Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses

Why I’m walking out of DVTV (and DeafRead)(
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode442", false); (Transcript of video) Last week, I announced that audism should not be considered acceptable, and gave Tayler one week to change his “R-list” to include audism within that list.  That hasn't happened.  Our society recognizes c...
Fri, Sep 18 2009

When did you first become aware of Audism?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode436", false); Some people seem to think Deaf activism comes from Deaf people from Hearing families who have experienced frustration in their lives with Hearing people.  They think Deaf people from Deaf families do not experience these frustrations, so do not...
Sun, Aug 30 2009

New Deaf-centered mural at CSD-F!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode431", false); One of the teachers at the school taught his students about Keith Haring's art and had them create art from a Deaf perspective with Haring's style.  He then compiled the drawings into a mural format and painted one of the school bui...
Tue, Aug 25 2009

Hearing aids, shmearing aids!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode426", false); Growing up, I wore hearing aids all the time, and would feel nervous if I was unable to wear them for some reason.  Then I decided to try taking them off for a while, and realized that I could do just fine without [...]
Mon, Aug 24 2009

The value of cultural traditions
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode419", false); I just saw a joke which I retell here and discuss the meaning and implications behind the joke. For YouTube Version: Click Here
Wed, Aug 19 2009

Come to Purple Communications’ Dream Bigger event this...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode416", false); I've vlogged about Purple Communications' “Dream Bigger” contest.  This Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Ramon, CA Marriott Hotel, there will be an event to honor Ella Mae Lentz, one of the nominees.  Co...
Tue, Aug 18 2009

ASL is “nonverbal”?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode390", false); I love doing crossword puzzles.  Recently, I did the USA Today puzzle, and one of the clues was “communicates nonverbally?”.  At first I took it as kind of a cute thing, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to [...]
Fri, Aug 07 2009

Deaf vs. “ASL Person”: Does personal experience explain the...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode394", false); I've discussed how I feel more “Deaf” when in settings where non-signing Hearing people are in the majority, while I do not feel “different” when I am among Deaf people.  While thinking about that, I got to thinkin...
Thu, Aug 06 2009

Must we wear our Deaf identities on our sleeves?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode402", false); Recently, “TheKoobifora” posed the question of desiring to have a word to describe someone (like herself) who is Deaf, has an identity as a Deaf person, but does not wish to actively “wear her Deaf heart on her sleeve”. ...
Wed, Aug 05 2009

What’s under the “hood”?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode404", false); I have noticed some people seem to have a problem with the concept of Deafhood based on the connotations or semantics (meanings) of the -hood suffix.  As a linguist, I explain what this suffix means (having a condition, character or certain sta...
Tue, Aug 04 2009

“A World of Thanks”: My speech at the International Day of...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode387", false); Last year in Sacramento, I was one of the speakers at the International Day of Sign Languages celebration held at the State Capitol.  In anticipation of this year's International Day of Sign Languages to be held Thursday, September 24, 20...
Mon, Aug 03 2009

Can we ever feel “Deafless”?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode382", false); After a camping trip with my son's Hearing Cub Scout pack this weekend, I got to thinking about whether I can ever feel “Deafless”.  I realized that I can and do at times, however, the answer of when this would happen may surp...
Wed, Jul 29 2009

Identity: Can we be “Deafless”?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode379", false); Some people seem to think identity, or components of our identities, can be simply “removed” or suppressed.  In this vlog, I explain what “identity” is, and how all parts of our identities make up who we are. For YouTube...
Tue, Jul 28 2009

Let’s get Dummy Hoy into the National Capitol!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode364", false); One of my friends from High School has been trying for many years to get William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy, one of the earliest Deaf pro baseball players, into the national Baseball Hall of Fame.  The state of Ohio is now looking to rep...
Fri, Jul 17 2009

What’s wrong with SimCom?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode353", false); Another summer, more journal reading!  I have seen a lot of research on “SimCom” (”Simultaneous Communication”), and why it is not effective because the signs get dropped or do not follow ASL grammar. This study verifies...
Sat, Jul 11 2009

Deaf adults? We don’t need no stinkin’ Deaf adults!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode343", false); Ever since my vlog “I understand the CI!  The child IS Deaf!“, I have been bothered by the attitude of some parents who seem to reject us as Deaf adults who have something to teach them and their children about the experience of [.....
Wed, Jul 08 2009

AFA: Is going through the FDA to investigate cochlear...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode337", false); The organization “Audism-Free America” (AFA) recently circulated a petition to encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin an independent investigation into the effectiveness of the cochlear implant for young Deaf chil...
Sat, Jul 04 2009

If Michael Jackson “belongs to Black people”, then what...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode332", false); This morning, when I picked up my newspaper, I saw this article on the front page, in which Jamie Foxx honored Michael Jackson, saying “Michael Jackson belongs to us, and we shared him with you”.  My immediate thought was, “If...
Tue, Jun 30 2009

The Monk and the General: A Parable
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode329", false); One of my viewers, “Trying Hard to Understand” recently shared with me this Zen parable that I tell here in this vlog.  Like the poem “If“, this parable has a good lesson in it for all of us in the Deaf community as [......
Mon, Jun 22 2009

“If” by Rudyard Kipling (translated into ASL)
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode324", false); While preparing for the DCARA V/Blog symposium next week, I thought of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling.  My mother had read the poem to me a long time ago, and in rereading it, I thought it has something that we can all [...]
Wed, Jun 17 2009

Purple’s Dream Bigger Campaign: My vote
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode320", false); Purple Communications is holding a contest for us to cast our vote for a person to be honored as a “Trailblazer of the Year”.  Each nominee has chosen a charity that will receive $10,000.  Watch the vlog to see who I'm voting ...
Mon, Jun 15 2009

Breaking News: Riot at DCARA V/Blog Symposium!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode313", false); We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special report on the riot that happened at the DCARA V/Blog Symposium.   (Note: No v/bloggers were harmed during the production of this vlog) (Editorial note: The opinions exp...
Sat, Jun 13 2009
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How mainstreamed education is failing Deaf students:...
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode308", false); Recently, a parent of a Deaf child informed me about her child's school district's attempts to recruit people to become interpreters for their school district.  While it is true that there is a shortage of interpreters all around, t...
Tue, Jun 09 2009

I understand the CI! Part II: The CI kid IS Deaf!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode302", false); I recently had the opportunity to go on my daughter's end-of-the field trip to a bowling alley.  It so happens that my daughter's class has a girl with a CI in it, and that girl was in the group my daughter was bowling [...]
Thu, Jun 04 2009

I understand the CI, really, I do!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode295", false); I've been in discussions with NACPAC, a Deaf person from a Deaf family who has a child with a CI.  She sent me this description of the CI from the perspective of her child's Speech-Language Pathologist, who also knows ASL.  I have n...
Thu, Jun 04 2009

Is this person talking about Deaf people?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode61", false); I just read this article in Newsweek in which an advocate for his group made some comments.  I will show you the quotes, and you can try to guess whether he is talking about Deaf people or not.  It was a very interesting [...]
Tue, Jun 02 2009

The system protects the victims, but….
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode289", false); I recently made a vlog that illustrated perfectly why oralism is a failure for so many Deaf people.  However, the school for the Deaf asked me to remove the vlog in order to protect the confidentiality of the student and out of concerns [...]
Mon, Jun 01 2009

Guru, Shmuru!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode269", false); I saw The Deaf Jeff's vlog about “gurus” and wanted to comment, but I cannot remember what my username or password was for DVTV.  So here is my comment, and although it was half serious, it is more relevant to all of us in [.....
Fri, May 22 2009

Retraction…..
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses Some of you expressed concerns about my mentioning the name of the school and a situation involving the school.  Although I did not give any names of the students involved, the school has expressed a concern about confidentiality issues.  At their request, I have deleted my vlog, “What's wrong with Oralism and the Oralist Agenda”. [...]
Mon, May 18 2009

What’s wrong with Oralism and the Oralist Agenda
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode264", false); In this last week, my wife and her team teacher (teaching 2nd grade) at the California School for the Deaf had to make the decision to send a boy back to his home school district, even though this boy was a good candidate [...]
Mon, May 18 2009

Hearing parents: The big GUILT trip
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode259", false); In my last few v/blogs, I have been discussing the CI in terms of how the SYSTEM promotes and encourages the implantation of Deaf people, not attacking implantees or their parents.  Yet, parents are writing back with something of a defensive at...
Fri, May 08 2009

To the Hearing mothers (and Dads, too!)
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses In my last two vlogs, Miss Kat's Mom commented, challenging my opposition to the cochlear implant with the question, “is it about you, or is it about what's right for the children?”.  I responded: As Shel told you last time, (and she was correct), it is not about me — it is about those Deaf children [...]
Wed, May 06 2009

When is a “tool” not a tool?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode232", false); Tools are useful things.  But it is important to look at the motivation behind a tool — not only how it is used, but why it was developed.  A gun is a tool whose only purpose is to hurt or kill living things. [...]
Fri, May 01 2009

The Cochlear Implant is here to stay!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode233", false); The Cochlear Implant is here to stay!  So just shut up, accept it and move on!  This is a refrain that I keep seeing around Deaf Read (most recently by HarleyLady and Amy Cohen Efron).  Here is my response to this idea.
Mon, Apr 27 2009
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Criticizing C.I. = Criticizing C.I. users?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode224", false); Deaf people have consistently criticized the Cochlear Implant as a manifestation of audist assumptions that Deaf people need to hear, as well as its implied attack on Deaf culture, language, identity and community.  Yet, many people, like MM ha...
Mon, Apr 20 2009
ASLforLife liked this

Racism, Audism & Social Control
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses      According to Dictionary.Com, Racism is defined as: 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. 2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctri...
Sat, Apr 11 2009
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DBC and AFA: The wrong approach?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode202", false); People have been criticizing DBC and AFA for their approach in holding rallies and protests targeting the AGB Association.  This morning, I came across an article in Newsweek magazine which had a quote by Frederick Douglass, the anti-slavery or...
Mon, Apr 06 2009
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When is a word not a word?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses There has been quite a bit of discussion over the legitimacy of the word “audism” due to its absence from any “official” dictionary.  According to Merriam-Webster Online, words get into the dictionary, starting with dictionary editors reading a wide variety of material, and making note of words that are of interest.  They then start researching...
Sat, Apr 04 2009

In support of AFA
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode195", false); Here is a short video I made in support of AFA.
Fri, Apr 03 2009
Deafeye liked this

What’s wrong with DeafRead?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses This morning, I wrote a blog about a certain individual's highly erroneous and misleading statements about the origins of the word audism and why his statements are wrong.  The title of my blog was satirical of the title of his posting (as well as implying that he was lacking a certain something).  The blog was placed in [...]
Fri, Apr 03 2009

The Dolphins and the Sharks: A fable in two acts
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode176", false); Here I tell the fable of two sharks named Blagel and Damius and a dolphin named Feyad who leaves the pod to go off and “do his own thing”.  Watch for the surprise ending!   (P.S. I'm wearing this shirt in support of the Arizon...
Fri, Mar 27 2009
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Are neutral sources of information truly “neutral”?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode171", false); On Jodi's blog, she and some other commenters mentioned sources of information that they like that they view as being “neutral” in their perspective on what they tell about Deaf educational issues.  I recently received a copy ...
Sun, Feb 08 2009

Jabberwocky Reimagined: In honor of Eric Malzkuhn (”Malz”)
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode155", false); One year ago at this time, a great Deaf man, Eric Malzkuhn passed away.  He was a great teacher, actor, friend and human being.  Over 50 years ago, he translated the poem “Jabberwocky” into ASL, unwittingly identifying principles of...
Sun, Jan 11 2009

Another New Year, another discriminatory law!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime by: vPIP Embed (copy & paste): close vPIP_setVisible("divEmbedCode109", false); Happy New Year! Looking forward to 2009? Let's hope it's better than 2008! But in one way, 2009 will NOT be better than 2008. Why? There is a new law starting January 1st which discriminates against Deaf people. [...]
Sun, Dec 28 2008

Oralism is literally torture!
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses I read this article, “The Biscuit Breaker” in the Oct. 27, 2008 edition of Newsweek which mentions how at Guantanamo Bay, psychologists have been called in to try to “break” the prisoners brought in from Afghanistan and Iraq.  One technique that was tried was to put a prisoner who spoke one language in with prisoners who [...]
Wed, Dec 24 2008

Parental Rights vs. Parental Responsibilities
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses Parental Rights vs. Parental ResponsibilitiesThe discussion putting parental rights over Deaf children's rights has bothered me.  During my drive to work this week, I had the time (2 hours) to figure out why this bothers me.  In this vlog, I put parental rights into perspective.  Click on the link to see the vlog: Parental Rights [...]
Fri, Nov 07 2008

Are we non-people now?
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses QuickTime I haven't vlogged for a couple of weeks because I started back to school and have been busy catching up on a lot of stuff (and also because I've not been able to resolve a problem with my video player since I upgraded to this recent version of WordPress — if any of you use [...]
Sat, Oct 18 2008

Introduction to Deafhood: Overview and Key Terms
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses The Medical and Cultural models of Deaf people represented by the Museum metaphor (see “The Museum”) are elaborated upon here, and other key terms (”deafness”, “oppression”, “colonialization” and “subalterns”) are explained or expanded upon.  (18:49 mins.) Play Quicktime version
Sat, Aug 30 2008

Introduction to Deafhood: “The Museum”
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses The book opens with a metaphor of entering a museum about Deaf people.  The metaphorical story is retold here with a brief explanation of what the metaphor refers to. Play Quicktime version
Sat, Aug 30 2008

Act Now! LPGA & their new English proficiency rule
Dr. DonG.'s Deafhood Discourses This morning, I read my newspaper and saw this article (which can be seen in this link LPGA English Language Requirement) which states that the LPGA is requiring anyone who enters their tournaments to be able to show proficiency in English.  This requirement is discriminatory to qualified golfers from around the world who may not [...]
Wed, Aug 27 2008