History Through Deaf Eyes Analysis

Cook is an important figure in the deaf community. He was first diagnosed at the age of three. At the time American sign language wasn’t available, which is why he began performing to help him communicate with others. It also eased him express who he was and how he was feeling. At the age of nineteen, he found out about ASL, which was a way to interact with his peers by signing. In addition, he used it to enhance his performance. It made his style unique, a way no one has seen before. He could combine acting along with American sign language. When he finished college, he began a program called the “Flying Words Project”. Which included all the hidden talents of deaf storytellers. It caught the attention of many deaf people along with hearing. Their performance was acted out, signed, and translated into English. Many deaf and hearing people see him as a leader who led them to showcase.

Everybody faces challenges and uncertainties and a daily basis. Fortunately, for hearing people their troubles can be trivial. For those who are in the Deaf and hard of hearing culture, however, challenges and uncertainties are not relatively trivial. Over the past several years, the Deaf community has been enterprising for culture awareness. Historically, the media have played an important role in the portrayal of deaf individuals. “Switched at Birth” is a television show that has helped shed some light on the Deaf culture. "Switched at Birth" has tackled many autistic beliefs toward Deaf people that are false and ignorant such as them not being able to drive, raise kids, and have jobs.

Edward Gallaudet’s work into the creation of Gallaudet University has led to the education of thousands of deaf people along advancements and progress in fields related to hearing status, both scientifically and socially.

The Deaf President Now movement was one of the best things that happened to University, the movement helped the school and the students get a deaf president to lead them. The school has never had a deaf president ever since its been opened. The students of the university wanted a deaf president to lead them so bad they shut down the school until they could get a deaf president. Gallaudet University was the school where all the deaf students went, it was hard for a hard of hearing student to attend a hearing school. The deaf president now was the biggest thing for the deaf and still is unto this day. People to this day celebrate the DPN, Especially the students who shut down the school. Wouldn 't you feel accomplished if you were in their shoes?

Inside deaf culture is a very strong book written by carol Padden and tom Humphries in this book authors have tried to give a tour of the most important moments that has shaped the Deaf culture.

For a Deaf Son is a documentary about Thomas Thranchin, who was born deaf to hearing family. His father, a filmmaker, produced this documentary to offer an intimate look at how parents of a deaf child make decisions. The documentary is compiled together with interviews from audiologist, families of children with hearing loss, other expert in the field, as well as home videos of Thomas. Thomas was discovered to be profoundly deaf at the age of one and could only hear high frequency sound. This meant that with hearing aids on him, he could acquire speech and language with therapy. The other discussion that Thomas’ parent had to make is whether to educate their son in sign language versus strictly verbal speech. Both Thomas’ parents have different opinions on teaching him ways to communicate. The beginning of the movie, his parents had decided to enroll Thomas in hearing school so that he could learn to communicate with the hearing world that his family lived in. His mother also thought that by enrolling him in a teaching based classroom supported by sign would be an easier route for Thomas considering that he was deaf. Thomas’ father had then begun his research to figure out ways to unlock Thomas’ speech capacities and the outcome of those choices. The documentary

Laurent Clerc was considered as one of the first outstanding deaf teachers in the United States, considering that he was born in France. Clerc was born on a village over by Lyons, France in 1835. He was born with hearing, that is until when he was just a year old that he fell into a fire that led to him losing his hearing and smell. It would also leave him with a badly burned face on his right side, plus he would be scarred for life, which would something he would later be recognized for. At the age of twelve, Clerc entered into the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris, in which he was excellent in his studies. When he graduated, the school had asked him if he could stay at school and become a teacher, in which he would accept.

Through the deaf eyes is a film about what is like to be deaf; it also tells us about the history, as well as challenges deaf culture has faced. It speaks about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc the creators of the first school for the deaf, also deaf clubs, and people today who have changed perspectives of the deaf community. Gallaudet University was the first environment where deaf community can come together and begin their history and culture teaching deaf children how to speak would benefit them more in the future; however that was not the case, and many thought it was a waste out time as they got older. They feel that they should have focused on sign language, so that they can learn more instead of spending years on learn to

According to Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, “Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and million other things.” I think basically culture expresses the ways we live. Every region, every family and everyone has their own culture. For example, people usually call “Western Culture,” “Eastern Culture,” “Latin Culture,” or “African Culture” etc. Therefore, with Deaf people, they also have their own culture, which is Deaf Culture. Deaf culture is the set of tradition, behavior, norm, values and language. Because of that, there are might be some differences between cultures with cultures. In this

My view while watching the documentary was what I had expected it to be. I found that I actually already knew a lot of the information discussed in the film, not a lot was new. I still found myself “rooting” for the deaf community. I felt angry when the hearing word made the deaf world believe that ASL was wrong, and felt proud as the Gallaudet University fought to have someone from their world

The Journey into the Deaf- World offers a comprehensive absorbing study into the Deaf- World. The first two chapters brought insight into the Deaf culture, as well as benefits and struggles the Deaf face. The first chapter was an introduction into the Deaf World, showing the Deaf’s experiences

deaf community and ASL is education. W ith out him ASL and other forms of

Individuals, who suffer from any type of disabilities, sadly live a different life due the societal stigma attached to it. The film When Billy Broke His Head and the reading Deaf Matters Compulsory Hearing and Ability Trouble both illustrate the hardships and struggles disabled individuals go through as a result of stereotypical misconceptions created by the media and the larger society. Firstly, exemplified in the media through a portrayal of disheartened characteristics like constant anger and bitterness about life, a misconception of an unapproachable individual starts to become produced. Through a continuous loop of negative illustrations of disability, an unawareness and lack of knowledge about certain disabilities, a stigma of this unfamiliar

173 &174). Few examples of an epics are, “The Week the World Heard Gallaudet” was one of the most significant historical events within Deaf Culture. All presidents have been hearing since Gallaudet University opened its doors in 1864. The students wanted to change, they wanted a deaf president (pg. 169). Three qualified candidates considered for presidency of Gallaudet; 2 Deaf, 1 Hearing. The board decided that Elizabeth Zinser would be Gallaudet’s 7th President. After the students

For my first quarter Deaf Event, I read the book I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin. The book reflects on the highs and lows of Marlee's life from the time she was a young child, up until a few years before she joined Switched at Birth, one of her more famous roles among modern times. The cause of Marlee's deafness is still unknown. One theory that Marlee used to believe was that she became Deaf after contracting a viral infection as a baby, although she later learned that particular infection cannot cause deafness. As a child Marlee wore hearing aids and attended speech classes, learning to read lips and speak. At age 5 she began to take ASL classes as well. When it came time for Marlee to attend school, her