How can WE, the Deaf Community better protect ASL and our Culture?

Does "True Life:I'm Deaf" represent the Deaf?

Cochlear Implants and Deaf babies using ASL

I want to say what is on my mind about this hot topic in the Deaf community. As a culturally Deaf person who grew up in a hearing world. I feel that Deaf babies should not be implanted. Why is that? When I was born and diagonsed as Deaf, my parents and family looked at many options offered but ultimately chose to use Sign Language and used it with me from a early age. That proved to be a success. I feel that CI should not be a option. Parents of Deaf Babies should learn about the benefits of Early Language acquisition with the use of ASL. I believe that Deaf Babies should have access to a language through ASL. Once Deaf babies establishes a connection with ASL, It will be easier to learn English. I personally think my high literacy profiency is due to ASL and English. When I was young, my mom signed bedtime stories with a book so I could make a connection with what she was signing with the written english. I personally think Deaf babies DO NOT need to be FIXED. I strongly believe in using ASL with Deaf babies. My sister, who is hearing and my cousins, who is also hearing used sign language at an early age and they all read in unususally high levels. I think ASL is very beneficial to establishing a strong literacy development in Deaf children. In addition, I strongly back NAD's ASL postion statement. To read the statement and view it in ASL signed by Bobbie Beth Scoggins. NAD Releases American Sign Language Position Statement

Why should we cherish ASL?

I want to express my thoughts about our crown jewel of our culture, the gem we hold most dear, American Sign Language. ASL has been our language since Clerc and Gallaudet formed it during their fifteen days maiden voyage aboard the Mary Augusta, coming to America to set up the first permanent school for the Deaf, American School for the Deaf in Connecticut in 1817. Since its' formation, people have tried to completely eradicate ASL, through a variety of means. I will explain how people tried to completely erase our beloved language and why it is still alive centuries after it was first formed.
In the first 62 years after American School for the Deaf was founded, a ripple effect was striking America, more Deaf schools was established in many states. ASL was primarily used in the schools. There were many Deaf administrators and teachers at those schools. In 1864 National Deaf-Mute College (Gallaudet University) was founded by Gallaudet's son, Edward Miner with a purpose of better training Deaf teachers and administrators.
A storm was brewing. Alexander Graham Bell advocated the use of Oral Method which called for exclusion of ASL. Edward Miner Gallaudet, like his father, believed that Deaf children had the natural rights to choose their preferred mode of communication. Gallaudet strongly advocated the use of Sign and speech. In 1880, a conference occurred in Milan, Italy. Five American delegates attended. The delegates were Edward Miner Gallaudet, Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, Isaac Peet, James Denison, and Charles Stoddard. Despite protests from the sign language advocates that attended, it was resolute that sign language should be outlawed and that an oral education program should take its place. The effects of the conference were drastic. Deaf schools started to follow suit and prohibited ASL. How they ensured that ASL would not be used was terrible. They used harsh forms of punishments. From a slap on the hand by a ruler for signing in the classroom to having your head held underwater if you mispronounced a word incorrectly. Some was even placed in a dark closet for signing too. Many people remember going through some of those things. Deaf children used ASL in secret in the dormitories at night or had secret gatherings in which they passed ASL to the younger generations. It was because of that ASL is still alive. Deaf people resisted oralism through that form. Eventually Oralism gave way. But educators who was against ASL would not give up nor recognize ASL as a true language even though William Stokoe Jr.‘s study on ASL pointed out the characteristics that enabled ASL to be a true language. Educators scrambled ASL and put it in exact English word order and made that modified language in a code known as Signing Exact English or Seeing Essential English abbreviated SEE. SEE is not a language and will never be a language. Educators later blended ASL and SEE, thereby forming PSE, Pidgin Signed English. PSE is another code which is not and never will be a language. Nevertheless, ASL prevailed, despite the heavy efforts by Audiologists and Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to erase ASL and completely replacing it with Oralism.
In conclusion, we must hold fast to our crown jewel, and fight for ASL for our posterity’s sake. We must never forget what the Deaf generations that preceded us did for us, the current generation and continue the fight to keep our flame alive so the future generations can see the bright benefit of our treasure, ASL. We must prepare to hand down the tools to the next generation to fight and protect ASL until we succeed. We must never give up our culture, our language for the sake of Deaf History. Please bear in memory what George W. Veditz said "As long there are Deaf people on Earth, we always will have sign language"

NAD and AGBAD

As you all probably heard of what is happening between NAD and AGBAD, I want to commend Bobbie Beth Scoggins on what she did on NAD'S behalf. I personally am disgusted with the letter that AGBAD wrote to Pepsi Co. because AGBAD does not accurately represent the true core vision and values of the Deaf community. NAD is the true representative of the Deaf Community. I think that it is time to educate the AGBAD on the the true spirit of ASL and Deaf community. I think they are stuck in the past , to make more strides toward better educating our Deaf children, we need to move foward and embrace the true answer to educating our language which is ASL!. AGB AND AGBAD needs to be a thing of the past, the legacy of AGB and AGBAD will serve as a painful reminder of the dark times that once hovered over our community. We conquered that time and we CAN CONQUER THEM IF WE DO WHAT NAD SAYS " TOGETHER... WE MOVE FOWARD". Like Ella Mae Lentz said in her AGBell: Elephant in the Deaf Room blog, "Together, we MUST THROW OUT THE ELEPHANT OUT OF OUR LIVES! " We have to work hard together and fight for what we cherish dearly, ASL and celebrate ASL everyday of our lives!

Don’t give up

Dedicated to Rhonda Jennings, and other teachers who believed in me

When you feel downright lousy
When you are low
When it seems like the world is falling apart
When you feel like your dreams is beyond repair
And you are ready to surrender
Don’t give up Don’t give up

I have something to tell you
You may think you have lost the battle
You haven’t lost the war yet.
Keep on fighting
Fight until the last breath
Don’t give up Don’t give up

Mmmmm Nope
Its not time to surrender
There is no time and place to surrender
There never will be a time to give up
I believe in you, oh yeah I believe in you
Don’t give up don’t give up just yet

Just don’t let your fear get in the ways of your dreams
Don’t let it take over your life
You are stronger than your fears
Unlock your potentials and don’t let them go to waste
Don’t give up don’t give up just yet
You can do it
Fight with your might
Victory is yours if you work hard and never give up
Don’t let go of your goals
It’s right there beside victory
You can reach it if you believe you can
I believe in you, oh yeah I believe in you
Don’t give up don’t give up just yet

Deaf Culture

Imagine living in a world in which you have not heard a single sound, not even lyrics from romantic songs. Imagine describing your feelings with only hands. Loud claps are replaced with waving hands. Imagine not having a verbal voice. Imagine learning about the world, how things work, chemical reactions only through your eyes. Imagine being in a world that is muted and loud. How is it possible to have a world that is muted and loud? It is possible because not a word is spoken from tongues but expressed in rapid movements of the hands. Our body language is loud and sprinkled with facial expressions. We have a language of our own that is a treasure to our culture. The world I am speaking of is the Deaf Culture. Deaf Culture, like other cultures, has it's own traditions, moral,values, etiquette, and beliefs. The people in Deaf Culture call themselves Deaf, note the capitalized D. I will update my blog often with more information on Deaf Culture in America and ASL. I am proud to be a Deafie! For more information contact me at my email mentioned in my profile.