ASL is Growing According to Latest Study

For all you Naysayers about how ASL is declining, you might want to reconsider that thought for now.

According to a 2000 survey of state education departments there were 456 high schools that taught ASL. But by 2004 the number had jumped to 701. “As of 2006, 41 states had approved of adding ASL to the foreign-language curriculum, with Nebraska being the most recent addition.”

Why the rise?

Geoffrey Poor, associate professor in the department of sign language and interpreting services at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y., said in an e-mail that in the linguistics community, the issue of ASL as a foreign language was "laid to rest" with the publication of A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles in 1965 by William Stokoe, a sign language teacher at what is now Gallaudet University, the world-renowned university for the deaf in Washington. But in popular culture, he said, those who accept ASL as a foreign language are harder to come by.

"For a long time people figured, out of ignorance, that it was just miming, broken English, etc.," he said about ASL. "However, there is no deaf cuisine or clothing or country," which, Poor believes, is why "many people have resisted giving it a foreign-language status."

But the question a lot of us ask today is that will this trend continue? And for how long? Will technology and biotechnology of the future change all that despite the continued rapid advancements that could make ASL into a limited-use mode of visual language/communcation among toddlers who are hearing or were once deaf until they are ready to talk? But for now, ASL is enjoying the continued increasing trend as a foreign language requirement at high schools, community colleges and universities as well as the growing Deaf population. Still, in the back of many Deaf people's mind, will it take 100 years for it to "disappear" as one Deaf blogger said earlier?

The Case for Free Expression

Lately, free expression over the internet such as blogging is becoming harder and harder to defend. Well, maybe not that much harder but I suppose you get the idea on where I might be going with this.

As we all should know, bloggers, deaf or otherwise, have the right to their own free expression, including how they see fit in moderating comments in their own blogs which may include editing, deletion or have the commenter's IP address banned. That is their right as a blogger. But lately there seems to be a rash of six year old kids running around crying foul just because some blogs got a hold of their sensibilities upsetting their foundational/core beliefs. They may cry foul the form that their brand of free speech or expression ought to be protected all the way down to the blogger's comment section. Not only is this stupid it also breaches the very notion of individualilty and choices given to each of us. A blogsite is a personal one. He or she decides how to run it. Commenting in other people's blog sites is simply a privilege and never a right or freedom of speech issue. But the attitudes I have been seeing lately by those who get their panties in a wad just because somebody else's view about deafness, Deaf culture, sign language, cued speech or whatever not do not jive with their beliefs do they demand and cry foul that certain blogsites need to get removed or banned from a blog aggregator site like Deafread. Pitchfork and torches? Now really. Some people just need to learn to calm down and bask in the glory of each blogger's own freedom of speech and expresssion. Don't like? Then do you own blogging.

Deafread has taken to their own entreprenurial spirit by turning their website into a human controlled, blog aggregator site. Yet they have rules and guidelines to go by on what's acceptable and what's not. Even though unacceptable cuss words and perhaps vulgarities are still getting through when #2 of the guidelines explains the acceptability of cuss words. Just saying. Nobody's perfect. We know that.

Deafread's human editors screen out numerous blogs each day deciding which ones are acceptable or not. They have that right. After all it is their own blog aggregator website. It simply becomes a priviledge to be listed on their website as registered bloggers even though Deafread borders nearly as a "deaf only" (note the smaller cap "d" letter) blog aggregator site if you read their small print.

Posts by hearing authors are welcome but face a more stringent standard.

Just noting the obviousness here. That's all.

But the gist what I'm trying to get at is that though there are some Deaf people out there who believe that certain Deaf/deaf/hh blogs need to be banned from Deafread only because they present alternative or differing views apart from the mainstream Deaf population (or even according to a few extremists' own views). Even though these bloggers haven't violated any of Deafread's guidelines that would warrant expulsion or removal of registration. Just that some people's sensibilities may be a wee bit warped demanding certain Deaf/deaf/hh blogs be banned because they don't suit them?

Looking back, I did a poll in June asking Deaf readers this question:

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?

My poll result showed (so far) that 36 out of 116 who voted would do that if given the absolute power to access any deaf/Deaf/hh blogsites or its comments. Now, no polls are accurate and mine, of course, shouldn't be construed as one. There could be some people who misunderstood my question skewing the poll results. But this poll is not meant to be "scientific" but it does show an interesting side when (assuming Deaf people answered the poll and assuming Deaf people voted honestly in this poll) a poll results showed that 31% would use their given power to shut down other Deaf, deaf, or hoh blogsites who have contrarian views that do not suit their own sensibilities.

A scary scenario.

Now, I'm talking about those 116 who voted and this is not to be extrapolated to the larger Deaf population. People need to understand that. Also, the sample size isn't big enough for one thing to make any kind of inferences. And again, it's not meant to be a "scientific" poll to begin with. Just an ad hoc one.

But my poll results do beg the question though. Would some Deaf people actually do that if given absolute authority and power? Do they really believe in the free expression of ideas and exchanges even if it means they may turn out to be contrary to their own views or find them however unpalatable? How would any disagreements justify hate? Violence? Banishment? Or are we dealing with a sort of forward "cultish-thinking" crowd here? Again, I'm speaking about the very small minority of people out there and not about the whole Deaf/deaf/hh community. Yet when does personal hate cross the line? Would that be evidence of a lack of open-mindedness? Insecurity? Or a simple knee jerk reaction? Or is this an English issue that causes one to misconstrue what was said? Perhaps it's a political one? A combination of all those things? What would some of the factors be that causes some people to behave in such manners?

Just doing my usual analysis here. Exploring. Probing. Poking. Learning. And realizing the certain elements of truths that exist out there.

I know. I know. It's a funny world out there. Different strokes for different folks. So, let's not get too caught up in all this. And simply agree to disagree, and move on. Though I'm glad there is a place on the internet where a person can freely express their thoughts online. But once people start to demand and see that free thoughts and expressions curtailed and controlled against bloggers then that's when you should start to worry and question the sanity of those people making those demands.

That's all I have to say. Food for thought and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.

The New eBook

Has the e-book finally matured? Will Kindle become the de facto standard on the future of e-book reading? Certainly looks it. And if you're deaf and cannot enjoy iPod, this little baby will be the next best thing to portable electronic reading. No longer will you be needing that little light thingy attached to your book at night so you won't disturb your wife or husband. Check it out on the video on the Amazon website.

*Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.

*Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.

*Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.

*Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.

*More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.

*New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

*Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

*Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.

*Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times.

*More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post.

*Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces. Holds over 200 titles.

*Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.

*Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.

*No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.

*Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.

*Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

I want one!

Culture First or Deaf First?

There has been a lot of stories or comments about the belief that Deaf people see themselves as a"Deaf person first" and everything else is second. Or in some cases see themselves as "Deaf first" but is co-equal with another strong identity like "when both his/her identity as a Black person AND ALSO his/her identity as a Deaf person are integral to who they are." But let's challenge one notion that being "Deaf first" is not always the case. Nor would it always be desirable in the sense of identity by seeing themselves as "Deaf first" paramount to other others. Doing so could in fact be unproductive and even damaging as we have seen in my earlier blogs (here and here). There are such things as having a culture that is so strong they see themselves as secondly as a Deaf/deaf person. A case example of this would be deaf and hard of hearing Native American Indians who see themselves as a Native American Indian first and a deaf person second. Mark Azure exemplifies that very example:

"As a child when I moved to a deaf school off tribal lands I couldn’t participate in my cultural rituals such as pow-wows and ceremonies. My life was like a torn piece of paper. When I could reconnect these ceremonies and my ability to be first a Native American and then a deaf person my life came together again.” - Mark Azure, Intertribal Deaf Council

It is interesting to see, understably so, on why Deaf Native American Indians would see themselves strongly as Indians first and not "Deaf first." Many of them had no choice but to learn the "Deaf world's" own language (ASL) and culture separating them from their own Indian culture and language. And sometimes wanting to stay connected to their Indian culture proved challenging when resources to do so prevents them. James Woodenleg offers a classic problem of his upbringing and trying to move forward in his life as an Indian first, Deaf second.

The need for interpreter services is illustrated in the story of James Woodenlegs, a very traditional man who currently serves as the spiritual advisor for the Intertribal Deaf Council. He is Northern Cheyenne from Montana. His first languages are Cheyenne and American Indian Sign Language (AISL). He learned American Sign Language while attending the School for the Deaf. When he graduated from the School for the Deaf, he wanted to get a job on his reservation but was unable to get a job because the tribal vocational rehabilitation office did not have the resources to provide services for him.

James found himself in a dilemma. He moved to Albuquerque and went to an Indian reservation in New Mexico to ask for VR services. The VR office said, “Well, if you're an Indian from a tribe out of state, we can't serve you either. You'll need to go back home to Montana.” He eventually got a job in Albuquerque on his own.

People like James Woodenlegs who grew up using American Indian Sign Language were able to communicate with people in their communities, despite being Deaf. Today, there are very few people with whom he and other AISL users can communicate using AISL. American Indian Sign Language is going more and more by the wayside, so there isn’t as much access with its use.

Those startling words, "Today, there are very few people with whom he (James Woodenleg) and other AISL users can communication using AISL. American Indian Sign Language is going more and more by the wayside, so there isn't as much access with its use."

The article continues.

The term “American Indian Sign Language” is a general concept that includes any of a number of sign languages used by American Indians that are distinctly different from American Sign Language (ASL). The most common AISL used among many tribes that occupied the Great Plains is now referred to as Plains Indian Sign Language. In general, compared to ASL, the use of AISL requires much broader strokes with the hands, greater use of arms, and fewer facial expressions (Thomkins, 1969).

There are Indian people who are Deaf growing up in their communities who don't know important things about their heritage, their culture, and their identity. Sign language interpreters would help these people communicate so that they could learn and take an active part in their community.

There is a need for interpreters who are proficient in ASL, but there have to be interpreters who understand the culture of American Indians who are Deaf. That is an important message for those in the interpreter field to understand. Mr. Dunbar and others conducted an informal survey of American Indians and Alaska Natives from various cultural backgrounds to find out if they would prefer an interpreter who was proficient in the use of sign language and had no cultural understanding, or one who was perhaps not as proficient but had a much greater understanding of the culture. Eighty to 90% said that they would choose a less proficient interpreter who had cultural understanding of the people, more cultural sensitivity, and was able to blend into the community better.

Not many statistics are available on Deaf American Indian populations. However, it is known that Native people are four times as likely to have hearing loss than members of the dominant culture and American Indians and Alaska Natives are the populations least served in terms of disability and rehabilitation services, including those for people with hearing loss. Causes of hearing loss stem from a higher incidence of otitis media among American Indians to different aspects of reservation life that cause head injuries. Also, living and working in remote areas, far removed from medical services, makes medical treatment more difficult to obtain for Native Americans

In one Indian tribe, the Sioux tribe, communicated often using their region's Indian Sign Language. The famous and well known Indian named Sitting Bull had a deaf son named "Blue Mountain" who had no problem communicating with his people. But today, Deaf Indians have lost that status.

Sitting Bull, famous chief from the Sioux Tribe, had a Deaf son whose name was Blue Mountain. The language of Blue Mountain was Indian Sign Language. In that region, it was a very common language, and people were able to freely and openly communicate with each other. In that society, everyone was considered equal.

Today, Deaf Indians have lost that status. They don’t consider themselves equal. That is a goal, to go back to the tribal ways and the traditions of American Indian and Alaska Native people, where all are seen as equals, where everyone is able to communicate and use sign language as a very cherished and important part of the culture.

Blue Mountain was able to communicate with anyone in his community. It gave him the freedom to be or do what any Lakota man had the freedom to be or do. When the Lakota moved on to the reservation, anyone in Blue Mountain’s community could be an interpreter for him in dealing with government agents.

Today, Deaf Indian people who want to obtain employment are stymied by the fact that they don't have interpreting services in their own communities. When public entities are willing to provide interpreters, urban interpreters are often not willing to drive out to remote reservation areas to provide services.
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Sign language is a very important part of American Indian and Alaska Native tradition and culture. From the southwestern United States to Alaska, sign language is included in the dances, songs, and ceremonies of Native people, even though the signs might not be used every day. Alaska Native people sing, dance, and tell hunting stories and funny love stories. Hopi Indians will talk with their hands about planting corn and about the rains. Through the sharing that occurred at the sign language interpreter training program, the IDC, in collaboration with NMIP and AIRRTC, helped preserve some of the tradition and culture of the American Indian people.

And so the story goes. Read more on the written works found in "Wisdom of the Storyteller."

Mark Azure provided workshops that touched upon topics earlier this year like "how communication among Deaf Native American communities varies from communication in the general Deaf community." Topics also include information about Indian Sign Language, of course.

About Mark Azure: He is Chippewa Cree-Dakota and Tsimshain and grew up on two reservations – first on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and on the Warm Spring Indian Reservation in Central Oregon where his parents worked for the Bureau Indian Affairs and Indian Education. He attended the Oregon School for the Deaf, apart from anyone familiar with the Indian World. Because of this, Mark didn’t practice any Native American traditions until 1995 when he first experienced the Deaf Native American Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since 1995, he has found rebalance and regained his Indian Spiritual and cultural involvement.

In the Spring 2000 newsletter the Intertribal Deaf Council (IDC) stated that “IDC has a commitment to never turn away First Nations Deaf, many of whom have had no access to their culture before becoming affiliated with their own Cultures. Our doors are open to all who wish to come back to the Circle, learn or share their Native Traditions, and to ”WORK TOGETHER” (in Indian Sign Language)...May all Deaf and hearing Indigenous Peoples Walk in Beauty.”

Indeed. How ironic that there was a society such as the Indian tribes of the past who considered their deaf Indians as their equals and communicated with them as equals.

Tom White Horse in ISL - 1930

Here's a YouTube video with subtitle of Tom White Horse using Plains Indian Sign Language in 1930. Seen in the video are sign talkers from 14 different Plains nations gathered at Browning, Montana as participants in a conference organized by General Hugh L. Scott for the purpose of demonstrating their use of sign language. Tom Foley was able to translate PISL into English.



Check out the rest of YouTube videos, though not subtitled, of Indians using Plains Indian Sign Language.

Now, I have a question. Are there videos of Deaf North America Indian signing in ISL?

And then we have John Denver, in 1982, signing "The Lord's Prayer" in ISL. No subtitle though but he is signing.

Native Hand Talkers - Meet One Today!

Yesterday, I wrote a bit of an awareness piece how deaf educators, ASL-advocates, local governments, and the prevalent use of ASL have helped the demise of ISL and Deaf Indians' inability to have continuing ties with their own cultural Indian heritage. Only recently over the last several years has there been an increase in awareness about Deaf Native American Indians who lack the resources to maintain proper cultural ties to their Indian heritage and, of course, their Indian Sign Language which is their first language (or second language) and not ASL.

One good cultural awareness took place in 2003 at the Western Region Outreach Center and Consortia at Western Oregon University where a Deaf Native American Indian, Mark Azure, did a speech, "Native Hand Talkers," about indigenous deaf culture in the United States. It turns out to be an excellent piece (see undedited transcript) about what people are doing to help Deaf/deaf/hoh Indians maintain their cultural heritage and ties while growing up.

I'm a deaf person. I was not born deaf. I became deaf when I was three years old, because of German measles. And I grew up on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. I was near the town of rows bud. It was rows bud reservation. Some of you may have seen the movie dances with wolves. That's where I'm from. Near pine ridge. It's right next to that. That's-so that's where I'm from, rose bud. I spent a lot of time as a youth living in Indian country, until I was about five or six years old, and I went to the city and I felt like I was in the European white world. There was just-I felt like I was on a different planet, and I really felt like I wanted to go back home to Indian country. I was very upset. I would tell my parents I really want to go back, but the problem was I really didn't understand what was happening. I didn't sign back then, I had very little communication.

What we did was we went to the audiologist for a hearing test, and that's sort of where I became involved in the deaf world. So at that point I put my Indian culture aside, until about 1995, at the IDC, Intertribal Defense Council group was established. I think the first was Oklahoma in '94 and then it was in New Mexico in '95, in Albuquerque, and I was thrilled to go there. At the same time I was kind of apprehensive. Because I'd, you know, left the reservation and joined the white world, and since then I'd drawn all these parallels between the two and I hadn't had much contact with that and I was nervous to go back. Why should I feel that way? I should have been proud to reappear but I didn't feel that way inside. I had to really overcome these fears and go ahead and get involved in the Indian deaf world, and I felt like I had so much time to make up for, and it was just very exciting. I felt like a part of my life that was missing was reunited and I was whole again, and my identity was whole.

I teach sign language classes at Portland Community College now, and I also do-work with the interpreter training program, as well. And I have been teaching at Portland Community College since 1979, so it's been quite a while. I'm also involved in the NMIP, the national multicultural interpreting project, and that's based in El Paso, at El Paso Community College. And I've been involved in that project I think for four or five years. We had a grant and the grant money has run out, and we're still continuing to focus on primarily Indian sign language and interpreters. Intertribal Defense Council, we're doing some recruiting for our mentoring program. We're looking for hearing Indians who would like to be involved in the deaf Indian community and to develop those kinds of ties. So that would be a- that's an excellent bridge for people who are in Indian country both on and off the reservation. I'll talk more about that as time permits. And so we'll have a presentation on that after a while, we'll be opening it up for questions. John?

There are lots of ways to help increase cultural awareness but there is one under-utilized resource not yet tapped into. And that would be to have Deaf Native American Indian (DNAI)bloggers/vloggers or bloggers/vloggers interested in issues about DNAI. Other resources discussed in the "Native Hand Talkers" such as the American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (project already discontinued). Or you can stop by and visit Deaf Native website (i.e. "Intertribal Deaf Council") to learn more.

And lastly, if you are at Gallaudet University or live close to it be sure to stop by at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet today this Saturday, November 17, from 5 to 8 PM and meet with the Intertribal Deaf Council to help celebrate the launch of Eagle VRS. This would be your chance to meet up with a real Native hand Talker. And what you can do to help increase awareness on cultural issues facing Deaf/HH Native American Indians.

Did ASL help Destroy Indian Sign Language?

Native American Indians used their versions of sign language well before Europeans or Spaniards ever touched their land (ie “pre-settlement era") what is now called the “United States” and "Canada." In fact, many of their North American Indian signs are similar to that of ASL. It was used between Indian nations or tribes in hunting, trade, for social interaction and even among deaf Indians. In fact, in one particular Indian tribe hearing loss was found to be much more prevalent than elsewhere.

A sign language different from those found among other American Indian tribes and from those used in the American Deaf community was recently discovered on one central New Mexico Keresan-speaking pueblo (Kelley, 2001). In this particular pueblo, a surprising large number of residents with a significant hearing loss were found; 14 (over 2%) out of 650 tribal members were discovered to have a severe to profound hearing loss, meaning they either have difficulty understanding loud or amplified speech or can not understand speech at all.

Pre-settlement population figures north of Mexico ranged from 8 to 20 million with the majority of them living on the eastern half of the “United States” prior to Europeans and Spaniards settling in. Today’s Native American sign language is used within their Indian nations in storytelling, rituals, legends, prayers, and even by Deaf people.

But there’s a sweet if not sick irony about how Deaf people are proclaiming and screaming that their ASL (American Sign Language) is slowly being destroyed by hearing people and that it is slowly disappearing yet never considered the fact that their insistence use of ASL has actually helped destroy (or is destroying) what’s left of Native American Indian Sign Language (NAISL or ISL) among deaf Indians, especially the young ones, when they are forced to choose between ISL or ASL when it comes to their education. They shouldn’t be forced to make that decision at all.

Both KPISL and PISL have become endangered languages. KPISL is not much used among the pueblo’s younger generation owing to their learning school English, ASL, or signs that follow the spoken English word order. Before the 1990s, American Indian Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing tribal members usually left home to attend a residential school for the deaf located far away (Baker, 1997; Lane, Hoffmeister, & Bahan, 1996).
At the school, there was usually no formal instruction of American Indian or American Indian culture and signs; only Deaf culture and ASL were taught, leading many American Indian students to join the “Deaf World.” After graduation, the students had to make difficult decisions about where and how to establish themselves: on the pueblos with hearing families and friends, in urban areas with other Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing people, or in border towns with limited access to both groups.

What a shame or so it seems. How irresponsible of those ASL-only advocates (sarcasm). Destroy one culture while trying to preserve another culture, namely ASL. But do Deaf people have no shame? Why insist or force Deaf Native American Indians to learn ASL when they should be using their own native Indian sign language and help preserve their heritage and culture that have been around for hundreds or thousands of years? This is almost exactly how our English language and culture helped nearly destroy North American Indians’ own heritage and culture by forcing them to learn English and assimilate into American culture in order for them to “survive.” Forcing young Deaf North American Indians use ASL is doing the same selfish act.

Although, each individual Deaf Indian person varies in the identity formation and self-identity, there are several common themes that have been recounted in personal anecdotes within the Indian Deaf groups such as discriminatory behaviors experienced at schools for the deaf, a loss of cultural language, knowledge and affiliation in educational environments, the lack of American Indian Deaf role models and teachers. At the IDC conference each year, a “Talking Circle” allows individuals a healing chance to express their unique experiences from a traditional upbringing to those with lost identities to receive community understanding and support.

The prevalent or wide use of ASL among Deaf American Indians (and Alaskan Native Deaf) is noted in another similar study on its disastrous effect it had on Deaf Native Indians in terms of Indian culture and heritage:

- Literacy and language skills vary widely.
- Many American Indian/Alaskan Native Deaf know only ASL.
- Some American Indian/Alaskan Native Deaf know both ASL and reservation influenced “signing.”
- Many have various degrees of fluency in their tribal language.
- A few are fluent in ASL and Plains Indian Sign Language (i.e. James Woodenlegs).
- Many have language difficulties due to limited or restricted educational opportunities such as,
1. Use of tribal languages and Indian Sign Language (ISL)
2. Use of ASL and English
3. Use of specific ISL vocabulary

Ironically, Deaf North American Indians’ first natural language is their own ISL and not ASL.

Indian Sign Languages are still used today. Indian individuals who are D/deaf may have acquired it as a first language or may code-switch with ASL and/or English signing systems.

Who would have thought that Deaf people (along with hearing educators) would exhibit their own cultural discriminatory behaviors toward Deaf Indians by not allowing them to have their own ISL but are "forced" to use ASL? The study continues on the educational aspect:

D. Educational experiences of American Indian and Alaskan Native Deaf children.

As with other areas, there is little research on the experiences of the unique experiences of American Indian and Alaskan Deaf children. Some themes do emerge from the literature as well as from the experiences of NMIP consultants and Indian Deaf Community individuals. The IDC newsletters contain several articles contemporary issues of raising Indian children and maintaining the Traditional cultural linkages with family and community. Indian Deaf individuals who attend IDC conferences often have shared experiences of having a lack of cultural support during their school years; having a lack of Indian Deaf role modals or staff; remembering the curriculum as Euro-centric “Columbus discovered America;” remembering prejudicial treatment such as being “deloused” or having one’s hair cut without parental permission. These influences resulted in a disconnection or dissonance from community life and language; and a lack of recognition of cultural value’s and languages that the individual possessed. At the other end of these experiences are individuals who due to the early influences of Indian Sign Language had direct access to the cultural knowledge and teachings of their nations. Each individual experience is unique based on all of the factors of deafness such as age of onset, degree of loss and in addition the cultural acculturation and assimilation influences experienced by other Indian peoples. These individuals often walk in three worlds and three distinct cultural experiences.

Many Indian children live in remote locations. Other children live in urban settings or on reservations and pueblos nearer to deaf education programs. In more recent times, state schools have become more attuned to the multicultural issues within their school populations and have attempted to provide a more culturally relevant education. However, it is almost impossible within a “pan Indian” context to impart the specific language cultural traditions that come from life within a family and community context. Many parents are exploring ways to have Indian Deaf children receive an appropriate education nearer to home. Thus interpreter services become a required resource. It is important for the profession to provide Indian individuals opportunities to become education interpreters for both urban programs as well as community based schools. Current efforts are being made to support American Indian Deaf students that attend post secondary programs at Gallaudet University, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or attend other community colleges such as Pima Community College in Tucson.

At least Project Gutenberg has put together a compilation called “Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples And Deaf-Mutes,” by Garrick Mallery (year 1881) in the effort to help preserve the history of Indian sign language. It’s a huge file so allow yourself a minute for it to download onto your computer. Contains lots of drawings, stories and how a Deaf-mute Indian interacted with other Indians or non-Indians. Also, there is another historical collection entitled “AMERICAN INDIAN - UNIVERSAL SIGN LANGUAGE.”

I believe this would be required reading among all Deaf people, especially among those who are complaining mindlessly about how ASL is “disappearing” when in fact it’s the NAISL that is disappearing (or have already disappeared by now in some cases in different tribes). With thanks to schools, educators, local government and ASL-only advocators insisting that Deaf North American Indian youngsters learn ASL firstly rather than to encourage them to stay with their own native sign language such as ISL. ASL is NOT their native sign language in the first place!

Now, wouldn’t preventing ISL be considered as one of the "world’s greatest irony" by ASL advocates? Preserve ASL but forget NAISL or ISL when it has been around much, much longer than ASL? And seeing how ironic when NAISL was referenced in a book called “Forbidden Signs American Culture and the Campaign against Sign Language” when there is no way for young Deaf Indians to continue their own ISL naturally but are forced to abandon their own cultural sign language in order to use ASL while in Deaf schools. This is very sad, disturbing even and highly ironic considering the screaming as of late on how ASL is slowly “disappearing.” Better look at what most Deaf people did, collectively speaking, to the sign language culture of Deaf North American Indians. It's nearly gone!

So, if you are feeling a little bit guilty on your indirect (even direct) role on the elimination and destruction of Indian Sign Language then stop by at Gallaudet University tomorrow (November 17, 2007) at the Kellogg Conference Hotel from 5 to 8 PM and meet with the Intertribal Deaf Council to help celebrate the launch of Eagle VRS. News of this announcement was brought to by those who run Deaf Native website.

Perhaps someone out there will finally realize some role ASL has had on ISL and do something to ensure that Native American Deaf Indians’ first language is ISL only (and not ASL only) and help them preserve their thousand years worth of cultural heritage to grow and flourish.


UPDATE: Another link on Sign Language Among North American Native Indians. Pretty impressive stuff!

UPDATE II: Some more on how the English language (ie through American culture and beliefs) nearly killed off Indian's spoken (and ISL) language during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

"Specifically, the native children were taught English only and in most cases were forbidden to follow or practice their cultural traditions (e.g., Prucha 1986). Along with the decline of children's native language and culture, in most cases, was no doubt also the loss of sign language as an alternate means of communication. This is evidenced in the early ethnographic work and motion pictures produced by Hugh Lennox Scott (1931), which are well preserved in the National Archive in Washington, D.C. In the introduction to the film showing chieftains and elders from thirteen different tribes using sign language, Scott tells the chieftains that "it is important to preserve your signing through film because your sons are not learning the sign language."

UPDATE III: Check out "Native Hand Talkers - Meet One Today!"

The Day When ASL Dies

Lately several bloggers have been ruminating whether the use of ASL is on the rise or that ASL is on the down turn. And some have speculated if ever will ASL meet its demise like Latin, an obscure, complex yet quixotic language of the ages. How many years until ASL finally fades out, if ever? Maybe it will never fade out just like the knowledge of Latin and Greek has never really faded out but lately seen a resurgence on learning the age old languages in schools.

Now, some of you might be screaming into your computer screen screaming "Never! Never!" Perhaps they are right, meaning "never" as in it'll never go away and that languages are stored somewhere for later retrieval. Whether the demise of ASL will ever come or not but one thing for sure is that technology and biotechnology are the two things that could help with the demise of ASL and at the same time help preserve a culture to pass it on down generation to generation. Yes, sounds a bit strange. Technology has the capability to blink out the existence on the use of ASL or it can preserve it in such a way that it can help ensure the continued use of ASL for generations to come. The difference will probably rest solely on specific laws in the future and how they will deal with babies born with hearing loss and how laws will protect (or not) current Deaf people their right to pass on their genetic deafness to future offsprings as a way to ensure the continued propagation of Deaf culture and ASL. This includes ethical questions in the future on whether genetic manipulation or genetic screning will give Deaf people their opportunity or a right to use such biotechnology to ensure babies born will have that genetic deafness.

So, how can technology help with the continued use of ASL while at the same time may be the very thing that might cause ASL its eventual demise? Today technology continues to improve with faster and better computer chips. There are research and studies being done on ASL recognition by computers where it would be able to recognize signs, facial expression, body language and the grammar and syntax of ASL in real time and translate that into text and speech. It's already a likely scenario when one day you'd have a real international translator device for all languages, including sign language. But in the beginning when this device comes out no longer will the human equation be needed such as a 3rd party interpreter. Deaf people will then become truely independent with the ability to interact with anyone and have their signings translated into perfect English. Or perfect French. Russian. Maybe even Latin. And anybody can talk to you and have it translated using a virtual interpreter seen in your eyewear or glasses.

When that happens, will schools bother with ASL classes? What will happen to the all the interpeters? What about schools like RIT or Gallaudet University? Will they become obsolete? How will technology impact the future of ASL should we have a successful ASL translator device which could very well be a computer smaller than the size of your pinky fingernail? In the name of 24/7 independence how would this technology impact the Deaf culture of the future?

But that may be decades away until a device is doable. What about the imminent future like 5, 10 or 20 years away? How will technology help Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people attain their independency and the ability to interact with anyone? What aboout future hearing devices such as the hearing implant that goes directly on the auditory nerve where it would have the ability to match equally what hearing people hears and not the cochlear implant way? Human trials is expected in about 4 or 5 years down the road with this implant device. Suppose micro and nano-electronics make this possible within 5 to 10 years and that, after careful studies and reviews, this device could be implanted into deaf babies allowing them to wean themselves away from signing (for all hearing and deaf babies) at around age 3 years old, for example, and use their vocal cords and muscles to speak correctly and the ability hear like any other hearing toddlers. How would this impact Deaf culture 20 years down the road from now? What about the existence of ASL? Babies with these new neural implants, would they still be considered as a deaf child later on or more like hearing child since there would be no way to know whether a child is wearing a neural implant device. How would anybody tell the difference?

That 's one aspect of how technology can help Deaf, deaf and hoh people their independency but at the same time they would face a very real prospect that technology could in fact hurt Deaf culture in the end. A classic catch-22 situation.

Then we have biotechnology where the various forms of deafness from nerve deafness (sensorinueral) to genetic deafness to hearing loss injuries could someday be addressed and corrected (in the sense that hearing sense is one of the five senses people have a right to). It could be seen as a brave new but cruel world to the Deaf culture. But would it be? Using biotechnology wouldn't mean the end of Deaf culture or ASL unless, of course, in the future laws are passed directing that all babies born deaf, after mandatory hearing screening, would be required to have the hearing loss corrected so that, according to the government, would save them money in the long run on social services, SSDI, SSI, SSA and so forth. If such a law were to come about in the future when biotechnology could essentially guarantee that some or most forms of deafness could be corrected while babies are still deaf or perhaps could be corrected while in the womb, only then would such a law or laws will help speed up the demise of ASL along with all the other failing and obscure languages of years and eons pass.

Many linguists predict that at least half of the world's 6,000 or so languages will be dead or dying by the year 2050. Languages are becoming extinct at twice the rate of endangered mammals and four times the rate of endangered birds. If this trend continues, the world of the future could be dominated by a dozen or fewer languages.

Even higher rates of linguistic devastation are possible. Michael Krauss, director of the Alaska Native Language Center, suggests that as many as 90 percent of languages could become moribund or extinct by 2100. According to Krauss, 20 percent to 40 percent of languages are
already moribund, and only 5 percent to 10 percent are "safe" in the sense of being widely spoken or having official status. If people "become wise and turn it around," Krauss says, the number of dead or dying languages could be more like 50 percent by 2100, and that's the best-case scenario.

The definition of a healthy language is one that acquires new speakers. No matter how many adults use the language, if it isn't passed to the next generation, its fate is already sealed. Although a language may continue to exist for a long time as a second or ceremonial language, it is moribund as soon as children stop learning it. For example, out of twenty native Alaskan languages, only two are still being learned by children.

Will ASL be among the 3000 languages (out of 6000 or so) expected to disappear in about 50 years from now? When will it become a turning point when ASL starts its slide toward obscurity and extinction? Will this ever happen in our lifetime when technology and biotechnology could help speed up this demise? Or will all of this help preserve Deaf culture by forcing Deaf people to take measures to ensure their future survival and perpetuity? Will Deaf people have a choice? Or is this in fact inevitable and nothing will stop this demise?

Cochlear WAR!

Technology changes everything. Especially if it deals with communication issues and the ability for deaf people to communicate with hearing people and vice versa. In one webpage entitled "Cochlear WAR" the author, Matthew Moore, seems to have changed his mind on how to approach people rather to call them generally as "audists." At one time the webpage had a section called "Audist View" (see main page) before changing it to "Professional View" sometime during 2005 with an explanation on why the change took place. Though the website "Cochlear WAR" goes without saying.

It's important to have these open discussion forums that will allow people a place to discuss issues regarding cochlear implants, deafness issues and even Deaf culture without worry that comments will get edited, deleted, or worse have the commenter banned. For example, Deafnotes was notorious for pushing their one-sided issue while ignoring others (see past history here). It'd be a losing war to shut people out on the topic of cochlear implants just because a moderator(s) or commenter(s) doesn't see eye to eye. It would serve no purpose to go about editing or deleting pro-cochlear implant statements or opinions, even to the point of banning them just of for the sake to try and control the topic.

Over the years the number of discussion forums have grown either because earlier ones tended to monopolize topics, were politically one sided and attempted to squelch opposing viewpoints, moderators who acted like dictators, too many people received banishments, or that the diversity of forums weren't quite that diverse in the first place which gave reasons why many opted to start their own discussion forums. Not a surprise there, folks. People now have a choice on which forums to choose form and that no one forum has a monopoly. But because of the increasing use of high speed bandwidth connection videos and vlogs are now becoming much more common to have access to.

One popular video access is YouTube. We are now seeing more and more video examples or messages of successful cochlear implant users. Especially when it comes to videos of bilateral cochlear implant wearers in young children. With two implants they make a world of difference, or so say the audiologists, since it involves directional hearing, help discriminate words against background noise, and takes advantage of two sides of the brain when it comes to auditory processing. And there are approximately 3000 people who have received bilateral cochlear implants so far to date.

And so people go about showing these real life success story like Caroline Bass who got her cochlear implant at age 18 months. But at age 7 she asked her parents for a 2nd one for her other ear. Stories like hers gets noticed on news such as Boston WBTZ with a news story titled "Special Ear Implants Help Girl, Born Deaf, To Hear." But it's not the story that's compelling. It's when viewers sit down and listen to her talk and respond just like any other hearing girl her age. And is able to understand what was spoken. Seeing news stories like that one would compel hearing parents to scour YouTube for more examples of videos like Caroline Bass.

Just like 5 year old Trevor Ross who responded just like any other 5 year old hearing boy where he was fitted with a cochlear implant at age 1 year old. But Trevor doesn't seem to look directly at anyone whenever he responds. You can hear someone ask questions in the background and he answers them like a typical but funny 5 year old kid.



Or this deaf girl who is probably 3 or 4 years old singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" just like any other 3 or 4 year old hearing girl. You wouldn't even know she is a cochlear implant wearer after listening her sing.




There are many cochlear implant success stories on YouTube and we'll be seeing more success stories like Caroline Bass grow over the years. And since 90 percent of all deaf babies are born to hearing parents, parents are going to see and hear how these kids respond in those YouTubes videos and news. And watch these success stories seeing how well these kids can understand voices and speak like typical hearing kids. So, what are the odds that hearing parents will watch videos of signers on YouTube discuss issues about cochlear implant? Not many since the majority of them do not know sign language in the first place. It'd be well advised for these signers to invest their time to provide a transcript or subtitle, else their efforts to reach the hearing masses will simply fall on deaf ears. There are compelling reasons on both sides of the cochlear implant issues but seeing those videos of kids with cochlear implants and seeing how well they do with those are probably the most compelling videos of them all.

Hoorah! Marine Corps is 232 Years Old.

Semper Fi!

The Marine Corps celebrates their 232nd birthday. So raise your glass and honor these leathernecks Marines currently stationed around the world, risking life and limb for their country. And don't forget those currently alive and those who are not with us today. And what better way to celebrate than to have Marines lace up their running shoes and run a total of 232 miles in successive marathons?

Hoorah!

Pinkberry

Now, I have no problems when people want to take a closer look at various communication technologies that are specifically designed in mind for deaf and hard of hearing people. Whatever the prices are for these specialized technologies for deaf and hard of hearing people consumers have the right to investigate, test and see what the pros and cons are. Having said that I was a bit amused on what I read over at About.com:Deafness by Jamie Berke. Rather it wasn't what she wrote but what one commenter's attempt on trying to advertise a $45 knock-off version of the Blackberry or Sidekick that has a wireless range of 50 feet (view must not be blocked). Toys which he affectionately calls them as "Pinkberries."

Sounds impressive for a...toy? It is if you're a 5 or 6 year kid having a wireless SMS Texting toy for the first time. But how do adults react on this idea to be used as an everyday communication device?

Well, a Deaf techno geek took the opportunity to review and test this toy product. He wasn't exactly impressed. Even the kids he let try weren't impressed either. Not surprised. But if you insist on getting that kind of a texting toy but want more choices then don't worry there are many to choose from right now thanks to China.

Slide & Click Text Messenger Toy (range - 30 feet) - $17.50
Set of 2. Send text messages wirelessly up to 30 feet! Click and slide to open. Databank organizer holds phone numbers, addresses, emails, and memos. Password function locks out intruders.

Discovery Black Slide & Text Messengers (range - short) - $19.95
Includes two text messengers. Sends and receives text messages. Data bank organizer holds phone numbers, addresses, emails and memos. 2" wide LCD. Works with other Slide & Text messengers. Secret password locks snoops out.

Cyber Gear SMS Text Messenger (range - short) - $19.99.

Spider-Man 3 Text Messengers (range - 30 feet) - $24.98
Spider-Man helps you and your friends communicate secretly about any crimes that need foiling! Set of 2 plastic text messengers send and receive text messages up to 30 feet away, and include calculator, time, date, and alarm functions.

SMS Text Message Organizers (range - 50 feet) - $34.95
Today's cyber kids have a new language-instant messaging. Set of SMS Text Messenger/Organizers are handheld devices that simply send and receive wireless text messages instantly, up to 50 ft.! They're also organizers that store information and important phone numbers, addresses, emails and memos.

Bratz Text Me Walkie Talkies (range - 2 miles) - 19.99 British Pounds
Send short text messages to your friends up to 2 miles away! This single channel walkie-talkie features traditional chatting and external voice activation (VOX) features, but also sends and receives messages up to 52 characters long. Can store 8 messages. Also has clock and alarm clock functions.

Imagine the possibilities with these wireless devices where you can wirelessly send text messages to your friends, bosses, doctors, business clients, customers and even send text messages during an interview with your interviewer that you are trying to land a job. Maybe use the Spiderman's version and really impress people up to...50 feet away. Maybe even brag that you have a Bratz Text Walkie Talkie that has a range of 2 miles! Your boss will undoubtedly be impressed.

Or you can get durable and reliable products that can withstand the rigors of everyday use then you pay for that quality product. But if you want to pay for a so-called knock off version of Blackberry or Sidekick phones that are packaged as toys then you pay for what you get as a toy.

Deaf and hard of hearing advocacy is also about supporting any technologies that can help bridge the communication gap. Especially products that are specifically designed in mind for deaf and hard of hearing people. But buying a $40 toy will get what you pay for which is a $40 dollar toy. Those toys do not take into consideration the several different functionalities and ergonomics necessary in order to make a successful product for deaf people to use.

Though I'm pretty sure a deaf person wouldn't want to be caught dead using a SMS texting toy (god forbid if it's a Spiderman one) while using it for a job interview with the interviewer. Or talk with a potential customer. Or discuss important details with a business client. And so on. Now, I'm not saying that deaf people cannot use that kind of toy to communicate with other people, they can if they want to. The choice is theirs to decide on which product they would want that will fit their needs.

But the only Pinkberry I want would be these nice little delicious ones here.

Starbucks and Deaf Customers

There's a technology story in Foxnews that discusses several different communication technologies that can help deaf and hard of hearing people bridge the communication gap with hearing people. Not only with hearing people but with other deaf people who knows sign language as well.

In the article it discusses the one technology that many deaf people are waiting for in the United States would be the cell phone technology that uses real time video to communicate with other deaf people. But the infrastructure in the United States isn't quite ready to handle this kind of technology but it is now being used in Japan and Europe.

Despite the telecommunication infracture being not mature enough (a matter of bandwidth speed to handle large flow of data) in the United States, University of Washington began an intensive research a few years ago on video compression with the goal of making wireless cell phone communication through sign language a reality in the U.S. It's called MobileASL. You can watch a video explanation and presentation here (just wait shortly and an ASL interpreter will show up in the video). But let me add that this is a one hour video presentation. And if you're up to it and you like to read heady and complex research papers like I do, there are several papers on the subject of sign language over cell phone video camera where it discusses video intelligibility (understanding the person signing) with variable frame rates (e.g. the faster/smoother the video the higher frame rates which means many more times bandwith data). Got you itching? Go here and pick one.

Ok. About Starbucks and Deaf customers? In the Foxnews technology section it discusses a new communication deivce called the UbiDuo and how Jason Curry, founder of the company that makes the UbiDuo communication device, is in talks with Starbucks Corporation on getting UbiDuos into coffee shops to help communicate with their deaf, hard of hearing and Deaf customers.

Curry has already sold hundreds since starting sales at the beginning of the year, and expects to sell several thousand next year. He said he's talking with Starbucks Corp. about getting UbiDuos installed in coffee shops.

Curry, who is deaf, said that he was able to directly communicate with his wife's family for the first time last Christmas by using one of the devices. Not having his wife interpret was a "life-changing experience" for him, he said.

"Deaf people have a lack of power to sit down across from a hearing person and have a conversation without a third party interpreting for them," Curry said through a sign language interpreter.

And just how many Starbucks coffee shops are there in the United States? Over 6000 stores!

So, who knows where technology will take deaf and hearing people in the very near future. Technology moves fast, especially to the benefit of those with hearing loss. Pretty soon you may find yourself sitting down at one of the Starbucks store after you ordered your favorite cappuccino and call up your friend over your cell phone and chat in real time ASL instead of texting.

Just hold your horses, folks. It's coming. The possibilities are endless with technology and communication.

Deaf Rumor Mill and Cyber Gossip

Over the last few days, weeks and even the last 3 years I, as well as many others, have seen the affects of how rumors and gossips can do to a Deaf community or any community for that matter when it comes to blogging and what not. Now, gossiping isn’t my bag, obviously so for those who are already familiar with my blogsite. I go for substance and style over gossiping any day of the week when I do my blogging. Yet, curiously so, gossiping seems to be a mainstay diet for many who relish gossipy news over substance, especially in the Deaf community which happens to pride itself on being a highly sociable group. Nothing to be ashamed there, of course. But I was curious why people do these things publicly over the internet and so I did a quick Google research.

First, we need to define what the definition of “gossip” is which isn’t an easy one to define according to psychologists. Okay. We kind of know what it means anyway. But from a social status standpoint what does it mean then?

Gossip also defines who's in and who's out in a group. If you're considered worthy enough to be buzzed about on the grapevine, you're in.

Ah, interesting. It's about the importance of a person they're gossiping about. Ok. What about bad gossips? Any difference from kids gossiping when compared to adults who do them?

But kids' gossip is decidedly different from adults'; it's more innocent and often more cruel. First, children will gossip in front of the kid they're talking about, using such common bon mots as: "You pick your nose" or "You're a cheater."

Hmm. I don’t see much difference from what I’ve been hearing and reading all these years. Maybe some people just don’t know how to gossip like an adult with the right kind of words? The question is why do adults gossip?

Second, unlike adults, who often gossip to bring someone with power down a notch or two…

So, gossiping is about trying to bring down people with power a notch or two? Perhaps some people are desperate then? And this is about being malicious and mean, too?

….research suggests that many healthy children—and perhaps some adults—dabble in malicious gossip, and that it can be an effective way to be aggressive without facing social sanctions.

"What is so interesting about gossip is that it really walks the line between what is acceptable and what is not," says Underwood. "It is completely unacceptable for me to punch my colleague, but if I tell people he drinks too much, I am less likely to be called on it."

Yeah. No kidding. Continue.

In addition to serving as a proxy for punching, malicious gossip can improve one's social standing at the expense of others' status, according to research by Antonius Cillessen, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Connecticut. Cillessen followed 905 children from the ages of 10 to 14, asking them each year to rank each other in terms of likability, popularity and social aggression. The children who others rated as socially aggressive—those who, for example, spread gossip about peers or intentionally excluded others from games—became more popular, according to a study published in a 2004 issue of Child Development (Vol. 75, No. 1, pages 147–163).

Interesting. Yet psychologists are talking about kids. But then again this probably makes no difference when some adults do it. But there’s more.

Gossip may enhance children's social standing because, by talking about someone who is not present, the gossipers form a social alliance, notes Underwood. If that talk is negative, the subject of the gossip is explicitly excluded from the new alliance, she notes. For example, a group of boys who talk about someone who recently acted like a "crybaby" establishes that theirs is a non-crybaby group.

Children who strategically exclude others in this manner may be able to gossip their way to the top of the social ladder, Cillessen says. Adults may also use such strategies from time-to-time too, though they are likely to do so in more subtle ways, and have multiple aims with a single instance of gossip, he says.

Crybaby and non-crybaby groups?? I guess psychologists haven’t studied what goes on in some of these Deaf circles when it comes to gossiping and rumor-mongering. But there’s an interesting conclusion to all this.

While malicious gossip may be an effective way to enhance one's social standing—with little chance that others will disagree with you publicly—those who do may pay a hidden price, Cillessen has found.

In Cillessen's 2004 study, he found that popular fifth-graders tended to also be well liked by their peers, but by ninth grade, the two factors were negatively correlated. The increasing disparity may come from their need to gossip to stay atop the social heap, his findings suggest.

"What we see is...girls who are using relational aggression to be powerful in their peer group are seen as central and cool, but they are increasingly disliked by others," says Cillessen.

Speaking ill of others to become popular—and then having to do it more to stay popular—leads to an escalation of malicious gossip, suggests Cillessen's study. However, relational aggression as a method to socially climb seems to level at ninth grade, and it begins to decline around 10th, suggests as-yet-unpublished data by Cillessen.

Yeah, I know. They're talking about kids but how can you tell nowadays when it seems to be the case in "certain circles" around here. But I figured that when people gossip so much out in the open over the internet it actually exposes them a bit more. Which is to say that if people insist on gossiping maliciously then they must be worried about something or else it wouldn’t be worth gossiping to begin with! Maybe they are indeed exposing themselves a little too much about themselves for other people to see and not know it?

"Gossip is similar to a Rorschach test," says Levin. "If you look at the nature of someone's gossip, you can find out what concerns them."

Ah, interesting! "What concerns them." Hmm… Ah hummm….

*nods head*

*rubs jaw*

Sigmund Freud would be quite interested in this new age of gossiping over the internet via blogging. But this shouldn't be a surprise since we all gossip to one degree or another whether it's done digitally or in person. However, there is a difference between unhealthy gossip and the run-of-the-mill gossip kind.

And so it comes down to this the one big reason to stay out of this malicious gossip and rumoring nonsense that, at times, seems to plague the Deaf community.

"I think gossip brings about more gossip, and things can grow out of control and really hurt someone," Fort says. "If gossip were alcohol, my whole school would be wasted."

No kidding! Apply that by ten times when we're dealing with a tight, knitted Deaf community. It can simply get vicious and out of control at times. Either you want to be a responsible blogger or you don't and not get too far out ahead of yourselves. I have a good reason why I don't blog that way and I have no desire to do so. I'd rather blog that has substance and class. Not to mention a healthy dose of humor to help wash it all down every so often.

Cheers everyone! Ta -ta!

My Twenty Clarifications

Let me clarify something here for many of my Kokonut Pundit readers out there about myself and where I stand since gossiping seems to be a favorite pastime of Deaf culture as of late. An idiocy I want no part of (ie gossiping). Here’s is my bulleted list though not necessarily in any particular order.

1. I consider myself as a deaf/hh person.

2. I was born with a hearing loss due to my mother contracting Rubella during the Rubella outbreak in Washington and Oregon during the 1960s.

3. Began wearing my hearing aid at around age 2. Had I been outfitted at age 5 or 6 years old I would not have the ability to use the phone, talk or easily discriminate words at an older age into adulthood. I thank my mother for that. My brain development would be much more different had I wore my hearing aid at a much later time in my young life. It's a trained accomplishment that got me where I am today much like those who become an accomplished pianist. It took practice. And I am proud that I am able to use the phone and talk to any hearing person without worry. It’s a matter of confidence and pride on my part. It has nothing to do with me being better than you. Please remove that silly notion of yours if you actually think that this is the case. It is not. It’s about what I was able to accomplish in all those years that provided me the many successes in life up to today.

4. I do not call myself as a Deaf person since I am not one. It’d be incorrect to say that I am. Plus, that terminology is more about politics, labeling, and/or identity than anything else.

5. I am fluent in ASL having learned it at Gallaudet since 1988. Though not a native signer but nonetheless I am fluent.

6. My preference is to blog, and not vlog. There is no reason why I should “prove” my signing ability via vlogging. You see what you get in my blog. My specialty is doing research and writing as you probably can tell. Plus I don’t just ban anyone. I ban only a very few people whenever they violate my rules (see linked rules in my comment page). And that my ban list of IP addresses is removed every 4 to 5 months. Follow my rules and you’ll do fine. And lastly, being able to write comments in other peoples’ blogs is not a right. Let’s get that straight for once, folks. It’s not about freedom of speech. Rather, it’s about privilege and access to that blog comment page. I don't go running around screaming or whining and use the words "freedom of speech" and how my rights to free speech were violated because John Egbert, for example, didn't put my comments up (move cursor over picture and click to enlarge). It is the blogger's right to do so and he/she is free to do whatever he/she wants. It is after all his/her blog and moderates the comment page as he/she sees fit even if it means using conspiracy theories as an excuse to knock comments off or have valid rules on keeping comments clean. I have the right to moderate my comment page as I see fit, too, as long as my rules are followed. If you can do that, you have nothing to fear from me.

7. Yes, I have a video phone and I have talked to deaf and Deaf people such as Kristi Merriweather, Greg Gunderson, Jason Curry, Julie Rem Smario, my wife’s Deaf friends, and numerous others. There are an umpteen number of Deaf people who can validate my signing skills. Understand this, just because I’m fluent in ASL/sign language/PSE doesn’t mean I’m Deaf. Perish the thought.

8. I have numerous hearing friends and co-workers that I talk with over the phone or in person. Or my next door neighbors, at my gym and so on. My days are mostly spent with these people rather than with the deaf/Deaf crowd. I prefer it that way. Oh sure, I don’t mind meeting deaf, Deaf, and hh people and go out and have a few drinks. Just so you don’t get the wrong idea, which will probably happen anyways.

9. I see myself as a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community regardless of the preferred mode of communication. I respect each person’s choice on how one prefers to communicate. I don’t subscribe to militant attitudes or thinking about being “one of us” which is a Deafism mentality. Not good.

10. I am also a member of the larger hearing community as well. Yes, a member.

11. Since I graduated from Gallaudet in 1992 it also means that I am a representative of Gallaudet University as well. And nothing you say or do can take that away from me. Frankly, some people don’t like that very idea but you’re stuck with me anyways.

12. When people whine, “Why did you go to Gallaudet then?” It’s because I wanted to see what it was like. I am not afraid to try new things like picking up a new tool called “ASL” along the way. But going to Gallaudet doesn’t make me a Deaf person, either.

13. I’d like to see Gallaudet University succeed and that the university finally gets some qualified undergrads for a change. Technology is the key to Gallaudet’s success. Many people don’t see that but that is where it’s heading anyway.

14. I received my MS in Geology (2 years Geophysics and then 3 years in Geology) at Univ. of Idaho. It was the most memorable school I went to. I loved going there. I met a lot of great people and professionals there during my 5 years there. It was a place far better than the crowded, dirty, and crime-ridden D.C.

15. I was awarded a PhD study in Civil Engineering at Univ. of Maryland in the snow hydrology and water resource program. I received a competitive 3 year research assistant deal from the Univ. of Md. and was awarded a$5000 NASA grant to help pay any educational costs. But I turned it all down for a career with the federal govt. I never regretted that decision. I outlined that story in my recent blog to show readers the difficult choice I had to make. And to point out that very few deaf and hard of hearing people are in the Earth science field. If you think it’s called bragging, perhaps you need a little introspection on your part to see why that is the case. Perhaps jealousy is in you. I applaud anyone deaf or hard of hearing person who worked hard to get their advanced degrees despite the odds. You don’t see people talk about that nowadays. Inspiration is in such short supply nowadays. Many are afraid to speak about their educational accomplishments and what it took for them succeed because of that little nagging fear that the Deaf community will rise up and lambaste them for “bragging” for their accomplishments. Hence, the oft repeated crab theory gone amok once more.

16. I don’t belittle other people’s English skill whether they’re deaf, Deaf, hh or hearing. People who say that I do belittle Deaf people’s English skills in my blogs or elsewhere are nothing more than sordid liars who just want to stir the pot. They have no idea what they are talking about. I put the faith in readers who read my blog that they have the skill and the means to look up words for themselves if they don’t understand what it means.

17. My interest is on dealing with communication and technology issues that can help close the communication gap between deaf, hh, Deaf and hearing people whether it’s hearing aids, Cochlear implants, neural implants, UbiDuo communication device, relay operator, video phone, ASL interpreter, Cued speech, Cued speech transliterators, international translator technology, ASL translator, speech to text, speech to ASL, automatic real time captioning, and so on. My focus is on the 30 million people with hearing loss rather than to focus only on the 900,000 Deaf people in the United States. Picking sides is where fractionation occurs when one favors one subgroup over another. Not a good idea in my case.

18. Extremism does exist in the Deaf community. Get used to that idea, folks. Extremism also exists in the hearing community, the oral community, and so on. If “Audism” exists then certainly “Deafism” (i.e. Deaf militant) also exists. Just as I believe there are some “closeted” Deaf militants out there who pretend to be one thing when it’s not the case. Pretending to favor the concept of “Deafhood” isn’t going to work. Once an extremist, the person tends to stay as an extremist. Perhaps like once a KKK clan the person would tend to have those KKK tendencies throughout their life. Be careful on how you read into what I just wrote. It’s not what you think. People can change for the better, no doubt. But actions speak louder than words, folks. And as for “Deafhood,” as you may already know, I don’t subscribe to that kind of political correctness. Short, sweet and simple. It’s more about culture than not. Read my “deafhoodism” blogs for more explanations.

19. I believe that bilingualism is not for all deaf/hh people, including children. It can, however, apply to many deaf/hh children but not so for many others. There is never a one size shoe fits all answer. It’s too complex. Parental decisions are involved anyway. Technology is constantly changing that picture when you have upcoming neural implants and even biotechnology that will address even more on helping aid hearing loss. And while I’m at it, I believe that visual sign language (not necessarily always ASL) would be good to both hearing and deaf/hh babies up to 2 to 4 years old. Then it’d be parents of a deaf/hh toddler to decide on what to do next. Even if it means dropping out sign language altogether and focus on speech and hearing. Whatever the case might be, as long as parents make an*informed* decision about their deaf/hh child then I have no problem with that.

20. I believe that deaf and hard of hearing people can do anything, including being able to hear and be successful at it. You have your choices to make seeing how rapid technology is taking place and how it can complement your skills helping you succeed whatever life throws at you. You may strike out or you may hit a home run. The choice is yours for the making.


Note: I reserve the right to add more bulleted items later on. If you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask. And all I ask is that you maintain a sense of decorum when commenting and not attack the blogger or other commenters. That is all I ask of you people. Grossly violate my rules and you’ll get locked out for the next 4 or 5 months. Use your comments wisely here and learn from each other for a change.