For day seven of Better Speech and Hearing Month, I am sharing resources where you can learn about Deaf culture so we can be better advocates. Given the exclusionary name of this month, I think it’s important to discuss what the name leaves out. I have heard other names proposed like “Better Language and Communication” month which is much more inclusive!
Below are 10 resources you can go to to learn about Deaf culture. I tried to include resources that emphasized different viewpoints, such as Deaf culture in different countries and for different racial identities.
History of Deaf Education (Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Galluadet:
Our 200 years of deaf education in the United States owe their existence to two men who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to bring education to the deaf children of Hartford, Connecticut. As a result of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet’s and Laurent Clerc’s heroic efforts and their tireless work towards establishing the American School for the Deaf, the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States, they created an educational movement that is still going strong today.
American Deaf Culture: Thomas K. Holcomb created this website. It site was developed primarily to serve as a companion to the textbook, Introduction to American Deaf Culture, which he authored in 2011. There are 15 chapters in the book covering various aspects of Deaf Culture and Deaf Community such as Disability vs. Culture, Rules of Social Interactions, and Universality of the deaf experience. Also included in the book are sections on Deaf literature such as ASL poetry and storytelling. Because the book was written in English, it does not do justice to the beauty of original works in ASL. For that reason, this companion website was developed to make it possible for you to view the work as originally presented.
Community and Culture FAQs: From the National Association of the Deaf, this article answers FAQs about Deaf culture and provides definition of appropriate vs inappropriate identity terms related to Deaf, deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals.
Deaf Culture Online (deaf-culture-online.com): This website was created by Mark Drolsbaugh, and serves to o bring you as many perspectives on the deaf and hard of hearing experience as possible.
DeafLinx: Learning About Deaf Culture and Community: A collection of links to sites on ASL, Deaf community, Deaf culture, Deaf education, audism, Deaf related research, hearing loss, hearing aids, interpreting, Deaf culture, ASL, Deaf education, hearing loss, support for families and more.
Minnesota Hands and Voices: Minnesota Hands & Voices trained Parent Guides are a dedicated group of individuals available in all areas of the state. Our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program are a group of trained adults who themselves have a hearing difference and support all areas of the state. Minnesota Hands & Voices offers support, information, resources, and hope to empower parents to make the best choices possible for their child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Through Deaf Eyes: THROUGH DEAF EYES is a two-hour HDTV documentary that explores 200 years of Deaf life in America. The film includes interviews with prominent members of the Deaf community, including actress Marlee Matlin and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordan.
Black Deaf Center: If there are Deaf individuals represented on TV, how often are they black? I can’t say I’ve seen one. Watch, read and learn from the Black Deaf community as they share their personal narratives, stories and knowledge.
Ohio Library Deaf Cultural and ASL Resources: The State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce the Ohio Digital Library now includes a collection of eBooks and videos about deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL), the Library said in a posting on its website. The collection includes fiction and non-fiction for children and adults and covers many aspects of deaf culture and ASL including language, history, education, and instruction. The deaf culture and ASL collection was developed by an Overdrive Account Analyst with a BS in American Sign Language Interpretation. With nearly 200 titles, the collection provides a beneficial resource to help increase awareness with the goal of bridging the gap between hearing and deaf cultures in today’s society, according to the announcement.
Experiencing American Deaf Culture: Argiroula Zangana, a Deaf student from Greece, studied at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York as a Fulbright Student. There, she experienced a transformation as she learned about two new cultures – American culture and Deaf culture.
This is day 7 of Better Speech and Hearing Month. Thanks for reading! If you missed the first four days, click here to check them out.
Come back tomorrow to learn more about cultural sensitivity as an SLP. For more cultural sensitivity tips, make sure to subscribe to my SLP Survival Newsletter!
