Genie Gertz - new Dean of Gallaudet University College of Arts and Sciences

Congrats to Dr. Genie Gertz on becoming Gallaudet University's next Dean of Gallaudet University College of Arts and Sciences. And I'm sure it's a step closer to her ultimate goal.

Gallaudet University's announcement on the news of hiring Dr. Genie Gertz with all the wonderful plaudits and coverage of her background experience when she was the Dean of the Deaf Studies Division at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. But there's an interesting omission in that announcement. It didn't say the one thing that Dr. Genie Gertz is well known which is her push for "Deafhood." And her strong ties with Ella Mae Lentz and the Deafhood Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization (tax identification number is 26-2603125). And in turn Deafhood Foundation's strong ties with DBC and AFA who are basically their "shock troops" in terms of their activism or militancy (i.e. protest) against cochlear implant companies, AG Bell, John Tracy Clinic, Oberkotter Foundation, Hands and Voices, and so on. 

Their background and association:

Lentz and Genie Gertz, dean of the Deaf Studies Division and Special Studies at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif., have led workshops for deaf adults around the country since 2005. Deafhood Youth Northwest on Tuesday at Mount Tahoma was their first presentation tailored to teenagers.

Tailored only to culturally deaf teenagers is what they meant.

These presentations, workshops or conferences (free or fee) were the "ASL-only" or "Deaf people only" types which meant no voice interpreters or sign language interpreters or any other accommodations provided such as CART. An overt display of practicing segregation, communication discrimination and even indoctrination in some cases. Never taking into account of people new to signing who may have difficulty in understanding in an ASL-only environment, those who may have language processing issues with sign language, or those who are deaf but do not know sign language and want to know more about their presentation but cannot due to communication discrimination. Or even for parents of deaf/hh children who want to understand better so they can make an informed decision regarding their child's education, language development and communication option. What is remarkable is to see how these workshops have practiced segregation and discrimination as you can see with these announcements below.

The flyer (click on pictures below to expand):

More presentation :

More pushing of Paddy Ladd's book and presentation:

More association with Deafhood Foundation.

More announcements:

Most recent flyer this year:

And other spinoffs:

Compare those announcements to that of the HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) announcement in the area of communication accommodation.

There are four things here to think about.

1) Indoctrination.
2) Communication discrimination - against those who may have limited sign language skills or have other communication preferences.
3) Segregation.
4) Exclusionary practices.

Dr. Genie Hertz is now working for Gallaudet University but here is a stark reminder for her.

According to Section 504,  Gallaudet University has an obligation to ensure accessibility to students with disabilities, including those with hearing loss and the need for communication accessibility because Gallaudet University is a recipient of Federal financial assistance as a post secondary institution.

An important responsibility of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability against students with disabilities. OCR receives numerous complaints and inquiries in the area of elementary and secondary education involving Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794 (Section 504). Most of these concern identification of students who are protected by Section 504 and the means to obtain an appropriate education for such students.

Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Section 504 provides: "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . ."

OCR enforces Section 504 in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from ED. Recipients of this Federal financial assistance include public school districts, institutions of higher education, and other state and local education agencies. The regulations implementing Section 504 in the context of educational institutions appear at 34 C.F.R. Part 104.

Services students and staff should be able to request at Gallaudet University:

* American Sign Language Interpreter
* Signed English Interpreter (SEE-Signing Exact English or PSE-Pidgin Sign English)
* FM Systems and Conference Microphones
* Voice interpreter
* CART
* Remote Captioning
* Cued Speech Transiliterator
* I-Communicator
* Typewell/C-Print
* Professional or Volunteer Notetakers
* Tactile communication

Even though Gallaudet University obviously supports ASL many are calling for the exclusive use of ASL for all or ASL at all times. That'd be fine if the educational institution in question became a private educational institution receiving no federal funding then it wouldn't fall under the rules of Section 504.  But since Gallaudet University does receive annual Federal funding for as long as it has been opened it must abide by Section 504 laws.  Section 504 gives the power over to students who may request communication accessibility that fit their communication needs other than just ASL.

That's a stark but humbling reality there.

Since president Hurwitz of Gallaudet University supports the new ICED resolution which does call for pluralism and to "accept and respect all languages and all forms of communication," and that Gallaudet University must follow the laws under Section 504. The question today is will indoctrination continue at Gallaudet University?

Gallaudet University - An Indoctrination Camp?

Let's look at the term "indoctrination." From the Merriam dictionary it means, "to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle." In other words, indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, or cognitive strategies. Accordingly so, an indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine such doctrine (or a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true) they have learned. The word "inculcating" is to teach those by frequent repetitions or by admonitions (shaming).

No doubt that Gallaudet University continues to try and indoctrinate new students to new ideas, concepts and principles as would any colleges or universities. What sets this university from others is the constant inculcating of ideas and attitudes on campus through repetitions and sometimes through shaming (or admonition) by both students and staff. Instead of welcoming new ideas that may appear anathema there's a process where admonition may take place. One was the recent admonition of allowing "hearing space" on campus. Another kind of admonition could be against those who speak instead of signing while in a public space during a private conversation. And perhaps compare that to some students who may listen to their iPod music through their earpieces with the cords dangling while walking around on campus? Which ire would be greater or possible in receiving that admonition? Another could be the question of whether one student was supposedly not "Deaf enough" as one of the possible reason for his expulsion and perhaps an example when conformity failed and admonition succeeded? Or what about the admonition of the new Board of Trustees makeup that include Donna Sorkin and Vinton Cerf? 

What about the attempt to inculcate new ideas and concepts by successfully inculcated graduates to others like injecting "deafhood," "avdism," "deaf center," "subaltern elite," "colonialism," and so on and at the same time use those concepts against other deaf or hard of hearing people instead of welcoming them as part of the larger hearing loss family and seek out greater diversity? Is it better to adhere to a constant mindset that's more Borg-like in its philosophy when it comes to distinctiveness, ironically so? Or is respecting diversity and various philosophies be the better path as Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz is attempting to do in his "From Isolation to Innovation" as described during his presidential briefing focusing on partnerships and pulling down barriers?

Are we seeing an increase in diversity, for example, the Gallaudet University's Board of Trustees  appointing (not hired but appointed!) of Vinton Cerf and Donna Sorkin, and the hiring Catherine Murphy as the new Executive Director of Public and Media Relations? How so? Well, Vinton Cerf is hard of hearing and is a part of the majority of deaf and hard of hearing population that does not use sign language. He is known as the "father of the internet" and works for Google since 2005. Vinton Cerf was also the recipient of an award from Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  Donna Sorkin is currently vice president of consumer affairs at Cochlear Americas and at one time served as the executive director of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. And as for Catherine Murphy, she was once recently the director of communications and public affairs for the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing before coming to work at Gallaudet University. Lots of diversity being incorporated into Gallaudet University at the upper level. As a reminder, Gallaudet University is now accepting new nominations of new Trustees.

Perhaps the real "fencing problem" is the indoctrinated members who managed to isolate themselves even further by attacking those whose only crime is having a hearing loss and different set of philosophies?

Has Gallaudet University become less of an educational experience and more of an indoctrination process by spitting out indoctrinated students?  Or is Dr. Hurwitz helping to turn that around by helping Gallaudet University become more diversified?

Just playing the devil's advocate here. Or am I? Though I'm still thinking...