Pathological or Cultural?

Comments

August 7, 2006 at 12:01 pm

(1) Jared Evans says:

You have found many good tidbits on Deafness. Would it be possible for you to expand a bit more on how it could impact us as people? I would like to see something more than just one-liners and a link…

August 7, 2006 at 9:20 pm

(2) deafness says:

Not sure how I could expand on this. I’ll think about it. If you have any suggestions, send me an e-mail. Also, writing for the web is different from writing for other mediums. That is why I often write short and to the point.

August 11, 2006 at 8:48 pm

(3) Paul J Kiel says:

Jamie,

Thanks for asking that question about pathological or cultural?

I grew up in a hearing dominated society until I discovered the American Sign Language.

I was the first child in the family and my parents did not know what to do. It was way back in 1954 when my paternal grandfather discovered that I was unable to hear. It was after an accident in the backyard that lead to the discovery.

So for the next 52 years, I have been through patholical avenues. I have been prodded and probed. I have seen countless doctors who claim to have solutions. “My doctor told my parents that I was a retard and that I should be in institution. Another doctor recommended John Tracy Clinic. I was led around by my parents to several places like a couple of oral schools in a midwestern town.”

I had some exposure to signs and gestures as my grandmother was talkative person. She tried to relate words with comments like to say something - and she gestured. She remembered a deaf girl next door in her teens.

I was in trouble enough times for refusing to use my voice and I did continue to use gestures and signs despite countless times teachers and friends screamed at me to stop signing.

I did not enjoy the day when the teacher tried to force me to use my voice. I refused and she decided to use my mother and she acted like to punish her. I screamed and cried. The teacher laughed and was happy that I used my voice. She tried to make me use voice and she did even shake me when I refused. After several days, she got madder and I was crying. I was afraid and I was ready to wet my pants over that.

Another teacher used her ruler to slam on my palms when I continued to rebel and used gestures. I even stopped using my voice. She got madder and as she got closer to me….she was spitting in my face…I would have used the umbrella to stop her spitting saliva in my face.

My father blew his top and shouted in her face for abusing me. But there was no law for abuse in those days.

It was the incident when I was 12 that I saw deaf people pouring in a small town cafeteria and bus stop. It was a few blocks from the state school for the deaf. We were dropping off my deaf brother there. I was brainwashed to think oralism was better. I had attitude with deaf schools and ASL back then. It was because those doctors, counselors and so-called friends had been telling me for years that ASL was bad for you and I was told not to socialized with them. Some thought that the deaf were low class and mentally unstable.

So for their pathological attitudes, they wanted to cure deafness and they had condenscending (spell?) attitudes. They behaved like audists and they were very concerned about financial portfolios. This is why they use deafness as a gold mine to harvest the deaf community to their advantages. I rembember back in’70s when acupuncture was introduced from China. It was after Nixon’s successful foreign policy that opened up China to the world.

My mother thought it would be useful for me. I told her to save her money and I am happy being Deaf.

This was why I continued to do signing and not using my voice. I have been scolded enough times that everyone called me “troublemaker”. They wanted control and they wanted things the way they wanted. It is simply because of stupid Milan 1880 conference that spanned 126 years to today… That was pathological attitude that contributed to audism, paternalism, abuses and tokenism. I have seen it in many towns across the America the last 35 years.

As for cultural, it is heritage and a proud one. The more we know about our Deaf culture, our self-esteem and pride will swell. This is sorely lacking and we need more books, videos and stories to share to reduce audism. Tell us a story and how do you feel being Deaf?

To be Deaf or Not to be Deaf is up to you….it is a personal choice…do not let those in patholigical profession tell you otherwise. They are responsible for destroying the culture, self-esteem and our stakes in our proud Deaf culture.

This is something we all need to figure out and preservere the rights of our brothers and sisters in Deafhood…..
Margaret Mead visited Gallaudet College (now University) and told us that it is a culture thing and we will always have a culture to pass down. This is what inspired me and I look forward to continuing advocacy for our Deaf heritage…..here is my favorite quote borrowed from another adage (Evil spreads while good men do nothing!) Audism spreads while good Deaf people do nothing! Why allow 126 years of oppression? Get things politically right and reduce pathological attitudes and increase the respect for our culture! It all begins with you in your heart and mind! We can do it! Time to put them at bay!

Deafingly yours!

Paul J. Kiel

August 12, 2006 at 8:48 am

(4) Jo-Ann says:

What an interesting article. This is soemthing I first learned about while taking ASL courses at a local high school night course. I have a 40% bilateral hearing loss, likely since birth and I use two BTE hearing aids. I have always loved the beauty of the deaf language and as such began working on a 3 year diploma about 1.5 years ago.

It was sad to read Paul K’s story about the abuses he suffered simply for not being able to hear. I have to say though that that was a long time ago and thank God parents of deaf children have many better choices now.

If you look at the past left handed people were also treated badly i.e. tying up the left hand so they couldn’t use it, being slapped with a ruler when they used their left hand, being called the devil’s spawn etc etc. This is just one example of how ignorance hurt our children.

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. We now have so many more options and our knowledge is so much better. And continues to improve daily.

My problem with the pathological/cultural divide is that I have always believed that we need to integrate and work together. If I, as a deaf person, wish to be financially and spiritually independent I must learn to integrate into the “hearing” world. As far as I know there are no deaf grocery stores, banks, drug stores, etc where all of the staff are deaf. This is just a fact of life. I truly believe if I can integrate and bring my signing skills out there then I can be of service to the deaf community as well by providing the services they need in their “language”

I believe we, the deaf, need to place ourselves out there proudly and with enthusiasm. So many people need access to various services and are forced to rely on an interpreter. I know where I live there are not enough of those to go around. If more of us put ouraelves out there and are “heard” there is a better chance that our children will have better opportunities and will have to face less ignorance.

I don’t believe that teaching our children to integrate is making them appear “normal” I believe it is giving them a chance to be independent, successful and happy. And after all isn’t that what a loving parent wants?

August 13, 2006 at 9:29 am

(5) sandra says:

this is my first time on here.i love the story…..i have a cousin thats lives with me for “5 years now”he was born deaf and cannot talk.well i will talk more on this site later for i got a call from a hospt. 1hr away that my cousin “tommy lee” was attmitted to that day i called and and no one would tell me anything till i come and get a password.the bad thing about it is i couldnt call and talk to him for he is deaf.anyway i got to take off and see him now.oh yes i know asl.