Deaf Culture
Deaf Culture | Mid-Term Paper | | Melissa Thompson | 3/7/2011 |
Abstract
This paper is a straight and direct look into the deaf culture. I have included a brief a factual observation on the deaf culture its self. Included are some general Cultural Norms. There is a simple and concise part of how the Deaf communicate. There is a medical perspective versus the cultural views on how people in general perceive the Deaf culture. In the conclusion I have added my own opinion on the facts and research for which I have come across.
What is Deaf culture?
The Deaf culture is best defined as a social group of people who consider deafness to be a difference in human experience. Most people believe it’s a disability, but it’s not. It is assumed that if you are deaf you are automatically included into the Deaf community, or if you are hearing you are automatically excluded from this group. Both of these statements are extremely false. The Deaf culture has many and exciting things to read about. Many of which being the way they come together as a whole, excluding no one. Really the ones that are being rejected are the deaf, which is why when deaf people are amongst other deaf people they have feelings of warmth and that they are right where they are supposed to be. “After dinner I was among strangers but knew I was at home”. (Lane, 1996, 69)
Cultural Norms
When Deaf people first meet, the initial goal is to find out where the other person is from and to identify the Deaf friends they may have in common, where they went to school, and if they have any deaf members in their families. When a Deaf person leaves a gathering of other Deaf people, the process is quite lengthy. In Deaf culture one approaches each group to say goodbye, which often results in further conversation. The entire process may take more than an hour to accomplish. This behavior may seem unusual; however, if we remember that Deaf culture highly values being interconnected with all of its
Abstract
This paper is a straight and direct look into the deaf culture. I have included a brief a factual observation on the deaf culture its self. Included are some general Cultural Norms. There is a simple and concise part of how the Deaf communicate. There is a medical perspective versus the cultural views on how people in general perceive the Deaf culture. In the conclusion I have added my own opinion on the facts and research for which I have come across.
What is Deaf culture?
The Deaf culture is best defined as a social group of people who consider deafness to be a difference in human experience. Most people believe it’s a disability, but it’s not. It is assumed that if you are deaf you are automatically included into the Deaf community, or if you are hearing you are automatically excluded from this group. Both of these statements are extremely false. The Deaf culture has many and exciting things to read about. Many of which being the way they come together as a whole, excluding no one. Really the ones that are being rejected are the deaf, which is why when deaf people are amongst other deaf people they have feelings of warmth and that they are right where they are supposed to be. “After dinner I was among strangers but knew I was at home”. (Lane, 1996, 69)
Cultural Norms
When Deaf people first meet, the initial goal is to find out where the other person is from and to identify the Deaf friends they may have in common, where they went to school, and if they have any deaf members in their families. When a Deaf person leaves a gathering of other Deaf people, the process is quite lengthy. In Deaf culture one approaches each group to say goodbye, which often results in further conversation. The entire process may take more than an hour to accomplish. This behavior may seem unusual; however, if we remember that Deaf culture highly values being interconnected with all of its