05.06.01 - Meeting the Signing Deaf
51st clip. Title: Meeting the Signing Deaf. 5:29 minutes long. Total: 4:44:24 hours.
This clip, about meeting the signing deaf for the FIRST time, is posted with cheering gratitudes to those people who vblogged and commented on deafhood. Deafhood is a concept that definitely will contribute to the continuing paradigm shifting of the Public (and Deaf) Mind on the understanding and the appreciation of the Deaf “World” and on being Deaf. Those who are on a warpath on questioning this new concept of deafhood is, in fact, helping the discourse on deafhood. Those who saw (and wrote/signed about) the psychological and spiritual light of studying (one’s own) deafhood ARE contributing to the growth of our Mind (the Deaf Adult’s Mind) on deafhood or on being deaf. It is a matter of time before the concept of deafhood finally catch fire and engulf us all.
Educational and social services institutions serving any types of deaf children/people will somehow incorporate deafhood. Professionals dealing with the mental health of any types of deaf people will somehow incorporate deafhood. Parents will somehow consider the healthy psychological and spiritual development of their deaf children with the aid from the discourse on deafhood. What about the CODAs dealing with the fact that they have deaf parents? Would discussing deafhood with my two growing hearing daughters help them develop healthy attitudes toward themselves as CODAs? And many many more in the future of deafhood or being deaf -
Yes, I do see the light. Do you?
Meeting the Signing Deaf is an important part of Deafhood or being (with the) Deaf.
Enjoy watching the joyous first time the Deaf Child met the signing deaf people in Siepee’s Monastery. Click away . . .
Click on the word for youtube or dvtv, if above clip is slowly or undowloadable. Thank you.
Myth Commentary: Meeting the signing deaf people for the first time is an archetypal (universal) situation most deaf people undergo. It is deaf-universal. In the Deaf Child’s (the collective deaf or the deaf community) journey as a deaf person (deafhood), meeting signing deaf for the first time is as critical as anyone deaf or in the field of deafness might understand. A deaf person meet signing deaf person for the first time. Countless of manifestations of this archtypal situation (even more so with the next clip - learning the first sign) had happened, is happening, and will happen.
History Commentary: While every clip of the myth have myth commentary, not all clips in the myth have deaf history background. Very few clips have DIRECT deaf historical incidents like this one. The Deaf Child in this clip is Laurent Clerc. He met his first group of deaf people in the year of 1797 as an eleven year old boy. Click here to see an ASL narration of the possible site where Laurent Clerc first entered the deaf school in Paris.
In deaf history, deaf persons did first meet the signing deaf. Laurent Clerc probably met the signing deaf for the first time in the INJS school in Paris, if not beforehand in LeBalme and Lyons, France. Where did George Veditz meet his first signing deaf person? in Colorado School for the Deaf? Bob Davila probably met his signing deaf at California School for the Deaf, Berkeley for the first time. How would Marlee Matlin, if it did happen, describe her feelings about meeting her signing deaf person for the first time? We could dig up literature and find first time encounters. We could ask every living deaf person this question. It should not be limited to them. Hearing people, too, remember meeting signing deaf person for the first time, probably except CODAs and others. What about Barack Obama’s first time meeting and interacting with the Signing Deaf? I could go on and on. Meeting the Signing Deaf is universal in our history, in the NOW, and will always in the future where deaf people are.
Deafhood Questions:
- for signing DHH persons - Do you distinctly remembered seeing signing deaf person(s) for the very first time? If your parents are deaf and signing, do you remember meeting other deaf people for any reasons feeling as if it was a first time? If you do not remember, it was likely that you were born to signing deaf parents, right?
- for non-signing DHH persons - what were your feelings when you saw signing deaf for the first time? Over time did that change? What is your current feeling about the signing deaf person or people?
Questions:
- for Hearing parents: After learning that your child is deaf, do you remember meeting any deaf person for the first time? If you had met them beforehand, did you seek them?
- for Hearing non-coda signers: Do you remember the time you started to feel you wanted to learn sign language? Was it during the time you first met a signer? a signing deaf person?
- for Hearing public: Having never seen a signing deaf person, can you describe your feelings and thoughts meeting signing deaf person(s) for the first time?
Deafhood Commentary: If you have read this far, do we see clearly how important is meeting the signing deaf for the first time is in the process of being deaf or learning sign language? Deafhood is simply thinking about being (with) the deaf. Go to this link which discuss the psychological aspect of deafhood or being (with the) deaf.
05.06’s Quote:
. . . find your deaf center . . .
I am puzzled by your statement: “Those who are on a warpath on destroying (questioning) deafhood”
Why would questioning be considered destroying? I think it’s healthy for people to have questions.
Comment by mishkazena | August 31, 2008
I have read comments that resemble something like this. I have met deaf people who made comments about deafhood that approximate on outright refusal that deafhood applies to them.
Your comment made me realize that destroying is an overstatement of the natural inclination to question any new concepts being introduced in the deaf community. I should just use this word - question. Over time, public understanding of deafhood will improve by continuing the discourse AND by accepting and applying this new concept into the lives of deaf people.
Thank you, MZ , for pointing this out. Appreciation here for your feedback. It is revised.
Comment by cnkatz | August 31, 2008
Thanks for clarification. Yes, what you wrote makes sense. The more answers we get, the more we learn and discuss further about the concepts.
Comment by mishkazena | September 1, 2008