Health Medical Homework Help

I’m working on a public health multi-part question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

1. As we learn about Deaf Culture, please take a moment to reflect on your culture. What is it about your culture that makes you proud? How does your culture play a role in your day-to-day life?

2.After learning about Deaf Culture from the lectures and reading what was the most surprising thing you learned about Deaf Culture? What questions would you still like answered?

L1: Deaf Culture & Identity

Differing Perspectives

The deaf community has two main groups of people referred to as the “Big D Deaf” and the “little d deaf” community. The deaf community (little d) encompasses all people who are deaf in the medical model context. The Deaf community (Big D) includes all people who view deafness as a positive attribute and who understand the disability aspect of their identity from within the social model context. Throughout this chapter, we will use both “deaf” and “Deaf,” depending on the distinction we are making between the two groups.

Medical Model Perspective

The medical model perspective of deafness focuses on a person’s inability to hear, and the function of the ear. It aims to restore or enhance hearing because it presumes that something is “broken.” Within the medical community, when describing someone with limited hearing, some professionals use the term, “hearing impaired.” The idea that people who are Deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) are defective or impaired, and in need of a cure, is highly offensive to many in the Deaf community. Some misconceptions about deaf people are that if a person cannot communicate verbally, then they are mute. If a person is mute, or unable to speak verbally, then it is assumed that they are dumb, uneducated, and or unable to make choices for themselves. These assumptions have been more harmful than helpful. The medical model views deafness through the lens of disability and incapability, and not fitting into what society deems “normal,” which, in turn, requires fixing.

This perspective has influenced scientists, researchers, and medical professionals to focus on a cure, or device to cure hearing loss (i.e., hearing aids and cochlear implants). Later in the chapter, we will explore this controversial approach to deafness.

The Social Model Perspective

The social model of disability views physical, mental, developmental, and sensory “impairments” as a normal and natural part of the human experience. It views societal responses to those impairments or differences as the disabling factor in people’s lives. The Deaf community (Big D) does not view deafness as a medical condition or a disability. Instead, Deaf people believe that their Deafness is a positive facet of who they are. It is a strength. They are proud of their Deaf identity. The experiences, values, traditions, language, and pride shared by the Deaf community is called Deaf culture. You will notice that person-first language is not utilized when referencing the Deaf community. This is because Deaf culture embraces identity-first language. Identity-first language will be used throughout this chapter and this book when discussing the Deaf community and culture. Consistent with the social model of disability, Deaf people do not see themselves as needing to be fixed. However, they do recognize that they are disabled by societal factors that limit their access within the community. Lack of access to communication, information, education, and other societal opportunities within their communities prove to be huge barriers that can be disabling to Deaf people.

Audism

Barriers faced by the deaf community, in general, are due to audism. Just as ableism is discrimination against people with disabilities, audism is discrimination against deaf people by hearing people. Audism is a subcategory of ableism. Examples of audism include but are not limited to: insisting that deaf people voice their words; assuming that deaf people are unintelligent or incapable; refusing to communicate with a deaf person using sign language even though you can; excluding deaf people by not providing closed or open captioning or sign language interpretation, at events or in the media; and assuming that deaf people need or want a cure. Audist and outdated terms related to deafness that you might be familiar with are “deaf-mute, and “deaf and dumb.”

Deafness as an Identity

The shared history, experiences, and traditions of the deaf community have created a rich and prideful community that has overcome oppression and adversity. Deaf people have been around forever. However, they have not been treated with respect and were not afforded the same opportunities as nondisabled people. They were presumed incompetent by the hearing community. It wasn’t until the 1500’s that a mathematician and physician named Geronimo Cardano discovered that learning does not require hearing. Based on their collective history, it is easy to understand the strong bond and advocacy within the deaf community. Deaf identity, like other cultural identities, is founded in this shared history. Deaf people embrace their Deaf identity with passion and pride.

Here are some iconic landmark events and places in Deaf history:

Martha’s Vineyard

Although history generally has given deaf people the short end of the stick, there have been some noteworthy wins for the Deaf community. Between the late 17th century and the late 19th century, there existed what was known as a “Deaf Utopia” off the coast of Massachusetts, on an island called “Martha’s Vineyard.” On the island, about 1 in every 155 people were deaf, which is a much higher proportion of deaf people than typically found in a population. It is believed that the deafness rate there was due to hereditary factors and intermarriage on the island. Because of the high occurrence of deafness, sign language was a commonly known language by all inhabitants on the island. And because everyone spoke the same language, deaf people had access to communication with everyone, and access to complete inclusion. This was an extraordinary experience of that era, (of any era), and a model that has not been followed since. The rates of deafness declined as people began to move away from the island and marry outside of their community in the late 1800s. The last person to speak Martha’s Vineyard’s unique sign language died in 1952.

Gallaudet University

Another big moment in time for the Deaf community was in 1988 when Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed for deaf students, saw an unprecedented protest of students, staff, and community. The board of trustees had appointed a hearing person to be president of Gallaudet University…again. The university had been in existence for more than 100 years, with the mission of educating deaf people. However, protesters argued, it had never appointed a deaf person to be the president of the university. After a week-long, widely-publicized protest called “Deaf President Now” or “DPN,” Dr. I. King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. Not only did this coup change Gallaudet, but it also changed the world’s understanding of, and respect for, the deaf community.

As encouraging as these events or eras have been, progress remains slow in terms of deaf access.

Deaf Identity

Identifying as being Deaf can be complicated. This is not because being deaf is necessarily difficult (in the medical model understanding). Deaf identity is complicated because not everyone who is deaf identifies with Deaf culture. In the medical field, one’s level of hearing determines whether someone is considered deaf or hard of hearing. However, in Deaf culture, one’s level of hearing ability does not determine who is considered Deaf. Being Big D Deaf is primarily determined by how much an individual embraces and is involved with the culture, language, traditions, and members within the Deaf community. A person can experience total deafness, and not be fully immersed in, and/or embracing of Deaf culture. Another person can have some hearing ability, yet still, be completely in love with their Deaf culture and community.

Children of Deaf Adults (CoDA)

Source: Jacob Baer

Deaf Gain

When presented with the terms hearing loss or hearing impaired, and or deaf, the assumption is quickly made that there is a loss or something to grieve. However, the Deaf community does not see it that way. In direct opposition to “hearing loss,” “Deaf Gain” forces society to reconsider how it views the deaf experience. For many who were born deaf, there was never any hearing to lose. Their way of being was simply Deaf. It is central to who they are. It is an identity, not a medical condition. The Deaf community strongly believes that there is something to be gained from their experiences as Deaf people. Furthermore, they assert that the world is better off with Deaf people and Deaf culture in it.

The popularity of the term, “Deaf Gain,” came from a British performing artist, Aaron Williamson, who performed at Gallaudet University in 2005. With his own experience of becoming deaf later in life, he found himself frustrated by the societal belief that loss of hearing equals loss of life quality. Williamson made it a point to demonstrate that being a Deaf person opens the doors of opportunity and access to culture, community, and language that is an integral and valued part of a Deaf person’s life. (Bauman, H-Dirksen, Murray, 2010). The Deaf community quickly embraced this mindset and the term has been at the forefront of changing the way being Deaf is viewed.

Read this Psychology Today article for more information about what Deaf Gain means

Hard of Hearing (HOH)

The term, hard of hearing, or HOH, is used to describe someone who experiences mild to moderate hearing loss. Those who identify this way typically do not have any association with Deaf culture. Some people who are HOH may choose to participate in the Deaf world, while others may choose to participate in both. The choice to identify through the audiological identity or cultural identity, in either world, is personal and dependent on the experiences a person has had, their support system, and/or their use of sign or oral language.

Author’s Experience:

_{I am medically considered to be profoundly deaf in my left ear. I acquired my deafness overnight in my late teens, due to a viral condition that attacked the nerves in my ear. Although I have made an active effort to learn American Sign Language (ASL) and to learn about Deaf culture, my primary mode of communication is through oral language. I used to wear hearing aids but chose to no longer use them. Everyone has their own experience of being or becoming deaf or hard of hearing. And so perspectives and identities vary. Although I share some commonalities and I value Deaf culture, I do not have the same experiences like those in the Deaf community. I do not identify as being Deaf, but instead, I identify as HOH.}