An all Deaf town? Hmmmmm..... Just
Think of all the technology that will be used in their homes, buildings, schools, stores, restaurants, etc.
Everyone will sign. Complete accessibility at all times.
http://newurbannetwork.com/article/new-urbanists-design-town-deaf
Please read, comment and create a pros and cons list. Is this a good idea? Why or why not. Find information to support your responses. Please be open-minded with each others comments.
A personal note:
I can see that students are becoming increasingly uncomfortable voicing their comments during class. This is a tragedy and upsets me very much. Our classroom is meant to be a safe place to share our ideas, opinions, feelings, and thoughts. Mutual respect is expected at all times, even when you do not agree. You do not have to agree with each other to discuss topics, but you do need to treat each other with dignity and be open-minded. I do not always share the same ideas, opinions, values, beliefs, thoughts, feelings and norms with all of you, but I do not belittle what you voice. I listen to what you have to say and then respond. I may question you to explain further or ask you to clarify. I ask you to think critically and push yourself. I do not need to hear the comments that you are making to each other, I can see them. Please know this cannot continue. You may take offense to this, but if you do, I would like you to ask yourself why? If you are not participating in what I am describing, you should not feel upset by any of this. Instead you should be appreciative that I want a classroom that is respectful to everyone at all times.
I am very passionate about my students and teaching them to the best of my abilities. I appreciate that you are in this class so much. I am so grateful that you selected this course and are putting your time and efforts into learning about Deaf people, their language and their culture. Too often in my own life I have been treated poorly and cruelly, I have watched my daughter face these very same injustices. Sometimes these things have been done without intention or meaning. Please reflect on how you have communicated in this class and ask yourself if it is possible that you may have engaged in that behavior unintentionally. I am not asking you to comment on this, only think about it. I want this classroom to be a safe place for learning.
Your partner in learning always,
Monica
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Pros:
ReplyDelete~Job opportunities for the deaf
~Creates a place for culture
~Deaf children with hearing parents can be with other deaf people
~A place where anyone who uses sign can feel welcome
Cons:
~Creates us and them community
~Could be expensive
~Hearing people may not be as informed or aware of deaf people/community/culture
~What happens if the deaf leave that community and have not yet had the chance to socialize with a hearing person?
From my pros and cons you can see I'm evenly split on this idea. Honestly I think this would be very beneficial for the deaf community and for the culture. This development gets deaf people together, provides many jobs for the deaf, and provides a "safe" environment. I still have my reasons for why this could be a bad idea, but when my pros outweigh my cons I'm going to support the pros side. Also, I feel that all of my cons may be considered to be a form of audism. Maybe they are maybe they aren't, but still this sort of development would be a great thing for the deaf, CODA, upcoming interpreters, and deaf children who have hearing parents.
There are many pros to having a Deaf town. Deaf people have an opportunity to live together in one community versus being spread out within their existing communities. They can freely sign without getting stared at. They won't have the communication barrier that they have in their current "hearing" towns. There are more job opportunities for Deaf people because a lot of employers don't hire people due to the fact that they are Deaf, which is really a shame. Children have a chance to interact with each other without having to be sent away to a residential school. Hearing people will become more fluent in sign and spread their knowledge to other hearing people that don't live in the town.
ReplyDeleteThere are some cons to having a Deaf town. It would be such an expensive town because all of the technology for the Deaf is so expensive. It's near a hundred dollars just for one alarm clock! I don't think that a lot of hearing people would want to live there, only because they are the minority. People who sign would have a better experience there versus one who does not sign (but if they live there, they probably figure that they must learn the language). Having a Deaf town would possibly further separate the barrier between hearing and Deaf people, instead of coexisting, they are creating an entire community of their own.
I think that the idea of a Deaf town is so wonderful. My pros greatly defeat my cons. I think that it's what Deaf people need to keep their culture and language alive. It's a great way for them to interact with each other more easily and they won't have to stress out about communication barriers that they face living in hearing societies.
Great comments ladies! However, I would you to find resources to support your ideas and thoughts What factual information can you find that supports your thoughts? Can you compare this to other cultures? Is it successful or not?
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic to say the least!
Monica
I think that having a Deaf community is just as good as making any other community around the nation. Given that it is in South Dakota will give the nation an opportunity to see if a deaf culture is a good idea for an entire town. I think that creating this community is a great decision for not only the state of South Dakota for recognition, but in the long run it will add a greater chance for South Dakota to be a stronger voice in the future. The only bad thing that I can see with building this new town is that it is going to cost a lot of money that our nation does not have right now and it is going to be an ongoing process for years. This is not a project that will take a year or two it will take a long time. Another thing that I think will end up being a con is that South Dakota does not offer a lot of job opportunities other than oil and dirt companies. This is not an attractive work environment for all that come to this new city. Although it will add growth for South Dakota with businesses such as McDonalds and a Subway, but this is not too prosperous in the long run. The final flaw that I find for this new city is that I don’t understand how the hearing are going to communicate with the Deaf culture if they do not know sign language. If this is labeled as the city for the Deaf culture, how do they expect to attract the hearing population?
ReplyDeleteKara
I like Amanda’s comment about how people of the Deaf community are going to interact with a hearing person if they have never dealt with them before. It is true. The fact of a Deaf individual walking into a hearing community and by chance meeting someone that knows sign is pretty slim. This city only offers a good outcome for Deaf people while they are there, but once they leave they may have an overwhelming feeling of being lost. They may not feel like they are accepted by anyone else and have identity issues.
ReplyDeleteKara
Kara- yeah I agree that it will be hard for the hearing people to communicate with Deaf people...but I guess it might be safe to say that if you're going to live in a Deaf Community that you'll probably know sign! But if family/friends come to visit, then yes there will be a language barrier...much like if we went over to Japan or France or some other foreign country that we don't know the language! Which would be a wierd feeling because it's South Dakota!
ReplyDeleteWe should all live there :)
My Pros: Jobs, Education, Community, Entertainment assessable, ability to be submerged in culture. My Cons: A small secluded society, Not having any other influences to see and learn from, could possibly be seclusive.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I honestly thought this would be really awesome. This would give the opportunity for many people who are Deaf or hard of hearing to really be submerged in their culture. It would also would give them the opportunity to not have to accommodate to their surroundings or the hearing culture all the time. I feel that this could also provide a great learning experience for the hearing culture and community. I know that not many people are educated on the Deaf Culture and how Deaf people are challenged everyday. This could be a real eye opener for many people. It could give them the opportunity to see how a community of Deaf people live.
Jordann~
ReplyDeleteO like what you said about how if hearing families come to visit in the deaf town how they will experience a language barrier. I think this may actually be a good thing for those families. It may put things into perspective on how their deaf family member has felt growing up when they were in the "hearing world." Maybe this would even have them consider learning more about their deaf family members culture and inspire them to take up ASL?
Just a few thoughts
~Amanda
Pros
ReplyDeleteJust as hearing people get the luxury of being immersed into a culture that is primarily hearing, deaf and hard of hearing would benefit the same way.
They would be more comfortable going out knowing they will be able to communicate with most of anyone they interact with
No one is looked at as an outsider
They would not need any “accommodations” instead, everything they need will be considered standard
The deaf community would raise awareness to hearing community
Deaf and hard of hearing children will grow up next door to children just like them, and not face identity issues
Cons
They would be kind of isolating themselves from the dominant culture (hearing)
I would question the safety of each home since most of the homes consist of non-hearing people
Once children were “exposed” into the dominant culture, they may find themselves being in culture shock (vice versa)
The job market in that city would cater more toward deaf and hard of hearing, therefore discriminate toward hearing (just as the hearing culture does now)
The community could begin to form into a cult by feeling inferior to the dominant culture, and build even more frustration/hate toward the hearing culture, therefore, possibly hindering our relationship even more.
After doing some research, I am still not too sure what I think about having a community of just deaf and hard of hearing people. My reasoning is based on safety reasoning only. Though there will be hearing people trained for certain positions in the community, I would not feel comfortable relying on someone else's ears to protect me. I think it is a great idea, and I think it would be neat if they had their own little town, but at the same time I feel like that would be further isolation. Where would the integration take place? I am more for inclusion of EVERYONES abilities, instead of breaking us all up into little sub groups.
-Porsche
I definitely agree with a lot of the previous points made about this article.
ReplyDeletePros- a strong culture, comfort in communicating and over all living, more job opportunities.
Cons- it might send the idea that deaf people cannot be successful in the hearing community and need this Deaf Town, it could cause more separation between deaf and hearing.
I really like what Jordann said "They can freely sign without getting stared at". This Deaf Town could create a place where deaf people could feel comfortable and have equal opportunities that they deserve, but cannot obtain, in the hearing world. Its hard to say if this would be a good thing or not. By creating this town, is it ignoring the goal of bringing the hearing and Deaf communities together?
I also really love what Porsche said "I am more for inclusion of EVERYONES abilities, instead of breaking us all up into little sub groups". I think it is most important to gain awareness, understanding, and acceptance of all cultures, communities, and differences, rather than segregating everyone.