Why no cochlear implant character in Switched at Birth?

Rachel Chaikof has a good blog piece about the lack of cochlear implant characters on the Switched at Birth show.  A show with deaf characters who do not know sign language and prefer to listen and speak. Go and check her blog out now and contribute.

Marvel Comics' "The Blue Ear Avenger" Inspires

Not only inspires but this story has gotten bit of a hate rant. More on that later.

This week's story (more here from Marvel) which is a follow up on last year's Marvel comics news on the making of a new superhero out of five-year-old Anthony Smith. Anthony at one time believed that superheroes do not wear hearing aids...that is until he became one when Marvel comics made him into a superhero as The Blue Ear.

Hey gang, I know this blog is a little later than usual but I've had a pretty amazing week! I got to create something special for an amazing little boy! I got to meet Anthony Smith, a real hero! Here's his mom's original letter to editor supreme, Bill Rosemann:

Hi there -  

I am the mom of a super hero mad 4 year old. He lives and breathes super heroes, he also has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder - mosaic trisomy 22. The good news is that his physical challenges are workable, he is mentally perfect, and while he will be having a heart surgery this summer - he is on the mend. The challenge that he will face for his entire life are his hearing impairments. He has no ear, and a complete hearing loss on his right side and mild loss on his left. He currently wears 2 hearing aids. 

Today as he was getting dressed I was putting on his "Blue Ear," the aid he wears on his left ear. He did not want to put it on, he told me super heroes do not wear blue ears. To get myself out of a bind I told him that sure they do - in fact Captain America has one under his mask. After repeated questioning he believed me - but I was wondering - maybe you have an intern, or someone who would like a challenge - could you make a little guy's day by drawing him a hearing impaired super hero?  

Thanks for considering this - I am likely to get stuck in your spam filter - but you never know - have a great day - I am attaching a picture of Anthony so you can see one of your dedicated customers.  

Best, Christina

I highlighted in bold blue in the above to point out that Anthony Smith has a mild hearing loss in his left ear although completely deaf in his right ear. Which makes the whole affair completely understandable on why it's important for the young boy to wear his hearing aid. And for Marvel comics to help inspire the boy. But not everybody agrees with this according to one CNN editorial writer written by Tara S. Congdon with a rant article called "Marvel misguided in hearing aid poster campaign."

However, these artists and Marvel have – perhaps unwittingly – stepped into a minefield by working with a hearing aid manufacturer on a marketing campaign that, by extrapolating an individual’s circumstances and applying it indiscriminately, devalues a segment of the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Marvel editor Bill Rosemann and artists Manny Mederos and Nelson Ribeiro have teamed with Phonak to create a poster that features Iron Man and the message "that kids who use hearing aids are just like him because ‘they are using technology to be their best self."

While the effort to destigmatize children who rely on hearing aids is laudable, because many of these children suffer relentless teasing from their peers for their differences, the poster’s message is deeply offensive and hurtful to those who gain little to no benefit from hearing aids. It dismisses the reality that Phonak’s technology does not always succeed in restoring hearing or achieving auditory comprehension for its users. And it implies that those who choose to or cannot use hearing aids are failing to be their best selves and are less than whole human beings in their own right.

I am a former Phonak user who derived no benefit from the company’s products. I have profound hearing loss, which means I can’t hear at all. While my parents chose to use Total Communication – an approach that blends hearing aids, speech and auditory therapy, and Signing Exact English – I was never able to differentiate sounds or understand speech.

She's correct that some deaf and hard of hearing kids have been teased for their wearing their hearing aids or even a cochlear implants for that matter. Just as some kids may have been teased for their use of the wheelchair, thick pair of glasses, knee braces, crutches, and so on.  It's really a matter of educating people about these conditions. It was not Marvel Comics intention to push aside those who cannot benefit from the use of hearing aids or with any other today's hearing technology. 

The difference here is that Tara S. Congdon grew up not benefitting much at all with her Phonak hearing aid, and that's understandable why she didn't like what Marvel comics did by creating a super hero with a hearing loss who benefitted from a powerful listening device.  Tara has a profound hearing loss and could not at all benefit from the use of her hearing aid. However, Anthony Smith who was made into a The Blue Ear comics superhero has a mild hearing loss in his left ear.  People with mild hearing loss can certainly and obviously benefit much from the use of a hearing aid. Anthony's hearing loss isn't severe or profound like Tara's but mild hearing loss. Take me as an example.  My right ear has a moderate-severe hearing loss while my left ear has a profound hearing loss. I grew up wearing a much older hearing aid technolgy, Phonak and other brands eventually getting digital hearing aids. I derived a great amount of benefit on using my hearing aid while growing and I was able to discriminate sound and understand speech incredibly well.  Imagine how far Anthony Smith could go with his mild hearing loss and the use of his hearing aid? I believe Anthony's Mom and Marvel comics did the right thing to help inspire and give confidence to a little boy on the benefit of wearing a hearing aid with his mild hearing loss.  Every day I am thankful on what hearing I have left.

In her CNN editorial rant what Tara S. Congdon does not realize is that Marvel comics do incorporate deaf characters with certain powers into their comic books.  In 1999 Marvel comics introduced a new deaf superhero character as Echo.

Echo appeared again as Ronin in the 2005 New Avengers #11 issue. Not only Echo but other deaf or hard of hearing characters with different kinds of superpowers or abilities appeared in other comics as well.

Deaf characters are often marginalised in literature. Echo the deaf superhero is coming to the rescue as the creators of comics strive for realism in their portrayal of deaf characters.  

"With any form of portrayal including the deaf in comics, we tend to see things very much from a hearing person's point of view," said Paul Dakin, a GP trainer from North London who studies deaf characters in literature, at a recent conference on comics and medicine. "Most of the people who write or who are artists are hearing, and as a result, traditionally there have been other reasons to portray deaf people. So, for example, they are plot devices; they are catalysts; they are means of reflecting particular aspects or features of a hearing character; they move the plot along, but they're not developed in their own right."  

In Hergé's Tintin, for example, Professor Calculus is hard of hearing. His disability is used as a comic device to introduce trivial and amusing misunderstandings into the story, rather than explored in its own right. Similarly, Hope Hibbert, a deaf girl who first appeared in The Sensational Spider-Man, issue 18, uses her ability to read lips from security camera footage to give Spider-Man the information he needs to save the day.  

"However, over the last 20 years an increasing number of deaf characters have started to emerge within mainstream comics," said Dakin. "That's given rise to the emergence of Echo. She is a major deaf character in the Marvel canon."  

Echo (aka Maya Lopez) is a superhero like no other. First appearing in Daredevil issue 9 in 1999, she is a rare deaf character with a complex emotional back story. Born deaf to a Cheyenne father and a Hispanic mother, she has the power to perfectly imitate anything she sees, including a rival's fighting style.  

"The character was going to debut as an antagonist in the story, but also as a love interest for Daredevil," Echo's creator and artist David Mack told me by email. "With Daredevil being blind, and constantly piecing his world together via his other senses, I felt he would be able to relate to Maya (aka Echo) who was deaf and grew up visually piecing the information of her world together to make sense of the mysterious audible world that she was not a part of."  

As research for the character, Mack read autobiographies of people who grew up deaf. "That was an incredible insight to me," he said. "I read a book where a boy was told that the rain makes a noise, and that lightning has an audible counterpart in thunder. So then he wondered what sound the sunshine made ... This kind of first person perspective really let me think from a different point of view."  

Echo uses both American Sign Language (ASL) and a Native American system developed for communication between tribes speaking different languages. The sign systems appear throughout the comic, both when Echo is signing and as background art.  

Though Echo provides perhaps the most complete example of sign language in comics, it is not the first. On the front cover of DC's Supergirl, issue 65, characters sign the comic's title. Spider-Man himself uses ASL in Sensational Spider-Man, issue 31 (and every time he shoots webs he signs "I love you"; his hand position blending the signs for I, L and Y in ASL).
 

And then you have Jack Flag who has a hearing loss in his left ear as a result of injury sustained as a costumed crimefighter and his healing powers have not mended the damage done to his ear. And then you have, of course, The Blue Ear, where the characeter Hawkeye teamed up with his fellow hard of hearing superheroThe Blue Ear in a comics rendering to help boost Anthony's confidence and inspire him to continue wear his hearing aid. This was a natural pick because Hawkeye at one time lost some of his hearing in a battle and was forced to wear a hearing aid until his hearing was fully restored.




We know there is a history of deaf people growing up who could not at all benefit from the use of hearing aids and that's an unfortunate thing. Which is why educating people about this history and that not all people with hearing loss can benefit from using a hearing aid. Just as well, it is important to educate people that there is beneficial value on using a hearing aid or any hearing technology such as cochlear implants.  Benefits vary from person to person on using a piece of hearing technology. I think there is plenty room for both for Marvel comics, DC and others to provide deaf and hard of hearing superheros or characters with a variety of super powers or abilities and be able to please both camps in the very diverse deaf and hard of hearing community.

I see nothing wrong with this story on helping inspire Anthony Smith to use his hearing aid. With his mild hearing loss he can certainly benefit greatly from using it. Just as I have benefitted greatly, and continue to do so, on my successful use of my hearing aid since I was two years old even though my hearing loss is much more severe than Anthony's. I thank my mother for helping me with my hearing aid while growing up. Just because you cannot benefit from the use of a hearing aid is not a reason to rain on this little boy's parade when he obviously can benefit from it. There are tons more boys and girls out there who can and do benefit greatly from the use of their hearing aids. Anthony Smith can do great things with his hearing aid and he's proving that everyday. He's an inspiration to hard of hearing kids everywhere. A real superhero.

Crab Theory on a Pedestal

You know, after all these years I've seen it happen again and again and again in the cultural deaf community. For some reason or another you get a group of people who would target certain deaf individuals because he or she has gained a bit of recognizance for his or her successful efforts. That negative exercise is called "Crab Theory."

The definition of "Crab Theory" is described in a report called “Review of Deaf Mental Health Services in British Columbia” by Linda D. Hill, Ph.D.and Patricia Nelson, MA.

The tendency of members of an oppressed group to use criticism, pressure, gossip, and in-fighting against group members who appear to be too successful or who appear to be becoming too much like the members of the dominant group.(pg 41).

A better definition seen in Wikipedia is more accurate on what has been happening lately:

The analogy in human behavior is that members of a group will attempt to "pull down" (negate or diminish the importance of) any member who achieves success beyond the others, out of envy,[4] conspiracy or competitive feelings.

The funny thing is that whenever one is accused of "Crab Theory" the person will provide the usual response proclaiming it's really about a person's "character" as a justification to heap scorn, hate, half truths and lies instead of applauding and supporting a deaf person's hard work in his or her rise to success. Often they'll tell stories of year's past as anecdotal evidences without any shred of proof  with the intention of targeting the successful individual to fail in his or her quest. That's the number one motive and that is to get the person to fail.  Other methods would be to use a series of negative comments in quotes that was supposedly said by the so-called "guilty person" as if they're solid proof that he or she actually said those things. Of course, all without offering any links to the actual source of those comments. Their motive is to drag the rising star down at all cost. Sometimes you have people who pretend to be neutral about the whole thing yet continues to heap negative comments. Those are examples of Crab Theory.

Why Crab Theory? Had the person not been successful in his or her efforts while gaining more name recognition in the public, better fund raising efforts or more public support then this whole effort to discredit the successful person would not have happened in the first place. That tells you one thing and that's they are practicing Crab Theory by putting out stories and unfounded and unsupported damaging claims against the successful deaf person without any shred of proof.  No links to sources or videos that would have captured what he or she has said or done.  Just stories. As far as I'm concerned they're fictional stories. Just because somebody shared that story does not make it true. Petty stories make for a petty person.

It's funny how some people in the deaf community behave like that. Here you have an opportunity for the deaf community to help a deaf person become successful by recognizing his or her hard work and successes while climbing the ladder to his or her goal.  People do have the right to not support a person. However, there's a difference between saying that you do not want to support the person versus writing a 4 or 5 page public rant on a website of something that happened 10 or 15 years ago what the person supposedly said or done with an obvious goal to make sure the person would fail. Doing so makes the Crab Theory practitioner look petty and little.

Which ones are living in the past and have grudges or hate vs people looking to the future in the hope that this deaf person will succeed while supporting him or her in such a positive manner that would benefit the deaf community once the person reaches his or her goal?

Crab Theory. That need to stop. People need to stop acting childish by focusing so much on the past of unfounded accusations with no shred of proof. People over time do change into something better. Past is past. No one is perfect. Unless you are perfect in life in everyway then I suppose you would have the right to judge people. But you're not perfect. Might as well step down from that soap box of hate.  Now is the time to focus on the present for a better future.

Sarah Churman's book "Powered On" is Number One on Amazon

How impressive. Sarah Churman's book "Powered On" has hit the number one spot on Amazon's best "mover and shaker."

Sarah and I just wanted to shoot out another e-mail saying THANK YOU to all who participated in yesterday's best seller launch on Amazon. By 8pm last night, 'Powered On' earned the best seller title! Sarah's book started out the day ranked #381,773 out of all books on Amazon. She went all the way to spot #361! She got 'best selling biography/memoir' coming in at #64 out of the top 100 best sellers, and eventually earned #1 'mover and shaker' on Amazon books. We are so excited, but more importantly, so grateful for everyone who helped make this happen. We hope everyone who ordered books will enjoy them and return to Amazon to leave a review.

If you want to order Sarah Churman's book, "Powered On", go to Amazon and get one today.

What are the reviews saying in Amazon?

Sarah Churman does an incredible job of taking us into her world of silence along with the challenges of living in a hearing world, bullying, and simple day to day activities that the hearing community takes for granted. She is transparant in sharing her feelings and her journey. It is a beautiful book not just for those effected by deafness but also those facing other serious challenges in life. Thank you Sarah for sharing such a beautiful story.

And that is just one of 29 reviews for a total 5 stars out of 5. Not bad.

Open vs Closed Societies

President Hurwitz made it clear on the danger of practicing exclusion in his his February 19, 2013 State of the University address "Open the Gates Wide: Diversity and Inclusion at Gallaudet" speech.

Hurwitz warned against the destruction that exclusion can bring. "The wider the gates of acceptance open, the more room there is for all. Sadly, the community that excludes shrinks and dies," he said. He encouraged members of the audience to expand their circle of friends and colleagues to include those whose background is different from their own, and to embrace them "in the common cause of advancing our community and humanity."

It's the same warning that Deafhood? No Thanks Facebook group have told people for years, even before when the group became established, that it's better to accept people for who they are rather than to exclude them just because they do not pass your ideological purity test or don't believe in open thought or diversity. 

Symbolically, in American Sign Language, the sign for diversity is to reach out, while the sign for inclusion is to draw in. "All of us at Gallaudet ... must reach out and must draw in," he said. As members of a university community-traditionally a haven for open thought and respect for differing opinions-people who live, study, and work at Gallaudet don't need to be convinced of the benefits of diversity and inclusion, said Hurwitz. However, he acknowledged unresolved conflicts between groups on campus.

Those "unresolved conflicts" would be the whole McCaskill/Gallaudet/Hurwtiz/Bienvenu snafu and the seemingly racist hate letter aimed at McCaskill by a "former friendly colleague" at Gallaudet University.

Will Gallaudet University ever become a recognized university known for its inclusion, diversity, and open thought? An institution with the goal of being diverse in its language and communication approaches without resorting to gutter politics and political correctness? Only time will tell.

Mystery Colleague at Gallaudet Univ uses the "N" word in Hate Letter

Mystery Colleague at Gallaudet Univ uses the "N" word in Hate Letter. Yeah. You heard it right. An overly immature if not wholly unprofessional letter was directed at Dr. Angela McCaskill who was recently re-instated as Chief Diversity Officer at Gallaudet University.  The source of the letter was found in Facebook under The Intersection: Deaf/People of Color Forum which is a closed group (private). The letter was procured from that Facebook group in an excellent blog piece called Diversity: Holding the Chief Diversity Officer and office accountable – epilogue written by Kojo Amissah (note: the offending words have been partially redacted in my blog).

Dear Angela, 

 I am a colleague of yours at the University and it was with great dismay that I heard the news that the University has reinstated to you to your position. The University is a chicken-shit organization for re-instating you, Angela. Your signing the petition against gay marriage shows that you are a bigoted, religious freak, out of touch with the majority of citizens in your state and in the country. 

 In fact, your signing the petition shows that you are just a stupid, ignorant nig*** b itch. There, Angela – how do you like being called names? You are a nig*** bitch. I said it again. By signing the petition showing that you are against marriage for a gay person such as myself you show your ignorance and stupidity. I frankly don’t care if it is your religious faith – your religious faith has NO business in politics. 

You are not wanted here at the University, Angela – you should pack your bags and leave – why don’t you get a job working for some right-wing, anti-gay organization – you’d be much, much more comfortable in such a position. You performance here at the University, frankly, wasn’t that great anyway. Stupid nig*** – see, again, how does it feel? It hurts, doesn’t it? I hopes it hurts you as much as your position has hurt me. 

When you see me smiling at you on campus you won’t know it was me who wrote the letter. But I’ll be there, watching you, you hypocrite. 

Signed, 

A former friendly colleague

I don't know the situation behind this letter or how the letter arrived, or whether there's any truth that the letter did in fact come from one of the teachers or professors at Gallaudet University since this "mystery colleague" signed the letter as "A former friendly colleague."  Let's assume this letter did come from one of the staff members at Gallaudet University.

First off.

Whoever wrote this letter is a coward, possibly a racist, possibly against diversity, and certainly a person full of hate against Dr. McCaskill, That much is obvious. This "mystery colleague" is not the sole arbitrator deciding who is not worthy to stay at Gallaudet University. It's the tried and tired "agree with me or else" political correctness attitude just because somebody doesn't fit your own ideological purity test. It's people like "former friendly colleague" who gives Gallaudet University a bad name.  A person who refuses to allow true diversity on campus. A person who twist the words of Dr. McCaskill. A letter that is perhaps just as bad as instigating a witch hunt against her in the name of political correctness. And yet this "former friendly colleague" forgot the fact that even those in the gay community supported Dr. McCaskill.  She has not used hate words against people in that manner like "former friendly college" either directly or indirectly.  There is no justification to write that letter in that manner.

And now you have this "mystery colleague" walking somewhere in the midst of the Gallaudet University campus. Each student will now sit down in class and wonder, "Is this the teacher who wrote that racist letter."  Or perhaps a staff member will be thinking in the back of his or head while speaking to another staff member, "Could this be the letter writer?"  A ghost walking amongst them.

Maybe teachers and professors at Gallaudet University ought to stand up and identify themselves and condemn that hate letter written.

Deaf pianist donates $2 million dollars to Fresno State

A deaf person who also plays the piano donates $2 milllion dollars to California State University, Fresno.

Retired architect, vineyard owner and piano player Robert Duncan Nicol, who has been deaf since birth, says he is living proof "that deaf people, indeed, can do many things." That includes being a generous benefactor. Nicol on Friday gave $2 million for The Silent Garden program in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies department at California State University, Fresno. The donation will help deaf and hearing-impaired children, their parents and teachers, as well as adults with hearing loss.

Deaf Gain? Blind Gain? One-Hand Gain?

There's a new term being used and that's "Deaf Gain." Jannelle Legg and Sophie Sok at Gallaudet University explained in an article about the term.

The term “Deaf-gain” was coined in 2005 by a British performing artist visiting Gallaudet. Deafened later in life, Aaron Williamson noted that with each interaction doctors repeated that familiar refrain “hearing loss.” This experience, familiar to most deaf people, compelled him to posit the question, why “hearing loss and not gaining deafness?” That question is an important one because it calls attention to a fundamental issue in Deaf studies. The culturally Deaf experience is not, as many believe, a dramatic loss of hearing. Instead, deafness grants an entrée into a language, a culture and a way of life that is not only unique, it is valuable.

I have no compunction in pointing this out in my blog about the term, which is fine and dandy if people feel the need to use this alternative but positive term, however, a person is still a person and he or she is just as important as the next one.

But let me put this into context about "Deaf Gain."

What about terms like "Blind Gain" as something that's (supposedly) positive for those experiencing vision loss or complete blindness? Or what about "Deaf-Blind Gain"? Or "One Hand Gain" for those who lost the functional use of their hand or through amputation?

I understand how some deaf people are trying to put a positive spin on their deafness and access to deaf culture but the medical fact cannot be escaped or hidden away. A person may have a condition either involving hearing loss, vision loss or a missing or malfunctioning extremity such as a missing hand or whatever else that's "missing" or not "functioning" properly. A person is still a person no matter what. Best to make life as positive as possible with what you have rather than not what you do not have. That's what makes a person whole.

However, there are those who have a condition or senses that are somewhat "functional" such as those with, for example, mild, moderate or severe hearing loss who use a hearing aid. Though not at the level of a hearing person but it's the next best thing to have. Same for those with varying amount of vision loss requiring thicker or stronger lenses to see better for those with 20/40, 20/50 or 20/60 vision, for example. A semi-functional hand though weakened in it's functionality. Or a person with limited hearing loss and vision loss but is able to use those senses with limited success with various aids or devices used.

Even with limited functionality, a person can still feel whole as long as he or she is treated with respect as a human being for who he or she is.

Let's take myself as an example. I have a moderate-severe hearing loss in my right ear while my left is no good with profound hearing loss. I'm not afraid to use the term "hearing loss" because that is what it is. A hearing loss. A medical fact. But with my right ear I use a hearing aid that can boost what hearing I have left. My hearing aid has allowed me to successfully use what limited sound I can get out of it to the point of using the phone with anyone, field radios, talking with strangers in the street, help modulate my voice, and so on with success. In fact, I'm thankful for the limited hearing that I have. Just as I'm thankful that I can still see even though I need to wear my reading glasses. As for my hearing aid, it gave me "Hearing Gain." Would that be a term I'd use? No. It wouldn't make sense. But that hearing aid has allowed me to access to the hearing world the culture of sound. Without it I would have never taken up piano at age 7 where I'm now a Ragtime pianist.

It's all about preference when it comes to describing how one positively sees him or herself as. Again, not about putting down "Deaf Gain" but I am questioning about the use of that same term for other loss of senses and re-frame it into a context of a person who, for example, lost her sight completely, would that be a "Blind Gain"? Or a person who lost an arm? "One Arm Gain"? Or lost the use of her legs unable to walk for the rest of her life? "No Legs Gain"?  Or a stroke affecting the mental capacity of a person, would that be "Mentally-challenged Gain"? It would just sound totally creepy if not pitiful.

The point is people would find it odd to think that losing one of your senses later in life would constitute as a "gain." I understand the whole point behind "Deaf Gain" but it's not a term that every person with a hearing loss would use.

Obnoxiousness rears its ugliness

Not only that but you have utter and total ignorance when you have a hearing person complain about deaf people who sign and the interpreters they use.

Whats with these cocky a** sign language people these days? It started with Mayor Bloomberg’s Sign Langauge [sic] Sensation Lydia Callis. Then we had that bro who looked like Don Flamenco signing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. And then just last night Feitelberg blogged that chick who looked like Morty Seinfeld signing at Menino’s blizzard press conference. All these f****** think they’re the belle of the ball! The star of the show! Well guess what you deaf a*******, it ain’t all about you! F*** you and the deaf horses you rode in on. Some people are trying to listen to Bloomberg to find out pertinent information after our city was decimated and nobody can take their eyes off the a****** who’s putting on a puppet show with her hands. I’m trying to time the National Anthem for the over/under and I’m losing count because this guy is doing his little deaf people dance the whole time. Does anybody in the city of Boston have any information on the impending blizzard of doom? Probably not because all they could focus on was the old broad up there signing like shes was a rockstar at some big old deaf concert.

Any emergency announcement on TV can be heard and not miss a thing regardless if there's an interpreter signing. An interpreter will not somehow magically block the spoken word for hearing people.

I have a message for the complainer since his/her world is crumbling because of some interpreter signing at an emergency announcement with a Mayor or whomever into a context that a hearing person would understand:





For those who missed John Maucere (the "Don Flamenco" guy) signing the National Anthem, here it is again.  Enjoy.

John Maucere as "Eddie Munster"?

Did TMZ go to far in making light of John Maucere's appearance while signing the national anthem at the Superbowl saying he looks like "Eddie Munster"?

Frankly, myself, I don't put too much stock into TMZ or their attempt to get laughs out of this one.

The funny thing is, the author of that "joke" is unknown for not putting his/her name on the TMZ site.  Funny, coward or wot? Not?

Just saying.