New Grammar Software for Deaf/HH Writers and Professionals

New Grammar Software for Deaf/HH Writers and Professionals.

Check out the new "online, browser-based tool, aimed at deaf students and professionals who are conversant with sign languages like ASF (American Sign Language) but are not very fluent in English. It detects and simultaneously corrects any grammatical errors found in the user’s written English composition."

And how they developed this grammar software is interesting as well.

The writing skills of the deaf are sometimes poorer compared to that of their non-deaf peers. This leads to disparities in their professional and social standing. The CC gives them the accessibility and resources to excel in both of these arenas. The user types an English sentence into the browser window and the system immediately gives an analysis of grammatical errors and corrections in Standard English. Other programs, like the ICICLE and the Microsoft Grammar Checker, facilitate grammar support to the deaf, however they are not as exhaustive and effective as the CC.

The creators of the CC have been diligent in the selection of their source data. It was made sure that the algorithms were developed based on data representative of the eventual users. To this end, a special data collection tool was devised, through which 8233 sentences and an additional 1239 sentences in a free essay task were harvested. This has made the CC the only system with a unique body of data in the textual language arena, specifically for the deaf.

Yet, they even acknowledged that sometimes sign language interfered/influenced some deaf/hh people's English skill development.

The basic premise of CC’s design is to take into consideration the “non-standard patterns” of English grammar used by the deaf, instigated by the influence of sign language.

Instigated by the influence of sign language? Is that a good premise? Whether good or bad, at least this is a step in the right direction.

Vary Def, Herring Empared and Hees Muwt

Abby: “Hey, you like baseball?”

Cosby: “Sure. Love the sport!”

Abby: “Hear about the new players with the Red Sox?”

Cosby: “Yeah, I heard something about it but I don’t know their names. I do know they replaced the old ball players on 1st, 2nd and 3rd base.”

Abby: “Yeah. The guy on 1st base? Herring Empared. How unreal is that?”

Cosby: “Sad to hear that.”

Abby: “What did you say?”

Cosby: “The guy on 1st base you just mentioned who can’t hear very well.”

Abby: “Oh no, no, no. He hears just fine.

Cosby: “What’s his name, again?”

Abby: “Herring Empared”

Cosby: “I asked you for his name but didn’t you just say that he can hear fine?”

Abby: “Yep.”

Cosby: “Seems like a contradiction here. Can he use the phone without any problems and talk and listen to other ball players without any problems?”

Abby: “Yes. You’re asking odd questions. I just told you, he hears perfectly fine.”

Cosby: “I see. And the name of the new guy on 1st base you just mentioned earlier? Maybe I missed what you said but first I'm pretty sure you did say hearing impaired?”

Cosby: “Yep! Correct! Right there on the nose, buddy”

Abby: “But you said he hears perfectly fine!”

Cosby: “Naturally.”

Abby: “You’re getting me confused.”

Cosby: “Speak for yourself.”

Abby: “Wise guy. Ok. What does his birth certificate say?”

Cosby: “Read my lips carefully. The birth certificate says ‘Herring Empared.’ ”

Abby: "I didn’t ask for his medical birth condition. Didn’t you hear me what I just asked for? What are you? Deaf?”

Cosby (looking a little confused himself): “No."

Abby: "Ok. Let move away from 1st base and go to 2nd base. What's the guy's name on 2nd base?

Cosby: Funny you should ask. The new guy on 2nd base with the odd name is Vary Def.”

Abby: “He’s hearing impaired, too?”

Cosby: “No, that would be the guy on 1st base, Herring Empared.”

Abby: “C’mon! What now? Are you going to tell me that those players on 1st and 2nd base communicate with each other through signing with their hands?”

Cosby: “No. That would be between the pitcher and catcher. The catcher does that hand signal thing to the pitcher. Herring Empared and Vary Def are normal people. They do have strange names but normal people nonetheless.”

Abby: “What strange names? I didn't hear any! And did you say 'normal people' ? Like hearing people?"

Cosby: “You are one strange dude. Of course, they’re normal like hearing people.”

Abby: “I’m the strange dude? Look at you. You just told me those basemen players can’t hear very well.”

Cosby: “No. That’s not true. However, the guy on 3rd base has a hearing loss.”

Abby: “Hearing impaired?”

Cosby: “No. That would be the guy on 1st base, Herring Empared.”

Abby: “Knock it off! You’re making me angry and confused here!”

Cosby: “Certainly you do look confused.”

Abby: “Aaargh! Ok. Ok. How does the 3rd baseman communicate to the 1st and 2nd basemen players?”

Cosby: “Oh, that’s easy. He doesn’t talk. You should know that. He’s famous and he’s quite the controversial player. You ought to know his name.”

Abby: “Mute?”

Cosby: “Yeaaah. How did you know?"

Abby: “Just a wild guess since you said he doesn't talk.”

Cosby: “What does his not talking to the 1st and 2nd basemen have to do with his name? You know, Hees Muwt.”

Abby: “What the hey...? What name? Ok. Let's back up for a minute. You said he doesn’t hear very well?”

Cosby: “Yes, true.”

Abby: “And you said he is unable to communicate to the 1st and 2nd basemen players.”

Cosby: “No. I said he doesn’t communicate to the 1st and 2nd basemen players because he’s angry at them for a reason. That's what makes him so controversial!”

Abby: “So, he talks fine?”

Cosby: “Certainly. Just his voice sounds a little funny. He’s angry at those baseball players, Vary Def and Herring Empared, for making fun of his voice. And that’s why he doesn’t want to talk to the 1st and 2nd basemen players.”

Abby: “He's mute?”

Cosby: “Yes. Hees Muwt. Born in Norway. You know, having a hearing loss with a funny Norwegian accent could probably make a few people snicker, but I digress.”

Abby: “Knock it off! You’re confusing me!”

Cosby: “Hmmm. You certainly do look confused. Maybe you need a vacation?”

Abby: “Let me get this straight. The guy on 3rd base, he's mute? He can talk but not to the 1st and 2nd basemen players?”

Cosby: “Right so far.”

Abby: “But it wouldn’t matter on trying to talk those people either very deaf or hearing impaired since they can't hear anyway. And that mute guy? He can't communicate to those people because he can't talk to them anyway in the first place! ”

Cosby: “Why are you bringing up their names for? Those baseball players, Vary Def and Herring Empared, hear just fine."

Abby: “What names!!?”

Cosby: “And why do you keep saying that the Muwt guy cannot talk?

Abby: “You just said he's mute. ”

Cosby: “Yeah. Hees Muwt. And you have a problem with that or what? He speaks fine. Just that he has a funny little “accent," that’s all.”

Abby: “Aaargh. Ok. Lemme get this straight. You say that mute guy on 3rd base talks fine and has a bit of a hearing loss. And that he can talk to very deaf and hearing impaired basemen players without any problem. He doesn’t use sign language because the 3rd baseman, that mute guy, can talk to them anyway yet he doesn’t want to communicate to the 1st and 2nd basemen players because they made fun of his voice?

Cosby: “I think you got that in a nutshell.”

Abby: “I think I do need a vacation....from you!”

Cosby: “By the way, there’s a funny story behind those three basemen players and their grandfathers. They use to play pro baseball with the Yankees and played as basemen, too!”

Abby: “No kiddin? 1st, 2nd and 3rd base?”

Cosby: “Yeah. Talk about historical irony. They're not around anymore to see this happen with the Red Sox.”

Abby: “What were their names? Starting with 1st base.”

Cosby: “Who.”

Abby: “The guy on 1st base?”

Cosby: “I said, Who.”

Abby: "Who is on 1st base?"

Cosby (Looks away from him, folds his arms, rolls his eyes, sighs loudly and reponds very quietly): “Correct.”

Abby (He mockingly cups his ear): “What?”

Cosby: “That would be the 2nd baseman.”

Abby: “Who?”

Cosby: “He’s on first base. And on 3rd base, I Don’t Know.”

Abby: “Aaarggh! And you said you knew their names! Get away from me you freak of nature! I am going on a vacation!”


Courtesy of Mike McConnell. Author of "Vary Def, Herring Empared and Hees Muwt."

Deaf Strength

It is not often you come across a website or even nowadays a blogsite that discusses deaf/hh weightlifters whether they're powerlifters, bodybuilders, or even a strongman. These things are in short supply around here. Sometimes you may come across personal websites that are new such as the new Deaf Strength website by a guy named Dave Blackwell out of United Kingdom. He competes in bench press competitions with a bodyweight between 80.5 kg (177 lbs) and 90 kg (198 lbs). You can see a video of him doing the bench press during the competition. He has successfully bench pressed 297 lbs at a bodyweight of 177 lbs (80.5 kg) and bench pressed 319 lbs at a bodyweight of (183 lbs). Pretty strong guy.

Also, Dave has a new Deaf Strength discussion forum where you can go and discuss strength training and other sports. If you're interested, drop by and sign up.

And since we're on the topic of "Deaf Strength" be sure to check out the updated North America Deaf Strongman website for more information on the upcoming first ever strongman games for deaf/hh competitors to take place sometime in the summer of 2008. Right now, it looks like Phoenix, AZ may turn out to be the spot for the NADS games in 2008 at the same time with Deaf Nation.

And lastly, and if you're are curious, do you want to see a video of me doing a partial bench press of 585lbs at a bodyweight of 190 lbs (86.3 kg)? Or curling 135 lbs with a barbell? Then check out my recent exercise and training videos and be amazed. But then again I'm just an above average guy compared to those other freaks who lifts phenomenally!

HOH Advantage Over Deaf?

In response to Butterfly’s blog piece “Hard of Hearing people get advantage over Deaf people?? ” I guess it's time I better speak up since I am one of the few "rare" HOH individuals here.

Now, what I will be describing here is by no means “showing off” but rather to give my readers an idea on what I can or cannot do in terms of my hearing loss and speaking ability to help frame my response to Butterfly’s blog. So, please, none of this "audism" accusation stuff in my comments.

Like Ben Vess (see comment #9 in Butterfly’s blog) I have absolutely no problem speaking and listening on my cell phone. I do this without even using the T-switch (ie telephone switch) which I have never used anyway. In fact I use my cell phone's speaker phone so I can talk hands free. I can even use the speaker phone without using my hearing aid. I even use it while I'm driving, although I rarely do that since I am driving. I love using the speaker phone since I don’t have to worry about my arm freezing up in one position after talking on it for so long.

My speech is fine and my voice carries a bit of a southern accent. I managed to acquire it when I moved to Georgia from Washington state at age 10 even though I was born with a hearing loss. Speaking is never a problem with me. Not one bit. And people wouldn't know I have a hearing loss listening to me. I naturally talk and use my voice all the time, which leads me to about my work.

I really have no problems at work communicating with other hearing employees. I do that everyday, including at meetings or dealing with the public. I make lots of phones calls. And so on. And no, I don't use ASL or sign at work. I have no need to sign at all while at work because I don’t need it. I am not even a native signer. I go to the meetings and meet people like everybody else by talking and listening.

About phones, I even once operated the phones for several months taking orders while working at Dominos Pizza. And then came back to Dominos Pizza several years later to become a manager.

So, in retrospect, I agree with Butterfly’s blog that HOH people do have certain advantages over those who cannot hear well (or not at all) or speak effectively, which is why hearing employees would naturally gravitate to them than a deaf person as a "path of least resistance," so to speak. But it is by no means that I am (or "HOH" people are) better than them. It just happens that I use what hearing I have left and use it to my best advantage and hearing people would take advantage that situation, too. No more, no less.

It's really up to each person's responsibility to inform other people about his/her hearing loss and let them know the importance of communication. They either need to speak up for you or clarify for you on what they are saying in order for you to be involved in their circle of communication. Whether it's signing, talking or listening, it's up to you to clue them in. For me, I make sure people speak up if they tend to speak quietly or have soft voices.

UPDATE: Just to add a few more thoughts here. Should there be a deaf employee in my workplace and my hearing co-workers come to me because I know sign language and can hear and understand them would I welcome that? Not really because that would not address the communication situation with the deaf employee and that they should learn to communicate with her/him rather than through me. Although I have from time to time did some interpreting for a few deaf employees which was really more informal than a formal setting.

Deaf Prisoners More Violent and Less Educated than Hearing Prisoners?

Deaf Prisoners More Violent and Less Educated than Hearing Prisoners?

This is probably an unusual study finding that more deaf prison inmates were found to be convicted of violent offenses than the hearing general prison population.

Previous research suggested an unexplained difference in the patterns of offending behaviors among deaf people when compared to hearing people. This study, conducted in Texas, compares the incidence and types of violent offenses of a deaf prison population in comparison to the hearing prison population.

Sixty-four percent of deaf prisoners were incarcerated for violent offenses in comparison to 49% of the overall state prison offender population. This finding is consistent with previous research.

The study goes on to explain varous potential factors as to why there were more deaf prisoners than the hearing prison population, statistically speaking. But what was perhaps not surprising (see my past reports on Deaf Residential schools and rape in Part I, II and III) among deaf prisoners is that they, statistically speaking, committed 3 times more sexual crimes when compared to the general hearing prison population in this Texas prison study.

The most significant difference between the populations was found in the category of sexual assault, which represented 32.3% of deaf offenders in contrast to 12.3% of hearing state prison inmates overall.

And then the study goes on to test deaf inmates' IQ which showed them to be a bit wee "smarter" than the hearing inmates:

In Texas prisons, offenders' intelligence is measured during the intake process using the Revised Army Beta Test. The Beta is a nonverbal instrument that yields an IQ score. Deaf offenders who take the Beta test and do not receive a score within normal IQ ranges (85 or higher) are retested using the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI) or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS-R). IQ scores were available for 50 of the 64 deaf violent offenders in this study. The mean IQ of the deaf violent offenders was 93.4, as compared to the mean IQ of the total number of Texas prison offenders, which was 91.0 (TDCJ Statistical Summary, 2001). Both these scores indicate that the typical violent offender was of average range intelligence regardless of audiological status.

But don't get your hopes up too high. The study went on to assess the deaf inmates' educational and literacy skill levels which were, in short, atrocious.

The average reading grade level for deaf violent offenders was grade 3.5, which is well below the 4.5–5.5 reading level of the average deaf person upon leaving school at age 18 (Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies, 1996).

The average EA of offenders in Texas prisons was grade 7.4 (TDCJ Statistical Summary, 2001). For the entire population of deaf violent offenders, the average EA was 3.6 (Miller, 2001). However, 34.0% of deaf violent offenders had reading levels of 2.8 or below, which is the federal government's standard for defining functional illiteracy.

About one third of the deaf violent offenders in this Texas prison are actually functionally illiterate even though nearly 70% of the deaf prisoners use sign language to communicate. Should we be surprised about this? Or is this some anomalous quirk? Or is this deaf violent prisoners study on illiteracy and educational skills reflective of those on the outside who are not violent? An accurate portrayal of the Deaf community? Who is to blame for deaf people to commit violent crimes? Society or should these deaf violent offenders be responsibile for their own actions instead and not blame society completely?

Read the rest of the deaf violent offenders study from a Texas prison. A fascinating read. Here's the Adobe Acrobat pdf version for download.


UPDATE: Read "Defending the Deaf Offender" starting on page 10:

Most deaf defendants, however, read below the sixth grade level and have not mastered the English syntax. In their case, phrases such as “the right to remain silent”, “constitutional”, “you have the right to speak with a lawyer and have him present with you at any time during questioning” bear no meaning and cannot be translated in terms they can understand. In fact, in many districts, police officers are warned not to attempt to translate Miranda Warnings. They are required to have an attorney present for the defendant before they even attempt questioning. This is not the case in Arizona. Therefore, as a defense attorney, it may be possible to fi nd that Miranda Warnings given to illiterate or semi-illiterate deaf suspects either orally, in writing, or in sign language could be inadmissible at trial (Vernon and Raifman, 1997).

Before introducing such an argument, it may be helpful to understand the difference between a person who is deaf from birth or early childhood (prelingually deaf) versus a defendant who has lost their hearing as an adult. Prelingually deaf individuals are those who do not have adequate useful residual hearing for understanding speech and learning language. As a result, most grow up with huge information gaps, low educational achievement levels, and limited understanding of the English syntax. It is especially diffi cult for these individuals to identify meanings for abstract or intangible ideas, memories, and/or social mores. According to studies of psycholinguistics and cognition, our ability to code and store information in long and short term memory is closely linked to language.

It's interesting but is it accurate and reflective of the general Deaf population?

Text4Deaf Launches Text Messaging Site for the Deaf Community

Text4Deaf Launches Text Messaging Site for the Deaf Community (click to see press release).

What is it?

Text4Deaf is a "web text" messaging service that allows users to send messages from the Web to any mobile phone in the U.S. or Canada, and vice versa.

The official launch of Text4Deaf came out on June 20, 2007. So, I'm not really sure how well received this news has been so far but it is certainly all over on Google. Be sure to watch the video clip of "Kerry" where she signs and talks verbatim using her voice at the same time. The video can be seen on the right side of the website. Not that I'm criticizing her signing and talking at the same time. I certainly am not interested in taking a Deaf politically correct stance. She communicates just fine to me. And her voice is clear although you can tell she has a bit of a "deaf-voice."

A Fancy, Schmancy Blogpost.....Part Deux

There is no pleasing a certain crowd in the blogosphere as one can see the near over-reaction comments seen here regarding my post "A Fancy, Schmancy Blogpost" that was done nearly two months ago. Put it simply, it was about my refusal to, ah, uh, "simplify" my writings (ie my vocabulary) to those few who might have problems understanding them. For one, this is how I write and express myself. It has been my writing style ever since I was in high school. And, secondly, I trust readers are already smart enough and have the sensibility to look words up. Would it be better to assume that they are incapable of doing that? If I said that I'd have people up in arms charging me with "audism" or some other obscure knee-jerk responses. After all this is the internet and vocabularies are easily looked up. And I find this kind of discussion and introspection somewhat fascinating seeing how few people have reacted to my earlier "Fancy, Schmancy Blogpost."

Just humor me, ok?

Virginia L. Beach wrote up a short DeafDC blog article called 'Building a Blogger's Ethical Framework' where she discussed deaf/hh bloggers' ethics, basically so. Now, the word "ethics" is defined as a motivation based on ideas perceived as right and wrong. This is synonymous with the word "moral" which is about discerning between right and wrong actions. But talking about "ethics" in terms of bloggers' responsibilities tread close to the idea that they ought to be afraid of offending someone else's sensibilities and by doing so it is said to be wrong, heartless, cruel and not understanding of their positions.

I don't buy that completely.

For example, there is one comment Virginia made I pretty much disagree with:

I believe that if you are going to put your thoughts, opinions, and feelings on the Internet for the world to see, you are responsible for the outcome of such actions.

Not exactly sure what "such actions" would be. Could be anything. Those "outcomes" will result whatever people make of it. If they're the sensitive lot or tend to misunderstand what's written, they may scream like a banshee and demand that blogpost get stricken down somehow or worse get that blogsite banned completely from the internet. Just because people don't agree with somebody else's blogpost on deaf-related issues or viewpoints. Or even when certain truths are exposed do they want to become that little dictator. And yet I thought those who would react in such a way make up a very tiny minority among those in the Deaf community. Now, looking back I may be wrong about this.

Just humor me on this. I'm trying to be introspective here.

In my still ongoing poll survey, "If You Had the Power to Remove Blogsites Would You Do It?", approximately 30% of those who participated said that if they had the power to censor a blogpost or blogsite they would or might take action to censor a blog or remove blogsite from the internet for carrying such an opinion or viewpoint that they disagree with over deaf-related issues. Before doing this survey I thought I'd get like way less than a 10% response result by those who would indeed abuse that kind of power. Maybe even 5% of the people would be like that. But seeing the 30% result (so far as of this writing) is enough to suck air out of anybody's lungs when one realizes there are Deaf/deaf/hh people out there willing to quash freedom of expression solely over an opinion or viewpoint over deaf-related issues. It simply boggles the mind. Are they thinking that way? Of course, assuming those who responded to my survey poll are actually Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing which is more likely than not in this case. And assuming they understood my question and responded honestly. Then those 30% who would undoubtedly or most likely without a second thought take away somebody else's freedom of expression if they were given that power? Is this a part of the Deaf culture of what? Do people not understand what the 1st Amendment is all about when it comes to freedom of expression?

Of course, emotions vary from person to person. Not everybody will react negatively. They may react by shrugging it off and not worry too much about it. They may even agree on some points. Some may in fact will simply agree to disagree and leave it at that. Or at the very least contribute to a debate without losing one's head over it and get into an insult slugfest. Or heaven forbid, actually whine.

Not cool.

In the blogosphere world it can be a double-edged sword when it comes to writing your own blogpost. Of course, depending on the topic and opinions expressed people will respond differently. However, I don't entirely agree that other people reactions to, for example, my blogposts are my responsibilities. I'd say that's going a bit too far. If they lose their cool, then it's completely all my fault and I should be held accountable and responsible for their own reactions and actions toward me?

Uh, sure. That idea borders on ludicrousness in my mind (ie. I simply disagree).

Just humor me on this since I'm almost done.

I believe the ultimate responsibility sits squarely and mostly on the readers' shoulders on how they respond to a blogpost rather than to blame the author/blogger for their own reactions. Believing otherwise defies the human imagination and that people are incapable of accepting their own responsibilities and controls over their own emotions and responses. Of course there is a caveat to what I'm saying here and and that there are exceptions to the rule when bloggers do have to carry certain responsibilities when it comes to blogging like avoiding libel or defamation, for example. Aside from that this "ethics" idea gets dangerously close to the idea that bloggers ought to be afraid of one's own shadow for the fear of offending someone else's sensibilities and that readers must be handled with kids gloves at all times.

Now, how many readers would rather be handled with kids gloves for fear of offending their sensibilities?

This is America.

And not China.

A Survey Poll: If You Had the Power to Remove Blogsites Would You Do It?

In a Deaf world, if you had unrestricted power to censor any Deaf/HH blogs or blogsites because they may have “ethically violated” certain Deaf “protocols," “rules,” or even "standards" whenever deaf-related issues or viewpoints presented are not accepted by the majority of Deaf people’s opinions, would you go ahead and remove that blogpost or blogsite completely from the internet leaving no trace of its existence? In short, if you had the power to remove blogposts and/or blogsites from the internet would you do it?

UPDATE: Please read carefully what I wrote. The question pertains to deaf-related issues or viewpoints by Deaf/HH bloggers and their blogsites and whether you would practice censorship if you had unrestricted power to do so. Think through this before you press that poll button.

If you had the power to remove blogposts or blogsites would you do it?
	Yes
	I might do that
	I do not know
	No
pollcode.com free polls

Bisping vs Hamill...the fight is on!

Remember the last report about the upcoming UFC #75 fight in London with Michael Bisping and that Ken Shamrock could be that fighter? It has been confirmed, in a round about way perhaps, that this rumor is nothing more than a sick rumor with thanks to Loretta Hunt of The Fight Network. Who would in his sick mind to come out of retirement just to fight a virtual newcomer in the UFC fight? I think a bit of common sense got lost in there somehow and I just couldn't see how that could happen. Perhaps a bigger or more well known opponent with more experience but Bisping?

Matt Hamill confirmed to me in his email last night that he has signed a contract to fight Michael Bisping on September 8 at London. So, apparently the fight is on. Although, admittedly I'm not even sure if there is a clause in the contract saying that the UFC has the right to an option to change fighters before the fight date. A contract to fight Bisping is still a contract. Right?

Good luck to Matt Hamill!


Check out all of Kokonut Pundit's blogs on Matt Hamill. Including exclusive interviews with him by Mike McConnell.

Bisping vs Shamrock and not Bisping vs Hamill?

Sounds like a sick joke here. From UFC Mania:

Michael Bisping will face Ken Shamrock (26-12-2) — not Matt Hamill as previously reported — at UFC 75 on September 8 in London, England, according to Loretta Hunt at FightNetwork.com.

Although nothing is absolutely confirmed here other than saying that Shamrock (UFC 7 - 2 -6) *could* come out of retirement and fight, ha ha, "superstar" Michael Bisping (UFC 3 - 0).

Ken Shamrock could possibly come out of retirement to face British superstar Michael Bisping at UFC 75. Shamrock, who retired following his TKO loss to Tito Ortiz in October, coached against Bisping (13-0, 3-0 UFC) on season three of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

How low would Shamrock be willing to come out of retirement after that Ortiz fiasco and gotten a brutal beating yet fight a relative newcomer at another UFC event instead?? And not Matt Hamill (UFC 3 - 0)? I don't think coming out of retirement to fight Michael Bisping is even worth the effort, much less to the embarrassment of Shamrock should he even think that.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what the Ticketmaster has to say as a final confirmation.

Bisping vs Shamrock?

Oh, please.


UPDATE: Go here and see the latest news to see why the fight is still on between Bisping and Hamill.

UPDATE II: Shamrock coming out of retirement to fight Baroni, and not Bisping. Perhaps that's the confusion? Since Baroni has a lot more UFC fight experience than Bisping, it'd be more in line to fight Baroni than Bisping. But still, why come out of retirement in the first place for the June 22 fight? The money's good or what?


Check out all of Kokonut Pundit's blogs on Matt Hamill. Including exclusive interviews with him by Mike McConnell.

When Deaf People Choose Hillary Clinton

Of those who voted in last month approximately 36% of Kokonut Pundits readers that participated in my survey poll choose Hillary Clinton to be their candidate for president of the United States. But there’s an interesting twist to what Hillary has done.

Firstly, in DeafDC there were a lot of people who were against the idea of having Hillary Clinton for president because she was not viewed as having "presidential material" because she's riding on the coattails of former president (or would that be "former" husband?) Bill Clinton.

Let's list some interesting twists about Hillary Clinton.

Remember when Democrats refused to partake any of the Foxnews debate, including Hillary Clinton? And yet she enthusiastically invested some $250,000 worth of News Corp stocks over the years. If you don’t know what News Corporation is, they own Foxnews. If that’s not enough, Hillary Clinton helped raise $850,000 at an event at the home of Peter Chernin, News Corp. president and COO. She even appeared at a Fox News anniversary bash along with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.

Now, remember a story in 'The Weekly Standard' a few months back with the title “Identity Politics Gone Wild” that discussed the Gallaudet protest? News Corp also owns 'The Weekly Standard,' too. This was an article piece that many Deaf people didn’t like as seen in DeafDC and Miska Zena.

Yet still, from many people perspective there seems like a good number of Deaf people who do not like Foxnews which is owned by News Corp. A company that Hillary Clinton invested a great deal of money over the years and hobnobbed along other Fox News people. Interesting seeing that from a Democratic Senator who is running for president.

Hillary and Bill Clinton also invested in other assets including BP Amoco," Big Oil," Chevron Corp., " Big Oil, " Exxon Mobil Corp.," Big Oil, " Raytheon," Big Defense contracts, "and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.," capitalistic anti-union. Those things do not bode well for those who didn't know better and people would swear that those investments would've been the mark of a Republican who invest in big oil and big defense contracts.

Ok, with that aside I suspect many Deaf/deaf/hh people are not even sure where Hillary Clinton stand on deafness and disability issues. Including me which is why I’m doing this blog. A little research on my part for you to have.

In one disability issue, Autism, Hillary Clinton was viewed as being “hostile” toward this Autism disability group claiming that Hillary was advocating a cure in the form of genocide seen in “Hillary Clinton’s Final Solution” (and no, I’m not the one who committed Godwin’s Law, it was that blogsite, mind you).

However, in the 2000 Senate race for New York Hillary Clinton “appeared” to advocate the support and enforcement of ADA laws and such:

Clinton paints herself as an activist politician ready to wield the big-government stick. "As New York's senator, I will work to toughen the enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Fair Housing Act. I will oppose congressional attempts to weaken disability laws," she proclaimed at one rally.

The question is, did she get tougher on enforcement after winning the Senate seat? Even though she, among other Democrat and Republican senators have worked on to pass a legislation to help improve access to 9-1-1 for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing a few months ago in March.

And so go these questions I have. Is she strong on disability and deafness issues? I bet she is. But then again Senator Hillary Clinton is a caucus member of The Congressional Hearing Health Caucus where you have a group belonging to the 'Congressional Hearing Health Caucus Advisory Committee' that consists of 11 advisory members:

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
American Academy of Audiology
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Auditory-Verbal International
Cochlear Americas
Hearing Industries Association
International Hearing Society
National Court Reporters Association
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
Siemens Corporation (a well known hearing aid company)

Maybe we could encourage Senator Clinton to help speed up stem cell research and help find a way to restore hearing loss once and for all?

And finally, all along Gallaudet University had a liberal president with his spouse Mrs. Jordan being an avowed Clintonite. So, I guess Gallaudet University had always been the, ahem, liberal campus it was and still is.

Mystery solved.

Matt Hamill vs Michael Bisping Brawl in London??

In the MMA Weekly rumors section people are saying that in UFC #75 coming this September 8, 2007 in London, England there will be the much anticipated Matt Hamill vs Michael Bisping UFC fight. Like I said, this is speculation but it's sounds like a good one (and seemingly a confirmed one) since both Matt and Michael have been at each other from across the pond for awhile after the TUF3 show. If this rumor turns out to be true I'm sure the deaf community is in for a treat to watch this much anticipated fight.

America vs England. Who will win?


Hat tip: rbk3

UPDATE: If you want to watch Matt Hamill's last UFC fight go here. Enjoy.

Send in Your Reviews about the Dummy Hoy Movie!

This is a blog alert! Producer Steve Sandy contacted me about the upcoming Dummy Hoy movie and he needs your review comments! Pronto! Your reviews could help get the necessary funding for his movie production. Send out lots of your reviews!

Go to Yahoo where the video clip about Dummy Hoy is originally located and write up your reviews over there. If the above link to the video clip doesn't work go here.

Offer your reviews, ideas, suggestions, your stories, and any and all constructive comments. But you will need to have a Yahoo account in order to enter your reviews. Or you can put your reviews here on Kokonut Pundits so that the producer can collect and use your valuable feedbacks.

Any and all feedbacks will be greatly appreciated by Steve Sandy.

Cochlear Implant and Stem Cell

Recently there has a been a few discussions on cochlear implant and stem cell. One of the notion going around seems to be a chorus of agreements that it is better to wait until stem cell can be used to restore hearing loss rather than commit to a cochlear implant. The reason for this is because the cochlear implant damages the nerves of the cochlea thereby rendering any future nerve restoration "impossible."

Well, people need to learn not to say the word "impossible" in a world where medical science has making the "impossible" to possible.

The thing is that new discoveries are being made everyday. Including the discovery that the cochlea itself holds a reservoir of "cochlea stem cells."

These researchers have isolated “cochlear stem cells” located in the inner ear and already primed for development into ear-related tissue due to their proximity to the ear and expression of certain genes necessary for the development of hearing.
.
.
The team’s research is a major step in devising a therapy to reverse permanent hearing loss because it may lead to the activation of cochlear stem cells in the inner ear to regenerate new hair cells.

And this was a relatively recent discovery mentioned in an article a few months ago. So, whatever damage to the ear cochlear stem cells should have the capacity to reverse hearing loss completely. So, why worry about the "effects" of a cochlear implant has on the cochlea when in the future your own cochlea stem cells could very well help restore your hearing? You know the old saying, "Heal thy self?"

Now, it may be a decade or two away until a procedure is perfected for humans. Meanwhile, go ahead with the cochlear implant but be sure that you are fully informed before making a decision. Although I am banking that stem cell research in this area and the increasing number of researchers joining this potentially lucrative field will surely speed things up so that many/most kinds of hearing loss will one day be restored and/or cured.

Here are some interesting links to read up on.

Risky Enough Business? (a cochlear implant wearer) - "Had I lost the rest of my hearing in 1981 instead of 2001, my life as I had known it would have been over."

Tiny implant shows promise for deaf - "An ultra-thin electrode planted in the auditory nerve of the ear may one day offer a superior alternative to cochlear implants for the deaf, researchers say."

A Captioned Video about Dummy Hoy

Dummy Hoy, a Deaf hero in the world of professional baseball.



Hat tip: Steve Sandy

UPDATE: I covered Steve Sandy's work on Dummy Hoy 2 years ago. Check it out.

UPDATE II: As a fyi, I covered Dummy Hoy a few weeks ago, too.

The Fred Effect seen in Traffic Ranking Results

By comparing internet traffic responses of Fred Thompson's website to that of McCain, Romney and Guiliani's one can clearly see just how popular Fred Thompson website is by outdoing all top three Republican contenders on internet traffic hits. The incredible jump in traffic in the first few days clearly outdid Mitt Romney's website. Even on June 4th, 2007 one day earlier before Fred officially announced his new website on Foxnews on June 5th. Even though according to Alexa it looks as if 'I'm with Fred' began circulating widely two days before it was officially announced is enough to make anybody wonder on how Fred's website was kept secret. Yet somehow Fred's internet traffic exceeded even Mitt Romney's one day later and one day before the official announcement of "I'm with Fred" website on Foxnews.

Poll: Deaf Democrat or Not?

Poll: If you are deaf or hard of hearing then choose which party you favor.
	Democratic
	Republican
	Libertarian
	Green
	Independence
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Believe it or not there are more than just 3 or 4 political parties in the United States. There are a total of 51 parties with Democratic and Republican party being the biggest, of course. If you read the list of names of those various political parties you'll certainly spot some strange ones such as U.S. Marijuana Party, Pansexual Party, Pot Party (whoo hoo!), or the nearly oxymoronic Freedom Socialist Party.

So, it's not just a choice between a Republican party or Democratic party when you can choose from any number of parties that fit your idealogies and/or beliefs.

"I am an Educator."

Below is from "Jaymie" who made this comment in one of my Haloscan comment and I was given permission to post this one section, "I am an educator."
=====================================================

I'm an educator working with high school students and it is extremely difficult in not being able to share my political perspectives with my students/co-workers simply because I'm a proud Republican.

I'm hoarded by leftists and I'm battered because I support Americans to be the People and oppose to the "Big Government" ruling just about every and each move we make.

I am scorned at because I support private businesses and their independence, separate from the government and disagree that we should have to give in to the poor (or pay high taxes) if I make "too much money." Republicans actually decrease taxes while Democratics raise them!

I am also debated upon whenever I say that the Democratic group actually doesn't care for the disability groups just because they are giving more money to them or trying to be humane and better their lives (my question is how??? By enabling them to rely more and more on the government and to the point where they aren't able to function and fare for themselves???)

We, Deafies, are constantly conflicting ourselves by demanding to be independent and not reliant on anyone just because we are Deaf (not "disabled"). But on the other hand, we demand financial & public assistance. Contradiction there. If we do that, we are disabled ('un able' to be financially independent). The Democrats wants people to be dependent on them so they can run their lives. Go ahead and deny that. You're just being unwilling to see the actual truth.

Paris Hilton in Jail - booking number 9818783

Well, she was dragged off to jail screaming and kicking and will now serve her 45 days in jail as ordered by the judge.

Paris Hilton official inmate booking number is 9818783 according to the LA County Sheriff Inmate Information Center . Check it out and see the latest booking information as well as her profile info.

A Poll Survey on Deafread and 2008 Election

A few days ago I asked the question to readers who are deaf or hard of hearing whether if they were interested on learning more about the upcoming 2008 Election. Of those who voted, some 93% (42 out of 45 votes) said "Yes" that they were interested on learning more about the upcoming 2008 Election. The large percentage result could be indicative of what people want to see and the desire to be more informed at the same time before election comes around. So, that got me thinking.

My next poll question is a bit more explicit and it really boils down to helping keep the community well informed, especially through vloggers, about the upcoming 2008 Election. But should the Deaf community be penalized for not knowing if there are some vloggers out there who may have something important to say about the upcoming 2008 election or the candidates? Even if it means a non-deaf related vlog commentary or important information about the election or candidates? How can we ensure the free flow of important information to the Deaf/deaf community be maintained? Exactly what are the responsibilities here when it comes to helping keep the community well informed of our upcoming election that only comes around once every four years?

You decide.

Should Deafread also try and cover listed deaf bloggers and/or vloggers who discuss the upcoming 2008 election (non-deaf issues) so that the Deaf community be more informed?
	Yes
	No
	I am not sure
pollcode.com free polls

Expanding the Fight against Terror

Ok. The "real war on terror" is supposed to be fought in Afghanistan, right? A legimate action by the United States according to most liberals. And anybody or any country complicit on helping the Taliban or al Qaeda wage war against the United States and her alllies will be on our hit list to go after. Right? Suppose Iran gets caught helping the Taliban in Afghanistan by arming them with weapons, explosive IEDs, Rocket Propelled Grenades, and C4 explosives would give the green light for us and our allies to after Iran as a country? Right?

NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials say is a dramatic escalation of Iran's proxy war against the United States and Great Britain.

Interesting. Though not totally surprised by all this. Some of you readers might be surprised by all this only because you're a bit naive to begin with.

The coalition analysis says munitions recovered in two Iranian convoys, on April 11 and May 3, had "clear indications that they originated in Iran. Some were identical to Iranian supplied goods previously discovered in Iraq."

The April convoy was tracked from Iran into Helmand province and led a fierce firefight that destroyed one vehicle, according to the official analysis. A second vehicle was reportedly found to contain small arms ammunition, mortar rounds and more than 650 pounds of C4 demolition charges.

A second convoy of two vehicles was spotted on May 3 and led to the capture of five occupants and the seizure of RPG-7mm rockets and more than 1,000 pounds of C4, the analysis says.

Also among the munitions are components for the lethal EFPs, or explosive formed projectiles, the roadside bombs that U.S. officials say Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgents with deadly results.

"These clearly have the hallmarks of the Iranian Revolution Guards' Quds force," said Jones.

The coalition diplomatic message says the demolition charges "contained the same fake U.S. markings found on explosives recovered from insurgents operating in the Baghdad area."

"We believe these intercepted munitions are part of a much bigger flow of support from Iran to the Taliban," the message says.

The Taliban receives larger supplies of weapons through profits from opium dealing, officials say, but the Iranian presence could be significant.

"It means the insurgency in Afghanistan is likely to be prolonged," said Jones. "It would be a much more potent force."

Ok. Let's go after Iran then. Right? Or are you actually invested in defeat in the first place and that we should withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq, and hand al Qaeda, the Taliban and Iran their decisive victory against the United States.

"I'm with Fred" Donation Results

Hmm, $220,000 in 18 hours with very little overhead cost to get this campaign operation up and running. Thompson puts up a website "I'm with Fred" with no email list to start with, no fancy calling operations, and managed to collect about $220,000 virtually unsolicited once he announced his website address on Foxnews last night. Since this result came in the form of online donation through his website, I'm sure more money will come in other forms of private solicitations. And be sure to understand that this isn't Fred Thompson's only method for raising campaign funds, either.

What's remarkable in all this is that Fred Thompson hasn't even yet officially announced his candidacy run either. And I believe Fred Thompson is the only person from either political party to actually blog for the American people to read on various issues where he explains what his stances are if I'm not mistakened. Unless somebody can show me otherwise that he is not the only notable blogger here that does this.

More Deaf Democrats than Deaf Republicans?

Could this be true? There are more Deaf Democrats than there are Deaf Republicans? There seems to be a preponderance of Deaf Democrats or Liberals than there are Deaf Republicans if you have been paying attention or did some research on this subject. Picard90 asked that very same question, too.

Now, this may be merely a perception issue rather than it being completely true. However, even early on in my Kokonut Pundits blogging career did I notice something odd in retrospect about Gallaudet University and did a little research (here and here) about the university and campus population's tendency to lean left by a wider margin than normal. Seeing what I saw at Gallaudet University and more recently in blogs offer a good glimpse on the wider Deaf population on which party affiliation they are likely to be associated with.

Now, why is this? A seemingly preponderance of Deaf Democrats than Republicans? Could it be that many felt they had a sense of entitlement (e.g. SSI, easy degrees, etc) over the years simply because they are deaf that led them to be more likely a Democrat than a Republican and passed on that sentiments to their deaf children? Like certain things ought to be free to them rather than work hard and not accept welfare handouts instead? Or is it because of the educational issues that prompted them to become a Democrat when it comes to voting for a president, governor, or mayor? The reasons are many but it is certainly an interesting subject to think about.

Voting Results on Presidential Candidates

One month ago I asked readers who are either deaf or hard of hearing to vote for their favorite presidential Democratic or Republican candidate. The results were either surprising or hardly so depending on which party we're talking about. Also, be sure to participate in a poll question at the bottom of this blog page.

For the Democratic presidential candidate approximately 108 votes were garnered for their favorite person. Three people stood out taking in the most votes. Hillary Rodham Clinton garnered 35% (38 votes). Wesley Clarke garned 25% (27 votes). And Barack Hussein Obama took in 19% of the votes (20 votes).

For the Republican presidential candidate approximately 278 votes were garnered for their favorite person. Only one person stood out from the rest garnering 80% of the poll votes (220 votes) and that was for Fred Thompson. Rudy Guiliani stood a distant 2nd place with 6% of the votes (16 votes).

A question here.

Do these results show that deaf and hard of hearing Republicans are more attuned to politics than their respective Democratic supporters? Perhaps this could be true since I do not see a Democratic grass roots organization (e.g. "Deaf Democrats") run by deaf people. Well, that's not entirely true since there WAS one as it was mentioned in Daily Kos last year when one deaf guy tried to set up a Deaf Democrats organization. But the website is no longer there and so-called "organization" is none to be found. Although the Deaf Republicans grassroots organization is still up and running ever since 2004 and the organization will soon come to life once a Republican presidential nominee is selected.

Granted. This polling attempt of mine isn't a scientific one and there is no way of knowing the people who voted were actually deaf or hard of hearing. Although in Deafread it showed that there were 188 hits from people using Deafread to access this poll vote of mine. But keep in mind my blog caters to both deaf and hearing almost on an equal basis depending on the blog topic being discussed.

Now, yesterday I mulled over my own question whether Deafread will take the lead or not to allow participating deaf/hh bloggers who are on the Deafread aggregator list have their blogs get listed in Deafread that have topics about the upcoming 2008 election and presidential candidates and nothing deaf-related other than the person him/herself doing the blogging. And should Deafread allow this when politics is already a rare topic of discussion? Somebody (deaf person?) pleaded to the people of Daily Kos to allow the discussion about the Deaf Democrats website advert be recommended.

PLEASE RECOMMEND this diary.... (2+ / 0-)

Recommended by: viral, AmericanRiverCanyon

So DEAF can develop their political communication skills

"So Deaf can develop their political communication skills"?

Have I been correct with my internal assessment all along ever since the days of Gallaudet University from 1989 to 1991 that this is an area among Deaf people that is poorly attended to and that politics is really at the very bottom of their social concerns? Never mind the fact that voting is an honor and duty among us to perform every 4 years to select our American president. Is it our duty as deaf or hard of hearing bloggers to help inform others who are deaf or hard of hearing about the upcoming 2008 election and the presidential candidates? Should a topic as important as this one so close to election time be shoved out of sight and mind because it didn't have anything deaf-related? Which is important? Help inform those who do not understand fully on American politics in preparation for the upcoming 2008 election or keep it out of reach?

Below is a poll question and we'll see whether my assessment is correct or not. Keep mindful of the fact that this isn't a scientific poll and I'm hoping that people will be honest to do this poll and not from hearing readers.

As a deaf or hard of hearing person, are you interested in learning more about the upcoming 2008 Election?
	Yes
	No
	Not sure
pollcode.com free polls

How Will Deafread Perform for 2008 Election?

Whether you are deaf, hard of hearing or hearing and you are still undecided or unsure on who you would vote for the next Republican president in 2008 you can now add one more possible candidate for nomination and his name is Fred Thompson. There is now an official Fred Thompson website called "I'm With Fred." Check it out. The official website was announced earlier this evening on FoxNews with Sean Hannity.

If you think that Fred Thompson is low in the polls, don't have the pull, the experience and political knowledge or have that certain "savoir-faire" then think again. Fred Thompson as a non-candidate is now #2 in the Rasmussen poll report. Guiliani is #1. Mitt is #3 while McCain is #4.

But what's annoying, or even amazing, is the lack of deaf people who barely touch American politics in their blogs, or in this case, vlogs. But instead focus on entirely on deaf-related issues or just barely touch them do people participate or take notice. Not that there is anything wrong. Just an observation. But are Deaf people really that adverse to American politics? And I am curious on how will Deafread as a filtered feed aggregator perform if other deaf/hh bloggers want to cover politics regarding the upcoming 2008 election but have nothing to with any deaf-related issues? Will they allow such bloggings or put them on ignore during a critical time in American politics? Would it be better to ignore blogs that inform and/or opine so others may learn and understand regardless of which political party being discussed or supported, or the candidates covered? Will the majority of Deafread readers miss out on American politics from deaf and hard of hearing bloggers because blogs weren't fed into the aggregator just because it lacked any deaf-related items? Will this be Deafread's fault if many others miss out on American politics during the 2008 election? It'd be curious to see whether Deafread will or will not allow deaf/hh blogs that discuss American politics in their feed aggregator leading up to the 2008 election. It'd certainly be curious to see what their plans would be. Or none at all.

"Deaf and Dumb" Hoy - A Baseball Legend

Be sure to watch a movie about a "deaf and dumb" baseball hero named William Ellsworth Hoy who earned the nickname "Dummy Hoy". Just like "Dummy Taylor" who is also another well known deaf baseball player. The "Dummy Hoy" story happens to be a true story about a boy who becomes a baseball legend that not many people know about. It was during a time and era when facing challenges as a "dummy" or a "deaf-mute" in a hearing world was even more challenging.

Be sure to watch the movie, 'Dummy Hoy: A Deaf Hero'





Also, before you make any comments, please review the links I provided first.

The Deadly Martial Arts of ASL

In one martial arts discussion forum I came across an odd forum discussion that turned out to be a bit funny as well disturbing seeing how one Deaf man basically tried to be the expert in self defense and combat art. Although the one funny instance was when one hearing commenter misunderstood what one Deaf commenter wrote,

"Deaf men have been perfecting their self defense through ASL for many , many years."

The way it was written certainly could have sounded like ASL is the feared but deadly form of martial arts where you'd sign the deadly "V" letter and do the famous Larry-Curly-Moe-Eye-Poke. Of course, this Deaf guy meant that martial arts can and have been taught to Deaf people through the use of sign language to communicate the techniques in self-defense martial arts. Now, the hearing guy in turn didn't quite understand what was the other guy was saying but the response was funny:

"Please, cite some independently verifiable reports of someone besting an attacker through the deadly use of sign language..."

That was the funny part.

Now, the disturbing part was seeing that this Deaf guy managed to go about "informing" other Deaf people about martial arts, street fight, army combat and such even though, as best as I can tell, he has no real martial arts or self defense training to offer advice on what one should or should not do in certain dangerous situations. That's the sad and dangerous part.

Why dangerous?

The person lacked credibility to offer advices to others on how to do self defense. He offered no references, no names, no credentials to speak of, no names of dojos, no websites, no videos and plainly no proof of his skill to warrant the "teaching" of Deaf people on martial arts. Credibility is everything.

It is a sad fact that there are people out there who think that reading a few books on martial arts or combat art make them experts would be justified to "teach" others about self-defense. Making claims that "I sent many people to the hospital" isn't credible to believe. Saying that ought to be a red flag to others to be wary of that person putting up a bunch BS.

Now, there are several Deaf martial artists who do martial arts instruction. Just because there is a Deaf martial art instructor, it's best to ask for references and history from this instructor you are seeking to train under. Any instructor should be happy to provide you the details and references. If not, then that should be a warning sign. And if he or she continues to refuse to provide references, then it would be better to find another place to do your martial arts training even if it means a hearing instructor. I cannot stress this enough that the responsibility lies with potential students on making sure they have the right and best people in the business of martial arts who know sign language.

There is a difference from those who do the walk and talk versus those who only do the talk and not from people whose "expertise" came from reading books or took self-defense classes a few times as a kid. A street fighter doesn't mean the person is good at self-defense whether it's with a knife or a baseball bat. It could mean that the person is willing to break the law just so he/she could fight you in a nasty way. Either way, it doesn't mean one is better than the other. It's a matter of discipline and executing the right techniques that wins out in most cases. It could be a simple move or a complex one that would match the situation.

The video below shows how one pimp became that "street fighter" while his "lady" tried to hold him back because the white guy told the black guy to stop hitting the woman. This guy is Jay Lee who is a self-defense instructor for the Houston Texas Police Force. The incident happened while he was teaching a group of police officers and decided to go outside to break up the fight between the pimp and his woman.




If the video above doesn't work go here.

Once you choose your martial arts to train, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to "cross train" by visiting other dojos to learn from their martial arts. This was routinely done on occasions with my Aikido instructor in Alamogordo where we, as students, would visit other dojos with their permission to learn about their martial arts such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Aikido is one of the best known Japanese martial arts there is. Steven Segal who is currently a 7th degree black belt in Aikido where he became the first Westerner to open a martial arts school in Japan.



You choose a martial art that you believe is best for YOU. If you want to be a street fighter, then choose that path. If you want to be an excellent knife user then go that route. Kicking? Try Tae Kwon Do. Mixed martial arts? Practice your wrestling, grappling, boxing, Muy Thai and JuJitsu.

Now, a "street fighter" doesn't necessarily mean the best. It means that a person is willing to break the law in order to purposely fight and cause injuries or death. Just like the pimp in the video below who thought that by being the aggressive "street fighter" would mean he'd win fight. It didn't quite work out that way, did it? Although in any street fight incidents one may never know if a person is holding a gun or knife. Still, to have common sense and the smarts a person trained in martial arts should know these into consideration anyway. The best way to avoid these things is not to get yourself into these predicaments or place yourself in a location that would put yourself at risk. Self-defense is to be used as a last resort, even if it means injuring or killing someone.


The names below are Deaf/deaf/hh martial arts practitioners who are either instructors or advanced students familiar with their own martial arts and self-defense that you can contact for more information.


Joe Brouhard on Taekwondo (instructor). He is Deaf and signs.

Mike McConnell on Aikido since 1997 (2nd Kyu) and wrestling. Also, go here for an article on Mike on Aikido that was done a few years ago under "Aikido and Deafness". He is hard of hearing and knows sign language.

Matt Hayat on Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-Te, Tae Kwon Do and Isshin Ryu Karate Do. He is deaf and knows sign language. He developed a signing system for martial art called "Martial Signing".

Matt Hamill - UFC fighter (205 lbs), mixed martial artist - boxing and wrestling. Deaf and fluent in ASL.

Jeremy Jackson - UFC fighter (169 lbs), mixed martial artist - submission, karate and boxing. He is deaf. See story about Jackson.

If you know somebody that could be added here, let me know.

A Deaf Caste System?

I am sure there are many deaf or hard of hearing people who have wondered about whether there is such a system among Deaf people that follows a “caste system” of sorts. A “caste system” is defined as “a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity.” For some people this could be seen as similar to “Deaf elitism” which could be how some Deaf people may view other Deaf, deaf and/or hard of hearing people in terms of how one is born into a family whether it’s a Deaf family, a mixed one, or a hearing family. Perhaps it's all about whether one carries the deafness gene ensuring that hereditary deafness can indeed be passed on down with each generation? Wouldn't this be a trait seen as favorable by many Deaf people? Wouldn't this be descriptive of a "Deaf caste system"? If you have read Dennis from 'The Talkie' who posted a short conversation he had with his friend over IM when his friend discussed DoD and DoH over the subject of a “caste system” you may or may not agree on what his friend had to say.

But I'm sure the question get asked by many from time to time who are not familiar with the subject on whether if any of the Deaf organizations or Deaf groups do practice a "Deaf caste system” of sorts. It'd be interesting to see whether or not if this is the case and whether people consciously or subconsciously reject those who not are not “quite like them.” And how extensive this is, if any. Would these people rather prefer to have Deaf people who are born into Deaf parents over those who are “late deafened,” “hard of hearing,” or born deaf into hearing parents? Or would this be a simple matter of those who can sign over those who do not sign? And if it a matter of those who do sign then would this boil down to over those who are native signers versus those who are barely fluent in it? Or should this be seen as a “superiority complex” issue rather than as a “Deaf caste system” of sorts? Maybe none of the above?

Let’s take the case of a hearing blind guy's own opinion in his blog when Deaf people complained about the possible merger of Ohio School for the Deaf with the state’s school for the blind:

When yesterday I read the article referenced below in the Columbus Dispatch about the anger from some deaf "alumni" of the Ohio School for the Deaf at the proposed merger of the deaf school with the state's school for the blind I was flat out "gob smacked" into temporary silence. I simply passed the article on with the assertion that I was trying to "count to ten" because it's good to take thought for one's anger and we all know this from kindergarten.
.
.
Contempt for the blind emerges in this instance with the force of a geyser. The reasoning works like this: deaf people are not disabled; to put them into a facility where they would have to share space with people who really are disabled would be demeaning to deaf students.

My response to this is that specialized schools for people with disabilities should quite likely no longer be necessary if we are serious in America about making public education accessible to every student.

But let's leave that issue for the moment.

My real feeling is that if deaf people are not disabled and are essentially a cultural group, then why should they have a school that's funded by the public? I think this is a fair question. The public doesn't fund specialized schools for kids who want to learn French or Latvian, as noble as those pursuits might be. Why should deaf people have any public funding at all if they don't have a disability and if they don't even want to be seen in the same place as those who do have disabilities?

The answer to this question is that of course deafness is a disability. You can decide later in life that you are unwilling to be a member of any group that would have you, as Groucho Marx once famously said, but that's an adult position. Learning sign language and alternate technologies is an important, even crucial thing for deaf children, just as learning Braille or computer skills or orientation and mobility skills is central for blind children.

There are some good points he is making if you actually read all of his blog post. Of course, you’d have to understand that this is coming from a blind hearing man’s perspective rather than as a Deaf person who also face everyday obstacles just as many deaf and hard of hearing people do.

Now, for the OSD controversy wouldn’t this form of rejection by Deaf people over the OSD merger possibility with the state’s school for the blind be seen as a sort of a “Deaf caste system” in the works? Or would this rather be seen as “Deaf elitism” at work? Or maybe not at all? A little bit of both? None at all? Why or why not? Is this the "dark and dirty" secret that many do not want to come out into the open for discussion? A denial in the works or imagination gone wild?