Portfolio Part 1

This image to me implies that deaf people need to change themselves. Being deaf isn't good enough and they won't fit in with other people unless they are like everyone else. 

This is a long but incredible video where the man shares his experiences as a deaf person in a hearing family. Throughout the video he implies that his family will not accept him and learn sign language. Therefore, as a deaf person, he is being forced to conform and try to read lips. This is another great example of deaf having to change who they are to fit everyone else's needs because they are different.

I actually played a video like this in a presentation I gave in a class before. I asked the class (all hearing) what their impressions were as a hearing culture and the responses I received were that she was less intelligent, missing something in her life and that she did not fit in. 

This picture really tugs at my heart strings because it's showing that deaf children are not accepted for who they are. Many people these days are teaching their hearing child sign language before they can speak but when deaf children go to school they do not always get an interpreter and are forced to read lips instead of communicating in their own way. 

Deaf Poetry

My favorite poem from this site that describes how the deaf are often treated is this one:

This poem was written by a deaf person who in their family was forced to communicate in the same way everyone else did

Thoughts of a Deaf Child
My family knew that I was deaf
When I was only three, and since then fifteen years ago
Have never signed to me.
I know when I'm around the house,
I try and use my voice,
It makes them feel more comfortable;
For me, I have no choice.
I try, communicate their way-
Uncomfortable for me.
My parents wouldn't learn sign
Ashamed or apathy?
I never cared about the sound of radios and bands;
What hurts me most is, I never heard
My parents' signing hands.

My favorite poem from this site that describes how the deaf are often treated is this one:

This poem was written by a deaf person who in their family was forced to communicate in the same way everyone else did. The website has several similar poems. This artifact is another experience from a deaf person of when they were forced to be like everyone else and no accommodations were made to help them succeed

Deaf Websites/Information

This website is actually an information place where people can go to learn more about the deaf culture. This website sends a message that their is hope in the future and that the deaf don't have to be the unknown culture because we can educate ourselves.

2. These messages send out to teachers that they are incompetent and that they are difficult to deal with because you have to make special accommodations for them. Because they are being pre-judged they don't have a chance to be themselves in the classroom, they are always looked at as a burden. 

3. It is important for teachers to know they stereotypes that come with each culture so they know how to help their other students better understand how to treat them. I think it would also help the teacher to set aside judgement and treat them with the respect that they deserve as well.