Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Founding Member of the Statewide InterAgency Team for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Introduction and welcome How many of you clearly understood what I just “said”?

Buon pomeriggio!Il mio nome è Gary Talley, e questa sera sono qui per parlarvi di accesso di comunicazione per non udenti e non udenti individui.Immaginatevi in una situazione - come hai appena vissuto - ma se avete bisogno di capire chiaramente ciò che è stato detto voi, ma non si può!Questa è la situazione di fronte tutti i giorni, in cui la comunicazione adeguati e accessibili o alloggi non siano forniti al sordi e persone con problemi di udito

God ettermiddag Mitt navn er Gary Talley, og denne kvelden jeg er her for å snakke med deg om kommunikasjon tilgang for døve og hardt av hørselen individer. Forestill deg selv i en situasjon-som nå – hvor du trenger å forstå tydelig hva som blir sagt til deg, men du kan ikke! Dette er situasjonen møter hver dag i lege kontorer der riktig og tilgjengelig kommunikasjon eller Overnattingssteder ikke oppgis til døve og hardt av hørselen individer

Good afternoon! My name is Gary Talley, and this afternoon I am here to talk to you about communication access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Imagine yourself in a situation – like you just experienced – but where you need to clearly understand what is being said to you, but you can’t! This is the situation faced everyday, where appropriate and accessible communication or accommodations are not provided to deaf and hard of hearing individuals

I am not here today as a representative of the “deaf community”, as I am neither appointed nor elected to do so.’ I am here today to share with you my own perspective – both personal and as a professional.

COMMUNICATION is the single most important skill we can possess. It’s the way we make a “connection” to people and the world around us. It’s these shared connections that create a sense of family and community.

Approximately 93% of all communication is non-verbal… But, the 7% that IS verbal – the words we use - is so important.

There are no accurate numbers of deaf in the United States. Estimates vary from 4 million up to 21 million, depending upon how one defines “deaf”, and IF the individual defines himself/herself as deaf.

But, the numbers don’t really matter. What DOES matter is how we perceive and treat the INDIVIDUAL who cannot hear – the one right in front of us.

DEFINITIONS Deaf Late Deafened Hard of Hearing DeafBlind

Deaf means the inability to hear and understand normal conversation. It does not necessarily mean total lack of sound.

There are two “kinds” of deaf: Deaf (Big “D” Deaf) and deaf (little “d” deaf)

Deaf vs deaf Big “D” Deaf usually means born deaf, attending a residential school, and using ASL as their primary means of communication. Often referred to as “culturally Deaf”.

deaf (little “d”) usually refers to late-deafened or those raised oral. They often have good English skills, and may or may not sign. 3 of 4 deaf adults are late-deafened.

Those considered to be Late-deafened lost their hearing after age 19. Many of these individuals have understandable speech, but they are deaf, and cannot hear YOU.

HARD of HEARING means the individual has difficulty understanding normal conversation and other sounds.

DeafBlind is a unique situation, combining the inability to understand normal conversation AND have limited-to-no vision.

The most important point I wish to make today is that these are INDIVIDUALS with some level of hearing loss. Everyone’s loss is different, and the ways and means they adapt are somewhat unique to each individual.

Hearing loss has many causes, and some are unknown. Heredity Exposure to loud noise over long period of time Ototoxins – medicines that poison the ear or the auditory nerve Illness and infections

There was once a theory that if deaf people did not marry and have children, then deafness would be eradicated. It was part of a movement called eugenics. The theory had no basis in reality.

Statistically, deaf couples often have hearing children, and most deaf children are born to hearing parents.

To understand Deaf Culture, you must first understand about how the deaf community evolved, and that begins with the development of American Sign Language.

The strongest element of Deaf Culture is the common language – American Sign Language – or ASL.

ASL is a real, living language, just like English. It is growing and changing, with new words / signs being added all the time. It has a specific structure and syntax, just like other languages. It is just one of over 100 different sign languages in use today.

Prior to the 1800’s, there was no ASL – no standard language for deaf Americans. There was no formal or public education for deaf children.

In 1815, a minister, Thomas Gallaudet, was charged with the education of the deaf daughter of a parishioner, Miss Alice Cogswell. Gallaudet traveled to England to learn how to teach the deaf.

Long story short… While in London, Gallaudet met the students from the Paris School for the Deaf (founded in 1755) and was impressed with the success of sign language in the school and their teacher, Mssr. Laurent Clerc.

He returned to Paris with Clerc and began to learn the sign language used at the school – French Sign Language. He soon realized this was not going to be a quick process.

Gallaudet convinced the director of the school, Abbe Sicard, to allow Clerc to accompany him back to US. Meanwhile, the father of the child began to gather support and funding for a public school for the deaf children in the region.

“The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf And Dumb” opened in 1817 The school is now known as “The American School for the Deaf”.

American Sign Language developed from French Sign Language, combined with the “home signs” from the new students. The first language at the school was more Signed Exact English.

Graduates of this school became founders of other schools for the deaf across the U.S. By 1863, there were 20 schools for the deaf in operation.

Deaf citizens tended to live in larger towns and cities, rather than in rural areas. Often, the largest deaf communities were in a state’s capital city - or the city where the school was located.

Jobs tended to be in the trades industry – taught at the schools for the deaf. Shoemaking, woodworking / carpentry, and typesetting were typical occupations for men, and jobs were more available in larger cities and towns.

Deaf girls were taught “homemaking” skills – sewing and cooking – and were generally excluded from the other trades classes. They were equal participants in the academics – math, science, and reading – and often outshone their male classmates.

Although Schools for the Deaf were founded by the Deaf, over time, hearing administrators and hearing teachers (State Departments of Education) gradually took over the schools.

At an international conference on education for the deaf in Milan, Italy, in 1880, all of the “experts” in deaf education – (all hearing people) decided that sign language was “bad” and it was banned from classrooms. Education for the deaf suffered - greatly.

This ban remained in force in classrooms for decades – negatively impacting the quality of education for generations of students who were deaf.

The ban on ASL was replaced with a push for “oralism” in the schools -the theory being that the deaf needed to learn to speak and understand English. Can you imagine learning to speak a language you could not hear?

Despite the ban, sign language continued in the dorms, at home, and in the community. Finally, in the late 1960’s, a comprehensive study of the language revealed that ASL is a “real” language, with structure, syntax, and rules.

Fortunately, since the late 1960’s, ASL is back in the classrooms at schools for the deaf. Mainstreamed students who are deaf are provided ASL interpreters – but many are not fully qualified. Deaf education still suffers.

ASL meets the foreign language requirements at many colleges and universities – but not all.

What does it really mean to be deaf or hard of hearing? What do YOU think it means?

I think one of the biggest differences between hearing and deaf / hard of hearing is “cultural” – shared experiences as we grow up.

When the “moving pictures” began in the 1890’s, they were silent pictures – with Title Cards (something like captions) and accessible to the deaf. However, around the late 1920’s,when “talkies” became the norm, the deaf were once again excluded.

I grew up hearing…watching television and listening to music, participating in sports, going to the movies, and hanging out with friends. I learned good things…bad things…naughty and nice things… typical of many American youth..

As a kid, I attended Dinwiddie Schools, and there were no deaf students and I do not recall any of my classmates or schoolmates wearing a hearing aid.

Had I grown up deaf in a residential school, my cultural experiences would be somewhat different. No TV, movies, or rock music. My English would likely not be as good. College? Probably not. Military service? Absolutely not.

The invention of television in the late 1940’s greatly impacted the culture of America. Well, at least the hearing Americans.

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and