A note from John F. Egbert
Special thanks to you all for supporting Deaf Bilingual Coalition.
I am still in Washington DC and will fly home tonight back to Minnesota. Please give me time to get settled down and will get back to you all about DBC’s plans which we, in the DBC, have already discussed, issues such as membership drives, selecting temporary officers, board members and many other priorities.
There have been disagreements among each other in the community on blogs which is understandable because you stand up for your freedom of speech. But let me give you the reason why we’re in this disagreement mode.
It is because of the effects of colonialism. We need to understand about colonialism and why. AGBell’s actions have the effect of creating a sense of colonial oppression, for example, in telling other deaf people that we are wrong to stand up for our free speech rights. There are deaf people amongst ourselves who are telling you that it is alright for AGBell to put out biased information and that we should accept their ideology, while we (the de-colonizing influence) want to be unbiased and believe that all deaf babies should start signing at the age of 6 months (similar to thousands and thousands of hearing babies learning signs with astonishing positive results) and if parents want their deaf child to learn speech, we have nothing against that as something to use in addition to sign language.
Please remember, many of us deaf people were acting as colonized people under AGBell’s influence, and many of us managed to “de-colonize” ourselves and became part of Deaf Culture. Some of these deaf, “colonized” citizens will eventually understand and will support our cause, so we need to be careful how we rebut them or they will continue in their dogmatic ways.
John F. Egbert
Posted on July 30th, 2007 by egbertpress
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello John! Millions of thanks for making the first step for our deafkind! I would love to be part of the DBC! Please let me know how I can be part of this growing organization. Thanks again!
Good Job, John plus your people who were out there. I jump up and down and wave the hands for joining as membership. I look forward that membership open.
John, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this. I would love to come up and help. I have been trying to tell others to “de-colonize” and that is part of brainwashing.
The children in oral schools have been brainwashed. I am too independent and too selfish. I am my own guy! I think for myself. I do not give damn about others. This is who I am.
When those oral teachers realized that they cannot make me do what they say, they tell other children that I am a “bad guy” or “troublemaker”. That is their diversion to divide and conquer.
It really is terrible how they mistreat children through brainwashing and their abusive behaviors.
I agree with you 100%! Til my dying breath, ASL is my natural language and I will not budge for anyone! AG Bell and his regime are bunch of terrorists raping and hurting many poor children for the last 127 years.
Time to turn the tide!
=)
*Hand-waving*
Whoa! I had a lot to catch up on reading these b/vlogs about DBC. It was truly eye-opening activity you have done.
I adired your humle strength and these people that joined your ideal.
I look forward to become a member of DBC. I will be certain to spread the words about it in my new town.
Looking forward to the rest of the information. Thanks for initiating this.
You and your wife are really the honorable and sincere people for making difference in the future of deaf children to be effectively and properly educated without being deprieved any language acquistion and development along with other protestors.
At first, I was kinda skeptical about the idea of peaceful demonstration against the AGBAB organization. After being experienced at the hands of oppressors like the AGBAD people last weekend during the exhibit booth. I finally saw the light of what the AGBAD was all about.
Same thing with real decent and passionate protestors last weekend!
I really felt honored about meeting you and your wife at last. Look forward to buy your book, ‘Minefield”. I am a person of word.
Warm regards,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
John,
Thank you for the great coordinating to have DBC demonstration over the weekend. After the incident over the weekend, this early week, this issue became huge through blogs and vlogs. I found its very amazing like a great volcano.
I am glad DBC was born recently and get started to do something for future generations for deaf and hard of hearing children exclusively on bilingual approaches essentially.
To my ponder, if it is possible to have a town meeting or round table discussion each city across the United States that will enable our support and learning the aspects of deaf education and other issues to come.
Keep it up with DBC.
Nick
I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT MY FATHER AND ME.
I WATCH YOUR EXPERIENCE OF YOURSELF, WHICH IS VERY INTERESTED AND IMPRESSED ME. YOU HAVE YOUR EXPERT OF ASL, SEE, PSEI, PASEII AND OTHERS AS I DO. GREAT TO WATCH WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT IT. COOL!!!
DUMBFOUNDED, I WAS LITTLE GIRL WHEN I HAD TO I WATCHED WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT ANYTHING, I STRUGGLED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU SAY. WHEW! MOST OF TIME I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAY WITH MY HEARING AID AND ORAL, BUT ASL IS WOW! UNBELIEVABLE! EASY TO COMMUNICATE AS I PICKED UP ASL IMMEDIATELY. ITSELF IT IS BEAUTIFUL ASL!
MY FATHER HAS A FSL (CHEOKEE OR INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE) EXPERT HIMSELF TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME AND CHIEF CHEOKEE AND HIS FATHER (MY GRANDPA), WHO WAS ADOPTED BY CHIEF CHEOKEE, RAISED AND HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO USEINDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE WHEN I WAS LITTLE GIRL BEFORE I ATTENED TO TRACY CLINIC SCHOOL IN CA, THEN MY PARENTS TOOK ME TO ANOTHER SCHOOL CALLED WATSONVILLE SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL ORAL CLASS FOR DEAF WHEN I WAS ALMOST 4 YRS OLD OR SOAND I BORED TO WATCH THE TEACHERS; MY MOTHER WAS NOT SATISFEILD WITH THEM, THEN FINALLY THEY TOOK ME TO ATTEND TO SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, IN BERKELEY, CA AND GRADUATED THERE IN 1968. I USED TO HAVE SPEECH TO USE LIP-READING AND HEAR WHAT WAS IT SOUND IN DIFFERENT SOUNDS AND I LEARNED ASL IMMEDIATELY ANDLEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE ASL WITH FRIENDS; I WAS SO THRILLED TO LOVE IT TO SIGN ASL WITH ANYONE; IT IS ALIKE ISL OR FSL. MY MOTHER WAS DISAPPOINTED SHORTLY BUT SHE ACCEPTED ME WHAT I SAID BOTH; I CAN SIGN ASL TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY DEAF FRIENDS AND SPEECH LIP-READING TO MY FAMILY AND GRANDPARENTS, BUSINESSES OR JOB AND SOME FRIENDS. I RESPECT BOTH AND THEY RESPECT WHAT I WANT TO BE HAPPY. SMILE I SONG TO MY PARENTS BY USING ASL IN SINGING QUOTE; THEY LOVE IT AND THEY SAID ITS BEAUTIFUL ASL IN SINGING. THEY TEARED.
MY DEAF COUSIN LOVED MY FATHER BECAUSE HE CAN SIGN ASL WITH HER. COOL! SHE IS OUT OF TOWN TO HAVE HER VACATION THEN RETURN HOME AND GO TO GALLY UNIV. FOR HER MA PROGRAM THIS FALL. HER GOAL IS TO BE DEAF CULTURE SPECIALIST. COOL! I LIKE “Whoa! I had a lot to catch up on reading these b/vlogs about DBC. It was truly eye-opening activity you have done.”
KEEP IT UP WITH DBC.
WARN REGARDS,
JUDY HALSETH