While researching Deaf Culture on google.com, I came across something that I found very interesting. Using the site http://www.signmedia.com/info/adc.htm, I learned that a deaf community can be defined in two different ways. The two different ways are known as pathological and cultural.
I learned that people that follow a pathological view tend to be very specific in their definition. They believe that only people who are deaf or lack hearing should be a part of a deaf community. After reading this, I did not agree with these peoples' way of thinking. Think about families for example. If you have deaf parents and two deaf siblings, and you are hearing, would that make you part of the community that your family belongs to? Or according to a pathological view, would you technically not apply to the definition? I think that this definition was just a bit to "one way or the other". It seems to me that if people followed this definition of what a deaf community should be, deaf people and hearing people would be very secluded from each other and have very little contact.
The second definition is a cultural view. This view was a little more open and said that anyone that could use sign language as a means of communication, as well as all deaf people would make a community. This definition would work for the example I mentioned earlier about being the only hearing child in a family. Because the child would understand and speak sign language with their family, they would be considered part of the deaf community. I don't think it's right to single out hearing people just because they may not know how to speak sign language. It almost seems as though some deaf people are scared of hearing people, their world, and what they may do if they were part of the deaf community.
I thought it was very interesting to see that deaf people had such opinions on what constitutes a community. I think that everyone should be welcome in all communities and no one should be turned away because of their differences. I don't feel that anyone should be opressed because of who they are. People just need to learn to understand and accept everyone around them. If this can happen, maybe deaf people and hearing people will find a community that fits both.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Websites for last post!
Sorry, I forgot to post the website I used for my last post! Here it is!
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos175.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos175.htm
Interpreters
I decided to write my next post on a job that I've become more and more interested in since taking this class. I have always loved languages and have begun to think that maybe a translating hob is something I should look at. I did a little research to find out more and was very intrigued by what I found.
Interpreters are people that help enable communication between two or more different languages. My main languages as of now are spanish, french, and sign. I hope to pick up some arabic, german, and italian as well. Many of these are primary languages that require a translator. Sign is one of the most important. While english, french, and spanish words sometimes sound the same and may be able to be understood, deaf people have less similarities with other languages. There are certain signs that people may understand, but not as many as speaking languages.
I also learned that there are two different kinds of interpreters. There are simultaneous and consecutive. Simultaneous occurs when an interpreter listens and speaks at the same time. Simultaneous interpreters are known to work in pairs because of the difficulty of maintaining several different conversations at once. Consecutive interpreters are more likely to take notes and then explain the information they have received. I think simultaneous sounds like a lot of work and I don't know if I have enough time to become fluent in enough languages. But it does sound like a lot of fun!
Interpreters can be used in many different kinds of jobs. They can be seen in occupations like libraries, courts, schools, business conferences, etc. Because of the high demand for bilingual or more speakers, I was very surprised to find out that most interpreters are self employed. If there is such a high demand, why do many people work by themselves and often times as a part time position?
I would like to learn more about the possibility of becoming an interpreter. It seems like a very gratifying job and one that may fit my interests. I am still very unsure but it is always fun to learn about new occupations and those of interpreters are fascinating to think about!!!!
Interpreters are people that help enable communication between two or more different languages. My main languages as of now are spanish, french, and sign. I hope to pick up some arabic, german, and italian as well. Many of these are primary languages that require a translator. Sign is one of the most important. While english, french, and spanish words sometimes sound the same and may be able to be understood, deaf people have less similarities with other languages. There are certain signs that people may understand, but not as many as speaking languages.
I also learned that there are two different kinds of interpreters. There are simultaneous and consecutive. Simultaneous occurs when an interpreter listens and speaks at the same time. Simultaneous interpreters are known to work in pairs because of the difficulty of maintaining several different conversations at once. Consecutive interpreters are more likely to take notes and then explain the information they have received. I think simultaneous sounds like a lot of work and I don't know if I have enough time to become fluent in enough languages. But it does sound like a lot of fun!
Interpreters can be used in many different kinds of jobs. They can be seen in occupations like libraries, courts, schools, business conferences, etc. Because of the high demand for bilingual or more speakers, I was very surprised to find out that most interpreters are self employed. If there is such a high demand, why do many people work by themselves and often times as a part time position?
I would like to learn more about the possibility of becoming an interpreter. It seems like a very gratifying job and one that may fit my interests. I am still very unsure but it is always fun to learn about new occupations and those of interpreters are fascinating to think about!!!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Cochlear Implants
I thought I would do a post on the movie we watched for class today, Sound and Fury. I found the movie very interesting and moving. The two kids and their families that were facing the decision on allowing their kids to have cochlear implants had very different perspectives about whether it was a right decision or not.
The family with the little five year old girl named Heather was considering giving their daughter the implant but were a little scared that she would lose her sense of self. I think that they had very good reason for thinking this, but I don't think it was enough reason to end up saying no to the implant. When they visited the school with kids that had cochlear implants, none of them signed. At such a young age, they should still be using sign language in case the cochlear implant stops working or they decide to take it out at some point. I don't think that a cochlear implant should automatically change the child from being deaf to hearing. They should still experience both worlds.
However, I do feel like Heather's family made the wrong decision in not allowing her to get an implant. She is only five years old and that is around the best time to do it, because they still have a good chance at learning to speak and understand. In the movie, the school tried to eliminate sign language from their students lives. I think this worried the family but I don't see how they could eliminate it from Heather's life because of the fact that her parents are deaf. If she got the cochlear implant, would her teachers not allow her to speak to her family anymore? I think that she could have lived both worlds and then given a choice later on as to whether or not she wanted to keep her cochlear implant.
The other case was a relative of Heather's. It was her cousin peter. He was born with a hearing twin brother, but he himself was deaf. His parents wanted to get him a cochlear implant immediately so that he could have as "normal" of a life as possible. Almost everyone was against this decision except for the parents. His deaf grandparents were very against it at first but I think they began to come to their sense a bit towards the end and realize that it wasn't their decision to make and that they just had to respect it and hope for the best.
I'm not sure how I feel on baby Peter's case. I can see both sides and I think that I am leaning more towards the side of the grandparents and the other family members. I think the parents were definately trying to look out for their son, but he wasn't even a year old when this decision was made for him. Unlike Heather, he wasn't able to express his own desires and thoughts on the cochlear implant. I think doing cochlear implants on infants is a bit too early and that maybe they should of waited a couple more years to see how he felt. However, I do also agree with their parents at the same time. They wanted their baby to be able to have the best life possible and according to them, schooling for hearing kids is better than that of deaf kids. If this is true, by allowing their son to have a hearing person's education, they are making the better decision.
Cochlear implants are very controversial. It ends up just coming down to a matter of personal decisions and experience. I think cochlear implants definately change a person and that anyone with one can be both deaf and hearing but maybe feel like neither of those. They may feel strange, special, or different. These implants are very difficult decisions and should be researched and thought out very carefully before going forward with one.
The family with the little five year old girl named Heather was considering giving their daughter the implant but were a little scared that she would lose her sense of self. I think that they had very good reason for thinking this, but I don't think it was enough reason to end up saying no to the implant. When they visited the school with kids that had cochlear implants, none of them signed. At such a young age, they should still be using sign language in case the cochlear implant stops working or they decide to take it out at some point. I don't think that a cochlear implant should automatically change the child from being deaf to hearing. They should still experience both worlds.
However, I do feel like Heather's family made the wrong decision in not allowing her to get an implant. She is only five years old and that is around the best time to do it, because they still have a good chance at learning to speak and understand. In the movie, the school tried to eliminate sign language from their students lives. I think this worried the family but I don't see how they could eliminate it from Heather's life because of the fact that her parents are deaf. If she got the cochlear implant, would her teachers not allow her to speak to her family anymore? I think that she could have lived both worlds and then given a choice later on as to whether or not she wanted to keep her cochlear implant.
The other case was a relative of Heather's. It was her cousin peter. He was born with a hearing twin brother, but he himself was deaf. His parents wanted to get him a cochlear implant immediately so that he could have as "normal" of a life as possible. Almost everyone was against this decision except for the parents. His deaf grandparents were very against it at first but I think they began to come to their sense a bit towards the end and realize that it wasn't their decision to make and that they just had to respect it and hope for the best.
I'm not sure how I feel on baby Peter's case. I can see both sides and I think that I am leaning more towards the side of the grandparents and the other family members. I think the parents were definately trying to look out for their son, but he wasn't even a year old when this decision was made for him. Unlike Heather, he wasn't able to express his own desires and thoughts on the cochlear implant. I think doing cochlear implants on infants is a bit too early and that maybe they should of waited a couple more years to see how he felt. However, I do also agree with their parents at the same time. They wanted their baby to be able to have the best life possible and according to them, schooling for hearing kids is better than that of deaf kids. If this is true, by allowing their son to have a hearing person's education, they are making the better decision.
Cochlear implants are very controversial. It ends up just coming down to a matter of personal decisions and experience. I think cochlear implants definately change a person and that anyone with one can be both deaf and hearing but maybe feel like neither of those. They may feel strange, special, or different. These implants are very difficult decisions and should be researched and thought out very carefully before going forward with one.
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