817, they usually lived in rural areas, isolated from other Deaf people.

An organization was formed for CODAs in America. What is the name of this organization? Explain what the function of this organization is and the year it was formed. How many members does this organization have?

CODA, Inc.; it is a small group of CODAs formed in 1983 in Fremont, California to meet CODA needs and provide a supportive and understanding community. It now has 500-00 members.

What are some issues confronted by CODAs in our American society and how do they deal with them?

CODAs are often forced to act as translators or go-betweens for their parents. They sometimes find themselves caught off guard by the stark differences between the ways of the Deaf World (i.e. the use of lights, "straight talk", etc.) Some CODAs feel more comfortable among Deaf friends and in Deaf clubs.

What was the name of the film which influenced many hearing people to learn ASL during the 1980s? What was the name of the actress who starred in the film?

Children of a Lesser God; Marlee Matlin

What is the current name of the first residential school for deaf children in the United States? Who established this school?

Clerc and Galludet; The American School for the Deaf

After being in America, did Laurent Clerc ever return to France to resume his teaching position at the school in Paris?

Clerc and his wife planned to return to France after his three year contract ended. However, the people at The School for the Deaf wanted him to stay in America, and he decided to stay.

Explain the meaning of the term coda. What did it originally refer to and how is it used today?

Coda= child of Deaf adults. It originally referred to the organization and its members, but has come to be used by people to mean any child with Deaf parents.

Explain what "Contact Sign" is. How does this differ from American Sign Language?

Contact Sign uses basic ASL signs in the exact order they would be spoken and without articles so that two people who typically do not speak the same language can understand one another (i.e. a hearing signing person and a Deaf signing person).

Explain the process of creolization in the development of ASL in America.

Creolization refers to the process of structural expansion through nativization. A creole is a language that is derived from a contact language but has a more complex syntax and a broader range of uses. ASL was created as a creole of Clerc's imported LSF and indigenous signed languages and home signs.

How were religious services modified to accommodate Deaf people?

Deaf people created their own locations and services, and the choirs, preachers, and congregations use sign language.

What were some of the influences which the civil rights movement for minorities had on the lives of Deaf people?

Deaf people looked to the protests of Black communities and fought for the right to education, translators, and captions. They identified with the struggle of the fighting for equality.

What is used to determine the Name Sign given to a Deaf person? How long does this Name Sign stay with the Deaf person?

Deaf people pay attention to behavior, personality, and character traits, and give one another signs that incorporate this. The name sign stays with the person for life.

What was the name of Thomas Galludet's son?

Dr. Edward Miner Galludet

Who was Dr. William C. Stokoe? What was the significance of his work?

Dr. William C. Stokoe was a Galludet professor and researcher who encouraged signing and published a Dictionary of American Sign Language in the mid-1960s, proving that it is a naturalized language distinct from English.

Who was the Galludet University professor who initiated the study of ASL which verified that it was a complete and natural language?

Dr. William Stokoe

What is Galludet University? What is its significance in the Deaf World? Who was the president who signed the legislation which allowed this university to come into existence and what year did this occur?

Established in 1864, Galludet University is the only liberal arts college for the Deaf in the world. The legislation which led to its existence was signed by President Lincoln. It has provided a home and quality postsecondary education for many talented and intelligent Deaf individuals who might have had to struggle with subpar accommodations at other colleges.

What is the role that French Sign Language had in the development of American Sign Language?

French Sign Language was the language of Laurent Clerc, one of the early pioneers of signed language in America, and the signs of French Sign Language influenced the development of ASL.

What was Bonnie Kraft's explanation for herself being able to "look like a Deaf person"?

Growing up, she was at the Deaf Club often and she spent a lot of time with members of the Deaf Community.

What was Alexander Graham Bell's view of Eugenics and the application of its use with Deaf people?

He believed that if Deaf people married other Deaf people, then more Deaf people would be born, and he saw this as undesirable.

What was Alexander Graham Bell's role in dealing with the use of sign language?

He believed that signing made deaf children appear different and prevented them from learning to speak.

How did Thomas Galludet view sign language?

He considered it poetic and thought it had potential as an educating tool.

When Clerc taught at the American School for the Deaf, what became of his native French Sign Language?

He incorporated the signs he saw his students using into his native French Sign Language.

Which of the five senses did Clerc lose?

He lost his hearing and his sense of smell.

Why was Thomas Galludet upset when he learned that Laurent Clerc was going to marry a deaf woman?

He told Clerc that he would have a Deaf baby if he married a Deaf woman.

What was Thomas Hopkins Galludet's initial goal involving Deaf people?

He wanted to educate Deaf children. He was passionate and had a mission to bring language to Deaf people. He wanted to bring the gospel to Deaf people.

How did culturally Deaf people view lip reading?

Hearing people expect Deaf people to know how to and judge them if they can't.

For centuries, how did hearing people view deafness and and Deaf people?

Hearing people saw deafness as a horrible misfortune. They thought Deaf people were locked away from the word of God.

What is the "deaf voice" used by codas and how is it viewed by people outside of the Deaf World? In what settings is it considered appropriate?

It is a way of speaking which sounds like the way a Deaf person speaks. It is generally only appropriate around codas.

What was a common complaint of Deaf people being involved with speech training?

It is very repetitive and it is only repetition. It is time which could be spent learning other things.

What was the purpose of the films of the National Association of the Deaf which focused on the use of sign language during the early part of the 20th century? What did the films show?

It was an effort to preserve sign language. The films showed masters of sign language telling stories.

What rule did the U.S. Civil Service Commission make concerning the employment of Deaf people in 1906? What was the reaction of the National Association of the Deaf? What eventually happened to this ruling?

It would no longer allow Deaf people to work for the government. The NAD wrote letters and began protesting the ruling. It was repealed by Thomas Roosevelt.

Explain what Manually Coded English is.

MCE is the use of the signed alphabet to fingerspell words and sentences rather than using signs. It is used in some schools to teach English to students, but most Deaf people do not like it and do not use it because it is time-consuming and tedious and requires extreme attention

How did Deaf people generally view the use of sign language prior to the 1950s?

Many Deaf people used it, but they had been taught that it did not compare to spoken word. It was not considered a language.

How did Deaf children feel when they were initially placed into a residential school for Deaf children before beginning their education?

Many children were dropped off at boarding schools without knowing what was going on or why they were being left there.

How has the telephone played a role in the lives of young coda children in dealings between hearing people and Deaf parents? When is this experience positive and negative?

Many people would automatically rather deal with a hearing child, no matter how young, then try to communicate with Deaf adults. Bonnie says that she was sometimes "tied to the telephone." She explains that it is not negative, but just a fact of life. Still, it makes her angry.

How was the American Sign Language spread from state to state?

More and more schools for the Deaf were opened in several states across the U.S. and children from the original school became teachers.

How did Laurent Clerc view sign language?

Natural and useful.

How did Bonnie Kraft come to realize she was not Deaf?

On her first day of school, she realized that all of the other kids were talking and not signing.

What is the difference between pantomime and American Sign Language?

Pantomime does not have grammar, and it is meant to be iconic, whereas ASL is usually not iconic.

What were "Deaf Flights" used on Deaf children by hearing people during the early years of the 20th century?

Parents would charter planes and the plane would do loops in the hope that their child would be able to hear afterwards.

What was the name of the deaf inventor who made a device which allowed the telephone to become accessible for deaf people? What name was given to this device? What year was it invented?

Robert Weichtbrecht; TTY; 1964

How many students were enrolled at the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut when it first opened?

Seven

Why did Bonnie Kraft feel oppression through her dealings with the larger hearing world?

She felt oppression as an extension of her parents and because she felt like she had to defend Deaf people.

During the evening when she received her Oscar, what did Marlee Matlin do which upset some Deaf people?

She spoke rather than signing the whole time, which made people think that she was acting ashamed of her Deaf culture when in front of a hearing audience.

How does Bonnie Kraft respond to questions involving whether or not she is Deaf?

She would feel really guilty pretending that she was Deaf. She only pretended because she didn't want to disrespect her friend. She always told people that she was hearing eventually.

What were the major flaws with the film Children of a Lesser God for people who are Deaf?

Some of the editing cut out the signs. Most showings of the film did not provide captions for Deaf members of the audience.

How did Alice Cogswell become deaf?

Spotted fever

Why is the cochlear implant unable to replicate what a hearing person is able to hear.

The Deaf child has to work hard to understand what the sounds mean. The cochlear implant cannot replicate the hair cells which help transmit sounds to the brain naturally.

How did the National Association of the Deaf view Black Deaf people? Why?

The Deaf organization banned Black people for forty years. It was influenced by the rest of American culture.

What is the name of the first technical college which was designed for full accessibility for students who are Deaf? What year was this college established?

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf; 1968

What professional theatre group/organization was established to focus on the performing skills of actors and actresses who were Deaf? When was this organization first formed?

The National Theatre of the Deaf; 1967

What award did Marlee Matlin win for performing the lead role in Children of a Lesser God?

The Oscar for Best Actress of the Year?

What are some of the similarities that ASL storytelling has with filmmaking?

The movement of someone telling a story using ASL can replicate what it feels like to watch a movie. The person telling the story can imitate special effects, the movements of the people in the story, etc.

What was considered to be among the most significant civil rights movement in recent Deaf history?

The movement to have a Deaf president for Galludet.

During the years when schools favored speech over ASL, what happened to the Deaf teachers? Why?

The percentage of Deaf people went way down, and the Deaf teachers who stayed were moved to different programs because they could not teach speech.

What does the term Hearing-Impaired mean? How is this term viewed by hearing people and culturally Deaf people?

The term Hearing-Impaired refers to a disability, it is a negative term which implies that there is something wrong with people who cannot hear. It is viewed by Deaf people as an offensive term, because it also implies that Deaf people are unable to accomplish things which hearing people can.

What do the statements made by individuals who are deaf in the film Through Deaf Eyes suggest about common perceptions of deaf people?

Their statements suggest that commonly held beliefs like "deaf people live in a silent world", "Being deaf is a tragedy", and "Deafness detracts from the quality of life" are simply not true. They show that deafness does not keep them from being happy and does not hold them back from doing whatever they want.

What reaction(s) did Deaf people initially have when Stokoe suggested that ASL was a language separate from English?

They felt like it was something that should be kept among Deaf people. They had been taught that signing was something they should be ashamed of. They felt like someone was trying to tell them that they didn't speak English, like they weren't like their fellow Americans. This made them defensive.

What do the comments made by the deaf individuals in Through Deaf Eyes suggest about how deaf people view themselves?

They view themselves as normal, like they can do anything. They do not look at themselves like they have a disability.

Explain the reasons professionals have for preferring to use the term "hearing impaired"?

This makes it seem like a medical condition, something which must be "dealt with" and treated as a disability.

What does Deaf (with a capital D) mean? Define it on cultural terms.

Using Deaf with a capital D refers to a cultural identity and a culture which is separate from that of hearing Americans. Someone who is part of the Deaf culture may or may not be classified as profoundly Deaf.

What does the term deaf (with a lowercase D) mean?

Using a lowercase d indicates a loss of hearing, the physical condition of deafness. A deaf person might or might not identify as Deaf, and might or might not take part in Deaf Culture. More recently, it has been used to refer to anyone who has hearing loss, regardless of whether or not they are part of the Deaf World.

Can Deaf people perform in musical bands? Explain your answer.

Yes, Beethoven's Nightmare has three Deaf musicians. They play so loudly that they can feel the vibrations. They storyteller signs to the beat.

What is American Sign Language?

a visual-manual language which is complete and natural. A minority language used by an estimated 500,000 to 2 million speakers in the U.S. alone. The primary language of the Deaf world.