Journey to Deaf Identity

Being stronger than bullies
Journey to Deaf Identity It has been more than 25 years ago when I had been bullied, throughout elementary to high school. Just to think that it had been that long ago, yet we still have bullies skulking in hallways of schools even in 2008, looking for prey which would be children/adolescents who could not protect themselves, or be protected by friendships or authority. Just to think about w...
Art and Storytelling Education Thu, Aug 07 2008 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

So far, so good
Journey to Deaf Identity I'm doing well in graduate school, although a bit amused with teenagers here for 'summer camps' running around on campus (and pulling fire alarms- no difference between hearing and deaf kids when it comes to pulling fire alarms!) I'm officially a second-year graduate student, since I passed the quals (or if one prefers, comps), as I found out this week. I'm staying ...
Higher Education Language Tech Culture Thu, Jun 26 2008 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Cabs in NYC
Journey to Deaf Identity I gotta ask y'all something related to the taxis in New York City. Recently, I went to NYC for a weekend. I know I had a week for spring break, but dang it..assignments and papers for graduate classes. So, a weekend it was. Anyway- several times throughout the weekend, we tried to hail for a cab after exhausting walks/late night-not-want-to-use-subway-in-wee-hours. ...
Language Audism Sat, Mar 22 2008 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

A-to-Z story; Deaf storytelling.
Journey to Deaf Identity I went to "Deaf World Odyssey" a play, written/directed by Angela V. Farrand last Thursday with friends/classmate at Galluadet University. Due to growing up in the hearing world, I hadn't really understood much of Deaf culture, even when I was right smack in the Deaf world (working and studying among Deaf people) for years. This play helped so profoundly that at the e...
Higher Education Language Art and Storytelling Culture Sat, Mar 08 2008 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Danger to deaf children?
Journey to Deaf Identity I just read another article- how many articles are there now- probably in thousands if not in millions- of a child dead by abuse. This article is about a man being ANGRY that his baby was a FEMALE (can you imagine that- but that is not surprising, really); he would slap her under the ribs while she was sleeping for three-four months. The four-month girl baby died just...
Fri, Jan 11 2008 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

New journey today and Homecoming at Gallaudet.
Journey to Deaf Identity I was looking for something different to do but hadn't decided how different.I just needed a break from Gallaudet University and all the hours of studying. My new motto is "Take breaks or you will break." Many people offered ideas such as the Native American Museum at the Mall, Georgetown tattoo parlors (unique 'til you find you don't have sufficient money to get a ...
Higher Education Sun, Oct 21 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Gallaudet practicing Deafhood?
Journey to Deaf Identity The reason I ask this question is what I had seen since I came here in August and still see often if not daily is greatly disturbing me. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'd be happy to be told I'm wrong, trust me on this.. Deafhood values EVERYONE who are deaf, whether they wear cochlear implants, hearing aids, or none; speaks, signs, or uses both; being comfortable in bot...
Higher Education Language Audism Education Tue, Oct 02 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Just found out about A.G Bell in Colorado
Journey to Deaf Identity Reading some blogs on Deafread.com, I was startled to find that there is an A.G Bell conference in Colorado right now. Too bad I'm over here in Washington D.C, or I'd be marching around at the hotel. Harumph... I looked up who are sponsors or would be there at the conference, and I wasn't surprised to find Carson Elementary as well as Marion Downs Hearing Center on ...
Language Audism Education Sat, Sep 29 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Nice surprise at Starbucks!
Journey to Deaf Identity Mind you, I hadn't even gotten a sip of my coffee (must have coffee in morning or I'd be a goblin, mind you, not nice like those ones in "Lords of the Ring" movies) when I thought I recognized someone. So after he got his coffee, (nice to know I'm not the only one in wee hours of morning, needing coffee to wake up) I waved to get his attention and asked, "Are you Gary [...]
Education Culture Wed, Sep 12 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Several things I learned so far at Gallaudet
Journey to Deaf Identity It has been three weeks now (ALREADY??!!) since I came here to Gallaudet University as a graduate student for the mental health graduate program. *****Whew***** Before I came here, I thought I was well prepared. How little I know! Here are ten items I found out, or learned from other fellow graduates. 10. Even when the car was packed to the ceiling, I didn't get to [...]
Higher Education Culture Thu, Sep 06 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Observations about Issues in the Deaf Community
Journey to Deaf Identity Sorry for not writing much. I have been insanely busy with the graduate student orientation here at Galladuet University!These days I´m surfing through a lot of viewpoints on Deafread, thinking of the book "Train Go Sorry" that I just finished two days ago. What I read in that book can apply to so many entries of blogs on that network. Media and exposure. [...]
Media Higher Education Language Audism Education Tech Culture Wed, Aug 22 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

"Deaf Children at home and at school"
Journey to Deaf Identity Before I continue..wow, 100th post... Nifty.I couldn´t believe what I saw in mother´s shelves, so I had to read it and see how it has affected her upraising of me. It´s "Deaf Children at home and at school" by D.M.C Dale, published in London, 1969. I experienced a roller coaster of emotions reading the book, from laughter, contemplation, to anger, forth and back. [...]
Language Audism Education Sun, Aug 05 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Shared Reading Project
Journey to Deaf Identity As I said it in a comment at one blog tonight, there IS a program where hearing parents can interact with their deaf children and it will also help literacy. So I thought, why not write about it here on my blog? So... this program is provided by Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University- It's called Shared Reading Project. How it works is [...]
Higher Education Language Education Culture Wed, Aug 01 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

"That They Shall speak"
Journey to Deaf Identity A relative found this among junk in her attic and thought I'd want it back. I was puzzled since I never saw this before, a yellowed poster. So I unrolled it and went *gasp!* I tried to get more information about this, where this was developed and what organization this was to represent but the family relatives clammed up. Keep it in mind, no one in the family WANTS to [...]
Audism Sun, Jul 29 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Another flashback
Journey to Deaf Identity Today, reading about the demonstration at AGB convention, the comments left in several blogs, I had another flashback. *again?* Not this time about deaf children. It was about two deaf adults I know personally. One friend and one relative. Both `hard of hearing´ (they said so) with hearing aids and CI. Names had been changed to protect their identities, so I respect [...]
Audism Sun, Jul 29 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Positive Exposure
Journey to Deaf Identity Reading several blogs about ASL vs AGB, I couldn't help remembering two unique encounters I had with children with CIs. There was a cute little girl, a friend and I met at a candy store last year as well as a toddler boy 6 at an airport six years ago. I need to point out the differenes of those encounters. There were children with CIs, true and they are raised by [...]
Culture Thu, Jul 26 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

What do Victim Advocates do?
Journey to Deaf Identity What do Victim Advocates (VAs) do, especially for agencies working with deaf victims of domestic violence and sexual assault? I thought to give you an unique perception into what one can experience. I had been a VA in the past and I thought, "why not let people know what it's like, and maybe there'd be more volunteers for the agencies?" That'd be wonderful! Mind [...]
Wed, Jul 18 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Perils of interpreters through family!
Journey to Deaf Identity I want to talk about two incidents I went through. They may be considered hilarious, sad or frustrating, depending on your interpretation! Take your pick! It was more than fifteen years ago when my grandpa died of heart complications. I was relieved when the family said, "don't worry. We got an interpreter for the memorial\funeral." Whewww! At the church, I was [...]
Language Wed, Jul 18 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Child Abuse? Part 2
Journey to Deaf Identity Part 2:I have encountered a deaf woman that I will never forget; she used her SSI to buy cigarettes, drugs and comic books, while neglecting her 4 children. I had seen her house and what it´s like inside. It´s very much a dump, with dirty clothes here and there in piles, cats using them as litter boxes. Cigarette butts all over the coffee table, floor and [...]
Culture Sun, Jun 03 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Child Abuse? Part 1
Journey to Deaf Identity I realize that I may have stepped on a fireant hill by writing this article but I HAD TO. I wrote it a "tad too long" so I'm going to break it into two pieces. It is about child abuse in the deaf community. I wrote about it because of the issue of considering CIs for children as "child abuse." You're welcome to disagree with me; you have that right. Here we [...]
Culture Sun, Jun 03 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

ASL and Deaf training for Police in Denver
Journey to Deaf Identity I was pleased to read the article presented in an internet newsletter today that I had to ask permission from Lorrie Kosinski, who is a certified sign language interpreter for Denver Commision for People with Disabilities to reprint her article here. I feel this is an excellent example why police CAN be trained to work with the Deaf community! We only need to have [...]
Education Fri, May 25 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Cops- no difference!
Journey to Deaf Identity According to some bloggers, cops are very nasty to deaf individuals. I take that with a grain of salt because we don't know the other side of the stories. One deaf guy could be on drugs and show attitude to a cop that comes to check on a call that someone is being hostile at a club, hence that deaf guy may say that the cop targeted him; never mind that he SHOWED an [...]
Audism Fri, May 04 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Miracle Ear commerical
Journey to Deaf Identity I happened to walk into the den, when I saw someone gesturing on television. I looked up and saw it was a child- she signed, "Hello, My name is Alana. I was born deaf." I was pleasantly surprised but then what she said then, sunk my stomach. She said that she asked her mother why deaf people don't wear hearing aids. "They don't like how a hearing aid looks on them." [...]
Audism Tech Mon, Apr 30 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Favorable results for Deaf?
Journey to Deaf Identity When I read C's comment on Mishka Zena's blog about his challenge about court cases involving deaf people and whether or not they got favorable results, I can think of one. I wrote a paper about him- Donald Lang. It's difficult to get information, but I was fortunate to find an out-of-print copy of "Dummy"(non-fiction) by Ernest Tidyman who did research about [...]
Legal Sun, Apr 29 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Journey to Deaf Identity Yeah, that's what Morgan Pozgar, 13, typed in fifteen seconds to win $25,000 dollars on her sidekick (from the photo I could tell.) I have to wonder if there were any deaf participants in that contest! She said that she send out more than 8000 text messages to her family and friends- in which when I read that, I was thinking, "what is the average numbers of messages a [...]
Media Tech Mon, Apr 23 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Disability Soapbox
Journey to Deaf Identity I don't know if this would apply to the deaf community but I would hope that it will give some of you some enlightment how to work with disabled people who may be deaf or hearing. Now at some requests due to legal issues, I am not going to tell about what happened to me and what caused my permanent/temporary disabilities. When I get the ok, I will write it in a [...]
Thu, Mar 29 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

What else? Deafness and domestic violence.
Journey to Deaf Identity Reading Mishka Zena and Berke Outspoken's blogs about Tallie's death (and domestic violence)I had to say something. I am a volunteer for an agency in which I will not name to protect my identity. (Sure you know my picture but you don't know my real name and that's the main goal.) Anyway, back to the point. I think Berke has it close on why the media jumped on Wright [...]
Fri, Mar 16 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Interpreters and Tattoos
Journey to Deaf Identity Earlier today I was asked *again* by mother if I'd think about laser removal of my tattoos, and I said "NO" *again*. That reminded me of the day she found out about my tattoo and I had a quirky smile. So I thought to tell you all what happened.It was planned for mother to stay with me while after gallbladder removal for a few days. So we all enjoyed London, England [...]
Thu, Mar 01 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Silent Rituals
Journey to Deaf Identity I learned of silent rituals while attending Emunimon(please correct me, I am suspecting I?m misspelling it) a Maryland Pagan expo/workshops in 1998 or 1999. It was nice enough of the expo to provide ASL interpreters when I asked! I looked through the schedule of workshops and I thought ?Silent Ritual? sounded intriguing. I attended the workshop and I immediately [...]
Tue, Feb 06 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Aspirations encouraged by an encounter with a Deaf teacher.
Journey to Deaf Identity When I read the article about Susan Elliot, I wasn't surprised about her accomplishments. She was one of teachers I had while I was in high school. Damned proud of her! [link] I grew up with the belief that once deaf persons become adults, they are put somewhere or put to sleep. (Odd [...]
Fri, Feb 02 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Looks like a busy week.
Journey to Deaf Identity Will be off to a two-day HIV training which is Client-Centered 1:1 Interventions starting tomorrow and finishing Wednesday. 9am to 5pm, which would be very tough on my leg. If I sit too long, my leg stiffens up. (Slow recovery from surgery and damage from hit-and-run.) I had taken that training before last year or was that two years ago? I had lost track, but they [...]
Tue, Jan 30 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Limited Deaf resources on HIV/AIDS and Poll
Journey to Deaf Identity I have been thinking about this for a few days... I am not sure if there have been a poll out there to ask THIS question "Do you think HIV/AIDS exist in the deaf community?" among the deaf community in the United States. A lot of agencies had services set up for the deaf about HIV prevention then died out in a few years because of low turnout and insufficent numbers [...]
Fri, Jan 26 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Where are they?
Journey to Deaf Identity I have been reading some articles about prostitution out there in the world and yes it includes the United States. For folks who do not understand what the word prostitution means: it means selling your body(intercourse or other sexual behaviors for money or other tangible goals like drugs. There have been statistics on arrest numbers of prostitutes (female and males) [...]
Thu, Jan 25 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Disasters within disasters for the disabled community.
Journey to Deaf Identity
Wed, Jan 17 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Passion of Mental Health
Journey to Deaf Identity
Tue, Jan 16 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post

Communication Access during Disasters and after.
Journey to Deaf Identity
Tue, Jan 16 2007 hide this blog flag post bookmark post