Georgia State University Series: Early Intervention with Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

1
Georgia State University SeriesEarly
Intervention with Children who are Deaf and Hard
of Hearing

• Part 1, Presentation 5
• July 2001

2
Deaf Culture

• Dr. Easterbrooks
• Group 1
• Week 2

3
What defines Deaf Culture?

• Socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts,
  beliefs, institutions and all other products of
  human works and thoughts.
• (American Heritage Dictionary, third edition,
  1992)
• People who are Deaf form a community, finding
  within it not just social interaction, but
  emotional support. It is not so much a
  geographical community, as one held together by a
  common language American Sign Language.
• http//www.aidb.org/aidb/deaf.inf.asp

4
What are the elements of "Deaf Culture?"

• ASL used for communication
• Pride in Deaf history and culture
• Label oneself as capital D Deaf and use the
  lower-case deaf to refer to medical deafness
• View deafness as a social rather than a medical
  condition
• Usually attend or attended state residential
  school for the deaf where ASL was used

5
Continued

• May be opposed to cochlear implants
• May belong to Deaf Clubs for socialization
• Deaf theatre, poetry, jokes, sports,
  storytelling, art, and even music.
• Magazines, journals, and books written by and
  about Deaf people and devoted to Deaf interest
  and concerns.
• Peripherals such as TTYs, Closed Caption
  decoders, flashing alarms, etc.
• http//veritas.nizkor.org/kmcvay/hearing.html

6
What are the positive associations with the Deaf
Community?

• Ease with which peer communication is developed
• Higher self-esteem and better social skills
• Being able to associate with other individuals
  with a common bond
• Having strength in numbers
• http//hearmemo.tripod.com/deafcult.htm

7
Who can be considered part of the Deaf Community?

• Deaf People who use ASL as their main form of
  communication
• Children of Deaf Parents
• Sign Language Interpreters
• Teachers of the Deaf
• Others who have a place in the community
• http//www.chs.ca/resources/vibes/1998/july98/deaf
  .htm

8
A brief History of Deaf Culture

• Early 1800s, Rev. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
  traveled to Europe seeking effective teaching
  methods for educating deaf children.
• Gallaudet returned with Laurent Clerc, a deaf
  teacher from the Paris Institute for the Deaf.
• Gallaudet learned sign language for reasons of
  bringing the gospel to deaf people.
• Sign language was brought from Paris by Clerc,
  commingled with sign languages deaf students
  brought from across the country---and out of this
  mix came modern American Sign Language.

Laurent Clerc
Thomas H. Gallaudet
http//depts.gallaudet.edu/deafeyes/community.html
9
Communication/Language Options

• ASL
• Signed English
• Cued Speech
• Oral/Auditory Oral
• Total Communication
• Speech reading
• Finger spelling
• http//www.aidb.org/aidb.deaf-info.asp

10
What role has technology played in recent deaf
culture?

• Internet
• Closed Captioning
• TTY/TDD devices
• Interpreter
• Visual Ring Signaler
• Message-Relay Service

11
Deaf people are using technology to their
advantage.

• The use of new communications technology, along
  with the increased awareness of discriminatory
  practices, have reduced many barriers. The
  internet has drastically reduced communication
  barriers.

12
Deaf use Closed Captioning to enjoy television
programs and movies.

• Many technological developments have served to
  bring oral and signing deaf people together in
  common cause. For example, an array of
  professional, social, and political action
  organizations of and for deaf people worked
  together to ensure passage of the Television
  Decoder Circuitry Act in 1993, which required all
  new television sets with screens 13 inches or
  larger to incorporate closed captioning
  technology.

13
TTYs/TDD devices allow deaf people to communicate
by phone.

• The printed word also makes it possible for deaf
  people to use the telephone by using a TDD
  (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf.) A deaf
  person can call another person with a TDD.
  Instead of talking, the two people type to each
  other.

14
Message Relay Service

• If a hearing person is being called by a deaf
  person on a TTY/TDD machine, there is a
  message-relay service available. The relay
  service operator types the messages to the person
  who is deaf and speaks to the hearing person.

15
The use of interpreters allows deaf people to
converse with the hearing world.

• An interpreter is a deaf persons ears and
  sometimes a deaf persons voice. The interpreter
  listens and tells the deaf person what is spoken
  by all the people in the room. If the deaf
  person chooses not to talk, the interpreter may
  also speck the deaf persons message.

16
Visual Ring Signaler

• A device called a Visual Ring signaler can be
  hooked up to the telephone and a lamp, which will
  blink when the telephone rings. A similar device
  can be connected to the doorbell, or to a baby
  monitor to alert parents when a baby is crying.
  Another device might shake the bed when it is
  time to get up, instead of ringing an audible
  alarm.

17
What do you need to know about Deaf Etiquette?

• Deaf etiquette is very different in many ways
  from the etiquette of the hearing world. The
  Deaf way can be described as direct, expressive,
  and not shy at all. It is important to maintain
  eye contact, speak expressively, and feel free to
  use a pen and paper to communicate if necessary.

18
Waving Etiquette

• Acceptable

• Rude

Huge waving across a ball field is acceptable as
long as the people standing next to you are not
disturbed.
Creating visual noises by excessive waving in a
tiny room is very rude.
19
Touching Etiquette
The pressure of the tap implies urgency

• Non-Urgent

• Urgent

One light tap (two seconds) signals a non-urgent
message.
Repeated tapping (two to three quick taps)
signals urgency.
20
Eye Contact Etiquette

• Acceptable for Hearing People

• Acceptable for Deaf People

Ending a conversation is signaled through
comments explaining why it is time to leave,
without breaking eye contact.
Breaking eye contact in a spoken conversation can
be a polite, yet quick signal that it is time to
leave.
21
Using an interpreter Dos
Interaction Tips

• Speak directly to the Deaf person.
• Allow the interpreter to stand or sit close to
  you so that the Deaf individual can see you and
  the interpreter at the same time.
• Look at the Deaf person, not the interpreter.
• Speak at a normal rate of speech and make your
  statements clear.

22
Using an Interpreter Donts

• Say things to the interpreter that you dont want
  repeated to the Deaf Person.
• Ask the interpreter for his/her opinions about
  the Deaf person.
• Hold personal conversations with the interpreter.
• Stop to watch or to wait for the interpreter to
  begin signing.

23
Glossary
ASL- American Sign Language (ASL) is a manual
language distinct from spoken English. It has
its own syntax and grammar, and is the second
most common language in the United States. Its
history began in France in the late 1700s, and
brought to the U.S. in 1815 by Thomas Hopkins
Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. ASL is used as an
expressive language, and written English is used
to communicate with the hearing world. This
communication method is also referred to as
ASL/ESL or Bilingual/Bicultural. Like any living
language, ASL continues to evolve.   Auditory-Ver
bal - a program which emphasizes auditory
skills. Children are taught to develop listening
skills through individual therapy focusing on
using any remaining or residual hearing with the
help of amplification. Because this method is
designed to encourage a childs listening
ability, no manual communication is used and the
child is discouraged from using any visual
cues.   Cochlear Implant - a form of assistive
device for the deaf which requires surgery to
implant a device which is then connected to a
receiver outside the ear. It allows people to
experience the sensation of sound, but does not
restore normal hearing. The person can hear
environmental sounds better, and hear rhythms and
patterns of speech and use speech reading or lip
reading more effectively.
24
Glossary continued
 Cued Speech a visual communication system
using eight hand shapes or cues to represent
different sounds of speech. The cues are used
while talking to make spoken language clear to
the person who is deaf or hard of hearing. The
cues help the listener distinguish between sounds
that look the same on the lips.   deaf - with a
lowercase d, this term refers to individuals
who have a medical/audio logical condition of
having little or no hearing. This term does not
have any implication of the individuals cultural
or community involvement.   Deaf - with an
uppercase D, this term refers to individuals
who identify themselves as Deaf and share a
culture and community, not just a medical
condition. Deaf people dont want to be fixed
and would not prefer to hear. Usually their
preferred mode of communication is Sign
Language.   Finger spelling - using the manual
sign language alphabet to spell out words and/or
phrases as a form of communication
25
Glossary continued.

•  Interpreter - a sign language interpreter is a
  person who facilitates communication between
  Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing people.
  Professional Sign Language interpreters are
  usually knowledgeable in the language and culture
  of both Deaf and hearing people.
•   Message Relay Service - a service for deaf
  and hearing people who need to talk via
  telephone. The relay service operator types the
  messages to the person who is deaf and speaks to
  the hearing person. People without a TDD can
  call the relay operator to make a TDD call, too.
  
•   Oral/Auditory Oral - a program that teaches
  people to maximize the use of their residual
  hearing though amplification by the use of
  hearing aids, cochlear implants, or an FM system.
  It also stresses the use of speech reading to
  help communication. Any sign language use is
  discouraged although natural gestures my be used.
• Signed English - the use of the manual alphabet
  to spell out each spoken word

26
Glossary continued
 Total Communication - a philosophy emphasizing
the use of any and all methods of communication.
Students may be exposed to signed English, finger
spelling, natural gestures, speech reading, body
language, oral speech and amplification devices.
The goal is to communicate and teach vocabulary
and language by any practical method.   TTY or
TDD - a telecommunications device for the deaf
that hooks up to a telephone and has a keyboard
and a small screen across its face. The user
dials a number and lays the receiver inside the
TDD. The person on the other end of the line
types text which scrolls across the screen of the
TDD. The user can type his or her response, and
the conversation continues. If the person being
called does not have a TDD, most states have a
relay service.   Visual Ring Signaler - is a
device that can be hooked up to the telephone and
a lamp, which will blink when the telephone
rings. A similar device can be connected to the
doorbell, or to a baby monitor to alert parents
when a baby is crying. Another device might
shake the bed when its time to get up, instead
of ringing an audible alarm.
27
Internet Resources www.iadeaf.k12.ia.us/news/hawk
eye_fall-/culture www.culturediversity.org/deaf.ht
m www.chs.ca/resources/vibes/1998/july98/deaf.htm
www.sas.calpoly.edu/drc/deaf.html www.expage.com/p
age/geisslera http//veritas.nizkor.org/kmcvay/he
aring.html www.aidb.org/aidb/deaf-info.asp www.beg
inningssvcs.com http//deafness.about.com www.bett
erhearing.org www.aslinfo.com http//www.nih.gov/n
ided www.mayohealth.org
28
Other Resources Humphries, T., Padden, C.
(1996) Deaf in America Voices from a Culture.
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Schein, J., (1995)
At Home Among Strangers. Gallaudet University
Press, Washington, D.C.