Hearing Parents Chose ASL: an article worth reading

I recently read a very interesting and well written blog post I’d like to share with you.

In
Hearing Parents Chose ASL
Mishka Zena explains what it was like for hearing parents facing the prospect of their infant girl who had just been diagnosed as deaf. They chose to learn ASL as a family and now that infant has grown into a 21-year old woman about to graduate from Gallaudet. The most critical information sources for helping them arrive at that decision, Mishka says, were , not the medical professionals, but rather the people who knew the most about being deaf—deaf people.

There are several noteworthy issues raised in this excellent post, reflecting the insight of one who knows the deaf world from the inside out. I would heartily recommend this piece as required reading for any DSS professional, particularly those who have had little or no exposure to the deaf culture.

ADA Restoration Act of 2007 reference sites

To help interested parties stay abreast on what is going on with the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, I offer the following two links.

First, there is a blog specifically dedicated to
The ADA Restoration Act of 2007.
In addition to the latest updates and co-sponsors of the legislation, this informative blog has links to press releases tracking the progress of the bills in both houses of Congress.

Secondly, there is the ReunifyGally blog that is gathering
links to all blogs that write about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007.

FYI, ReunifyGally is referring to reunifying
Gallaudet University.
From the “About” page on the ReunifyGally web site:
“I established this blog in the hope of helping to support the healing and reunification of the Gallaudet community by enabling dialogue on sensitive topics raised by the protests. By “Gallaudet community,” I mean both people on campus and also those of us across the country and around the world who feel some link to Gallaudet, whether or not we have ever been there. “

Gallaudet University update...board rejects incoming president

To update you,
Gallaudet University's Board has voted to search for a new president.
This means the student protests over the past three weeks were successful and, in response, the board has Rejected Incoming President Jane Fernandes.

There is still something to be said for student activism and standing up for what one is passionate about in today's world. The students from Gallaudet, the only U.S. liberal arts college for the deaf, can testify that their voices acting in unity made a difference, and, pardon the pun, did not fall on deaf ears. It will be interesting to see which direction the search for the next university president heads.

Gallaudet University demonstration news and links

An update on the student protest at Gallaudet University.

The demonstration against the incoming university president has now been going for more than 20 days. In the last week, several students, and faculty members who support them, walked en mass to Capitol Hill to call upon three U.S. senators who are on the university’s board, asking them to intervene on their behalf. Yesterday,
university officials brought in heavy equipment
to gain access to gates the students have taken control of to deny access to the campus.

Acording to the Associated Press story:

“Gallaudet University maintenance workers cut a chain that was being used to block a side entrance and used a construction vehicle to move a tent city the students had built, protest leaders said. Other protesters then used their cars to block the gate again.”

If you want to view images of the student unrest, Yahoo has a
slide show
chronicling the on-going protest.

A good discussion on the
sense of identity,
so strongly tied to the deaf community and central to this demonstration, is presented by Washington D.C. columnist Clarence Page. In his latest column, Page also offers a quick primer on the background of the current situation at Gallaudet.

While we should all applaud passion and students standing up for what they believe, I would predict the outcome of this demonstration will be for naught. The protesters have given reasons against the incoming president, Jane Fernandes,to cite her as being unqualified for the job, but the underlying reason is that the students, and many of the faculty, think she is not deaf enough. I understand passion and identity, but that is not a disqualifier folks.

Gallaudet University update

To update you, the
situation at Gallaudet University
is
continuing to escalate.

The campus of the Washington D.C. university for the deaf has now been shut down for two days due to students staging protests over the incoming president. In the latest turn of events, the football team joined the protest. Students are blocking entrances to the campus. Meanwhile, police sit by and watch.

This is not the first time that students at Gallaudet have demonstrated in sucha fashion. It was 18 years ago that student demonstrators forced the university to appoint the first deaf president.

The actions of the students are truly a statement of the deaf culture. The underlying argument, no matter how else it is presented, is that the incoming president is not deaf enough.

Unrest at Gallaudet and the deaf culture

Have you been following the news about the unrest at Gallaudet University? If not, read how the intensity of student unrest has
surprised the incoming Gallaudet leader.

This is a strong example of how the deaf culture is so unique among the world of people with disabilities. If you have not spent time with either your students or the interpreters at your school, sit down and do so to gain some valuable insight to a world beyond that which you know. I can personally attest to the awakening I experienced when I did just that. I must add that learning about the interpreters’ education and training experiences were a big cultural lesson for me.