A Hearing Person’s View
of
“Through Deaf Eyes”
by
Crystal Dolphin
Editorial Note:
this post was a finalist in the DeafRead “Through Deaf Eyes” blog contest
I’ve now watched “Through Deaf Eyes” twice. The first time that it aired on March 21st, and then again today (March 25th), this time attempting to pay more attention to different aspects, keeping in mind the commentary made here at Deaf Pagan Crossroads about the documentary.
Today I watched the program with another hearing friend, Ted, who is 16 years older than I. In regards to Deafness, there were differences in our upbringing within our hearing families. When Ted was a child in the 60’s, his mother worked in the recreation center and as a teacher at a state school where several local Deaf children were placed – often during this time period, mis-diagnosed. Over time, education and awareness as well as communication in the form of sign language evolved in the school. In the 70’s, Ted learned some sign language in order to better communicate with his mother’s students, who he and his brothers often interacted with, and was subsequently employed at the school himself for a few years.
I, however, did not meet a Deaf person, nor was I introduced to sign language, until my late teens (in the late 80’s)…then not until several years later upon meeting more Deaf and HOH people did I begin to pursue learning sign language myself.
(A little side note that I found interesting: Ted, being a musician and the owner of a music store that sells guitars and drums and provides lessons for these instruments, saved his thoughts and commentary for the end of the show, except during the segment with the Deaf musicians. Upon seeing Bob Hiltermann playing his drums, Ted exclaimed out loud…”Ahhhh, a LEFTY drummer”, which apparently is more of a rarity to see than a Deaf drummer. Ted does have a Deaf musician friend who plays drums and harmonica, whom I’ve met on a couple of occasions.)
Ted and I both agreed that we feel this program was intended primarily for a hearing audience in order to bring about more awareness of Deaf history, culture, and communication, and in that it was well balanced and informative.
Today I have several Deaf friends…a few who are oral deaf only, and a few who communicate both with sign and/or their voice depending on what setting they’re in, as well as I have met Deaf people who sign only. I am also fairly well acquainted with some people who have cochlear implants. Over the last several years, through experiences with these friends and acquaintances, I’ve learned much more about Deaf culture, and sign language. Though I am the first to admit, I still have much to learn (i.e. I could hold my own conversing in PSE, depending on the signer which I now know is probably due to those different dialects as mentioned in the program, but I am still learning ASL as a language with its own syntax and grammatical rules.)
I think that “Through Deaf Eyes” helped to expand my understanding further, and certainly gave me a better view of Deaf history, yet also leaves me with more questions. I’ve seen and heard a lot of negative comments about people with cochlear implants, and this confuses me. Most of the people I’ve met with a cochlear implant, received their implant before they were adult enough, or even anywhere near old enough to make an informed decision and choose this for themselves – is this their fault? Can you blame them for a decision someone else made for them?
Take, for instance, little Juliette Rosner, who was featured in one segment of this film. She has a cochlear implant – but is obviously way too young to have determined to choose that for herself. (I find it interesting, though not surprising, that her mother said that Juliette’s first spoken words were the same as her first signing words.) So why is it that I see many in the Deaf community who seem to be “against” people with cochlear implants? Is this not a form of discrimination, quite similar to the discrimination Deaf people faced over time from the hearing community? And do all hearing people today still fit into that category of the “other world” that “shuts out” the Deaf community? While I know some hearing people now who still have what I would call an “old school” view of Deafness (I would say they have not been properly educated) – I also know hearing people, myself included, who have made an effort to become better educated about Deafness. I also noticed that this documentary pointed out the fact that the Deaf community of the south discriminated against the Black Deaf during the time when schools, clubs, etc. were segregated. (Hmmmm…our two worlds were not so different then, eh?)
I can understand why a parent with a Deaf child may determine to make the decision of a cochlear implant for their child – the fact is that it is much easier to learn languages of any kind in the earlier stages of childhood. Although I cannot agree with the same parent not continuing to expose their child to Deaf culture and sign language. Christopher deHann did make a statement that was something like, “do not assume that technology will fix your deaf children, they are still deaf”, but this was after he had stated that he and his wife enrolled their son Patrick in the Clarke School at the preschool stage and “within a year he had stopped signing altogether except for a little bit at home”. That statement angered me some as the inflection in his voice indicated he was happy that his deaf child was abandoning sign language. Obviously still today there are strong divided opinions on oralism vs. sign. My question is, why does it have to be all one way or the other? Would Deaf children not benefit more from having the opportunity to learn both (with or without cochlear implant)?
As a child, I was not exposed to the Deaf community, nor was any such education introduced to me during my school years. Now, in the early childhood education program at a local school where a friend teaches, some basic “beginning” education is included in the curriculum – about Deaf people, Blind people, and people with disabilities (such as a friend of mine with a neurological disease who I joined when she spent an afternoon at the school speaking and answering questions about people such as herself who use wheelchairs and assistance dogs.) ASL is offered as an elective language course in a local High School.
I wish this had been offered to me in high school – I feel it would have benefited me more in having had the opportunity to learn ASL back then vs. Spanish which I never use. Actually, I feel all hearing people would benefit from learning sign language. There are other instances where this alternative method of communication would come in handy for hearing people, aside from the ability to better communicate with the Deaf. I once worked for a couple in which the husband had suffered a stroke and lost his ability to speak, though he could hear and see and still had the use of his hands. My mother, partly due to aging, but I believe also partly due to her continued battle with cancer and several rounds of chemotherapy treatments taking their toll, is becoming quite hard of hearing. I see the frustration in her face when she cannot hear what someone is saying to her, yet she can still see well.
I hope that someday all schools will provide better education about Deafness, and sign language, to their students. And that there are more programs such as “Through Deaf Eyes” produced in order to help promote awareness and educate the general public who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to learn about Deaf culture. Though we will never fully understand what it’s like to be in each other’s shoes, the hearing and the Deaf, perhaps continued improvements in education will help to bridge the gap between the two worlds.
CJ Jones made one of my favorite statements in the program in his closing comments, “Knowledge is the most powerful vehicle to success.”
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts, and I would welcome your comments and feedback!
Crystal Dolphin describes herself as “just another Stupid Hearing Person” (HA!) residing in Massachusetts. A fellow Wiccan Priestess, she and Ocean have known each other for several years, and they both claim to share the same brain on many an occasion.
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
Deaf Pagan Crossroads 
Good article Crystal. I agree with your viewpoints, and wish that I had more opportunity as a youngster to learn sign language, however, I have encountered few deaf people, and probably would have lost the ability by now! I can finger spell, thanks to a Girl Scout leader. I know, it’s not too late to learn, but finding somewhere in the boonies to learn is hard. Very good insight from a hearing perspective.
Crystal,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Yes, the program got us thinking and talking about it in a way never before now with the internet where we can all get together in one place no matter where we live and share our insights and see much more what others think than ever before.
Crystal writes “do all hearing people today still fit into that category of the other world, that shuts out the Deaf community?”
In my humble opinion, yes we do.
Maybe it is not intentional, but I still feel that I as a hearing person am judged by that fact and looked upon with suspicion, almost as if I am being personally punished by the Deaf Community for the wrongs which have been done upon them all these years.
It’s not that I can’t appreciate where that pain and anger comes from – I might not be able to understand it, but I can and do feel for those who have had to face that discrimination and endure that ignorance.
I’m currently in my second semester of ASL studies at our local community college. My instructor is Deaf, and he’s excellent. He’s really helped me not only to understand the language, but the Deaf Community as well.
He encouraged all of us students to go to DeafRead and read some of the blogs there – and even to try watching some of the vlogs, if we are that brave! That’s how I found this blog, and some of the others.
But I always come away from reading these blogs feeling a little intimidated, as if I have stumbled into a whole other world where I’m not supposed to be, that I’m intruding upon something so private and personal that I should turn my head and look the other way, lest I be accused of eavesdropping.
There have been times when I have wanted to say something, wanted to make a comment and share my own thoughts as a hearing person, but I wonder if it’s proper for me to do so, or if the Deaf bloggers will look at me as being “just another Stupid Hearing Person” as Crystal puts it, and thus not worthy of their time.
I applaud you Crystal, for writing this post. I just hope that the Deaf Community will in fact “listen” to what you have to say and share their thoughts.
Some of us really do want to know what you think, what you have to say, what your opinions of us and our efforts are. We don’t want to be one of those people who shuts you out, we don’t want to be seen as that other category of insensitive, ignorant, disinterested people.
But it has to work both ways.
“My question is, why does it have to be all one way or the other? Would Deaf children not benefit more from having the opportunity to learn both (with or without cochlear implant)?”
An excellent question, Crystal. It is really unfortunate that the use of sign language by deaf people is stigmatized because it benefits the deaf child to have full access of communication. I appreciate you sharing your POV with Virginia.
Rebecca, there are many Deaf bloggers/vloggers who don’t shun hearing people. Many hearing people not only read my blog, but also have contacted me privately to discuss various issues.
Hmmm…interesting thoughts, Rebecca.
I agree with Mishkazena – I don’t think all the Deaf bloggers/vloggers shun hearing people. But I can see how perhaps it does feel that way sometimes.
I do have to admit that sometimes I wonder about this myself. As an example, I recently published an interesting post here written by a hearing woman from Britain, sharing her thoughts about signing – based upon email exchanges we had as a result of her reading Allison Kaftan’s post over at DeafDC.com I encouraged her to write an article and I would be happy to post it here. She was happy to do so, but I’m sure there was a part of her that wondered and worried if her article would be viewed as “just another Stupid Hearing Person.”
What concerns me a bit is that although her article generated a lot of traffic from the Deaf Community, it’s received only a few comments from Deaf individuals. Now, I don’t want to sound negative or critical or whatever – but I do have to wonder why there wasn’t more feedback.
But I don’t think that should be taken to mean that we don’t care what hearing people think or say, or that you’re not welcomed. Yes, maybe we could do a better job at leaving comments and encouraging hearing individuals to do the same. But then…I’m not always the best at leaving comments myself. It’s easy to read something and nod your head in agreement or shake your head and wonder “good grief, what was this person thinking?!?!” It’s harder sometimes to come up with the words to express what’s on our minds.
Don’t give up. Keep reading, and don’t be afraid to express your thoughts. Remember, as Jessica says…we are just now – through the wonders of the internet – being able to get together and share our insights. It may take some time, but I think we will reach that place where we can come to understand and appreciate one another.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you all for your comments and sharing your thoughts with us here at the Crossroads!
Ocean, who’s got the brain tonight? 😉 (I think we were both up waaaay too late last night. So I am off to bed.)
It works both ways. As a deaf person raised 100% oral, I can feel the same way too! At the same time, I tend to pay more attention right now to other deaf folks — for the very simple reason that up to now I haven’t had any chance at all to interact with other deaf people. Hearing people are old news for me 😉
That said, I wouldn’t worry about being “Yet Another Stupid Hearing Person.” If you’re truly interested in deaf issues, just post & listen & post & listen. Trust me, after a while, you’ll be a more known quantity.
fyi.. i think asl is wonderful for any kids to learn in young ages.. it helps them to build language from asl to english. i have seen four years old who sign beautiful asl and able to express his/her feeling.
very sad about today big money business who encourage other parents about CI .. instead provide educational about asl and ect.. it happen right now as everyday till someone fix the plm..
I am glad to see that we have a hearing POV (point of view) and get to hear and acknowledge the other side. Yes, we do have our biases, just like everyone else. My concern is sometimes there seems to be antagonism against hearing people just because hearing people do not fully understand, and I noticed that in some vloggers/bloggers’ sites, calling hearing people oppressive, etc. “Through Deaf Eyes” is a step closer for the hearing audience to understand us a little better.
Thank you Crystal Dolphin.
(abbreviated excerpt) >>… enrolled their son Patrick in the Clarke School at the preschool stage and “within a year he had stopped signing altogether except for a little bit at home”.
(sorry, the last part did not save along with the first part)
A deaf child stopped signing, with deaf parents at home?
That concerned me. Oral educators have a tendency to discourage signs in order to build up a willingness to speak in the child. Hands are pushed down, repeatedly, to get the child to focus on talking. Sometimes negative reinforcment is used such as witholding candy or tokens, or more pointed punishment such as holding hands behind one’s back.
I would be extra sensitive to the child’s emotional development and to any development of conflict between the school and the home in the child’s mind.
[…] post “A Hearing Person’s View of Through Deaf Eyes” written by Crystal Dolphin was selected by the DeafRead Human Editors from amongst 55 submissions […]
good article. i happen to know patrick deHann and i know that he loves his cochlear implant. i am a native signer (well since i was 9 or so..) and i do have a cochlear implant. i am both involved in the hearing and deaf worlds. its a cool thing that these clarke kids have cochlear implants because then we can communicate whenever method we want to instead of resorting to the old paper and pen.
dont be quick to critique those with cochlear implants. most of the teenagers had their cochlear implants implanted when they were too young to make a decision. however, learn to accept it. we are the new future of tommorow, children of the cochlear implant age.
[…] Also, you may be interested in reading my post on the recent PBS documentary, “Through Deaf Eyes”, which is also located at Deaf Pagan Crossroads. […]