Presentation Requirements

Presentations: Deaf Related Topic of Choice
Requirement:

Amanda: CODA
Coyer:Deaflympics
Porsche: Deaf and Domestic Violence
Kara: Hearing Screening
Sarah and Natalie: Seeing things from a different point of view
Jordann and Megan: Alexander Grapham Bell/Thomas Gallaudet past and present
Halie: Audism Unveiled
Shawn: Sports and Accomendations


Introduction
1. Title of the TOPIC presented- Goal of presentation (explanation)-
2. Outline of individual presentation
3. Introduction: Interest arousal + thesis statement.
Body
4. Facts provided (Remember to PARAPHRASE) + sources/references
(A statement about where information used in the presentation was obtained from)"According to ......"
5. Personal Analysis, ideas, thoughts, opinions, beliefs (be sure we know these are YOURS)
6. Activities used to make sure the students have grasped the information
provided (ex: short quiz, questionnaire, item ranking...).
7. Presentation style + Enthusiasm.
8. Language & Mechanics. (use professional speech)ummm, ya know, like... should be avoided.
9. Visual aids used: PowerPoint slides 10 to visually present the major points.
Conclusion
10. Conclusion/brief review of all major points covered in the presentation.
11. Time for class questions.
Other information
12. A video clip may be used if it is incorporated into your power point and can be no longer than 2 minutes.
13. Presentation BEFORE questions needs to be 7 minutes this includes video clip.

.



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In addition to the Oral presentation, you must submit a Written Presentation that should include the following components:

1. Cover Page.(Title of THEME + Illustration, Team Name, Names of all team members,
Name of university/faculty, Name of teacher, Subject, Class, Date)

2. Detailed Outline of overall presentation of THEME including the TOPICS
with their subheadings. The outline should state when slides and activities are used during the presentation.

3. It should also provide an explanation for why each activity was chosen.
4. Purpose of Theme presentation.
5. Introduction of theme.

All Deaf Town?

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

preparing for presentations

DISCLAIMER:

THIS IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Preparation
The content:
• Research your topic
• Prepare an outline of your presentation
o Write 3 or 4 main points which you want to develop
o Write 2 or 3 sub-headings for each main point
• Develop your information using these headings
• Transfer the headings to overhead transparencies (OHTs) or PowerPoint slides
• Mark on your notes when you intend to use an OHT or audio-visual aid, and write down any statistics or examples to support your points
• Prepare some open-ended questions to stimulate discussion after your presentation, if required
Audio-visual aids
• Prepare visual aids e.g., OHTs, PowerPoint slides, pictures, videos, models
• Prepare any material for handouts (e.g., a summary of your presentation)
• Remember that visual aids are AIDS and should not distract the audience from the spoken delivery
• Use the 7 x 7 rule: no more than seven lines of seven words per slide or OHT
• Use a plain font like Arial and a large font size (e.g., 22 point) on your visual aids
• Cue any tapes and videos so they are ready for immediate use
The room
• Check the equipment is functioning properly and you can use it confidently
• Leave enough time to rearrange the furniture, if necessary
Your delivery
• Practice using the equipment and your visual aids
• Practice making eye contact with people in different parts of the room
• Make a tape recording of your delivery to check how your voice sounds
• Time yourself to check your presentation is not too short or too long
• Practice in front of a mirror
Structure
An oral presentation is structured much the same way as an essay: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. You will be assessed on evidence of your preparation from academic sources, the relevance of your material to the topic, critical analysis of the topic and the logical structure of your presentation.
However, because your information/argument is spoken rather than written, there are some further considerations:
1. Introduction - tells your audience what you are going to tell them
o Provides some brief background information to show why your topic is important/relevant
o Outlines the structure of your presentation, the order in which you will present your information
o Attracts the audience's attention with, for example, a relevant quote, story, or question for the audience
10% of allotted time
2. Body - tells them
o Contains the main argument of the presentation
o Presents the issues relating to the main argument (thesis statement)
o Includes support/evidence for each of the main issues using:
- statistics
- diagrams
- reference to other research
- examples, reasons
o Is presented in a logical way, using explicit signalling phrases and connectives to signal a new point, an example, a contrast, etc.
70% of allotted time
3. Conclusion - tells them what you told them
o Summarizes the main points discussed in the body
o Evaluates the importance of the information
o Reviews any implications
o Brings the presentation to a smooth and natural close
o Leaves the audience with ideas to think about (e.g., a quote or question)
o If appropriate, gives the audience the chance to ask questions
20% of allotted time

Delivery
• Introduce yourself to the audience
• Clearly outline the structure and content of your presentation
• Engage the audience using eye contact
• Use your notes, but look up frequently: NEVER read your information
• Speak clearly and try to look relaxed and confident
• Signal your points showing how ideas relate to each other
My next point is
In contrast
• Don't speak while giving handouts to the audience
• Look at the audience while referring to points on OHTs or slides
• Make sure you keep to the allotted time for your presentation

Audience participation
If your lecturer expects this to be included in your presentation, you can encourage the audience to participate in discussion by:
• asking open questions or personalising the issues
• beginning the presentation with a brief handout displaying interesting questions, key concepts or a diagram
• setting a problem-solving task for small groups to discuss
• using the PAIR discussion strategy near the beginning and again at various times during your presentation:
P repare by taking a minute to jot the answer to an interesting general question
A sk other people about their jottings for a minute or so
I nteract for further discussion in the same pairs, or threes or fours
R eflect on or Revise the initial jotting (a brief sentence only)


Name: ....
Date: ....
(Sample used with permission)
Title: Voting: Our Legal Right


Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to vote in elections
Introduction:
I. Gain audience's attention by asking questions
II. Establish credibility - I vote
III. Explain what voting is
IV. Preview the body:
A. Why we vote
B. Why we don't vote
C. Why we should vote
Body:
I. Why we vote
A. To elect representatives
B. Constitutional right
1. Article 1
2. Amendment 15
3. Amendment 19
II. Why we don't vote
A. Figures on low voter turnout
B. Some don't care
C. Some are not educated about candidates
III. Why we should vote
A. To voice our opinions
B. To guarantee our freedom
Conclusion
I. Summarize main points
II. Explain how to register
III. End with Quotation

preparing for presentations

Preparation
The content:
• Research your topic
• Prepare an outline of your presentation
o Write 3 or 4 main points which you want to develop
o Write 2 or 3 sub-headings for each main point
• Develop your information using these headings
• Transfer the headings to overhead transparencies (OHTs) or PowerPoint slides
• Mark on your notes when you intend to use an OHT or audio-visual aid, and write down any statistics or examples to support your points
• Prepare some open-ended questions to stimulate discussion after your presentation, if required
Audio-visual aids
• Prepare visual aids e.g., OHTs, PowerPoint slides, pictures, videos, models
• Prepare any material for handouts (e.g., a summary of your presentation)
• Remember that visual aids are AIDS and should not distract the audience from the spoken delivery
• Use the 7 x 7 rule: no more than seven lines of seven words per slide or OHT
• Use a plain font like Arial and a large font size (e.g., 22 point) on your visual aids
• Cue any tapes and videos so they are ready for immediate use
The room
• Check the equipment is functioning properly and you can use it confidently
• Leave enough time to rearrange the furniture, if necessary
Your delivery
• Practice using the equipment and your visual aids
• Practice making eye contact with people in different parts of the room
• Make a tape recording of your delivery to check how your voice sounds
• Time yourself to check your presentation is not too short or too long
• Practice in front of a mirror
Structure
An oral presentation is structured much the same way as an essay: Introduction, Body and Conclusion. You will be assessed on evidence of your preparation from academic sources, the relevance of your material to the topic, critical analysis of the topic and the logical structure of your presentation.
However, because your information/argument is spoken rather than written, there are some further considerations:
1. Introduction - tells your audience what you are going to tell them
o Provides some brief background information to show why your topic is important/relevant
o Outlines the structure of your presentation, the order in which you will present your information
o Attracts the audience's attention with, for example, a relevant quote, story, or question for the audience
10% of allotted time
2. Body - tells them
o Contains the main argument of the presentation
o Presents the issues relating to the main argument (thesis statement)
o Includes support/evidence for each of the main issues using:
- statistics
- diagrams
- reference to other research
- examples, reasons
o Is presented in a logical way, using explicit signalling phrases and connectives to signal a new point, an example, a contrast, etc.
70% of allotted time
3. Conclusion - tells them what you told them
o Summarizes the main points discussed in the body
o Evaluates the importance of the information
o Reviews any implications
o Brings the presentation to a smooth and natural close
o Leaves the audience with ideas to think about (e.g., a quote or question)
o If appropriate, gives the audience the chance to ask questions
20% of allotted time

Delivery
• Introduce yourself to the audience
• Clearly outline the structure and content of your presentation
• Engage the audience using eye contact
• Use your notes, but look up frequently: NEVER read your information
• Speak clearly and try to look relaxed and confident
• Signal your points showing how ideas relate to each other
My next point is
In contrast
• Don't speak while giving handouts to the audience
• Look at the audience while referring to points on OHTs or slides
• Make sure you keep to the allotted time for your presentation

Audience participation
If your lecturer expects this to be included in your presentation, you can encourage the audience to participate in discussion by:
• asking open questions or personalising the issues
• beginning the presentation with a brief handout displaying interesting questions, key concepts or a diagram
• setting a problem-solving task for small groups to discuss
• using the PAIR discussion strategy near the beginning and again at various times during your presentation:
P repare by taking a minute to jot the answer to an interesting general question
A sk other people about their jottings for a minute or so
I nteract for further discussion in the same pairs, or threes or fours
R eflect on or Revise the initial jotting (a brief sentence only)

Hmmmm ...Culture Who Has One?

Whew... What a Class today.

Today was interesting to say the least. It is amazing how emotional people can get when discussing culture. I do not ask you to debate, I ask you to express what you believe and why you believe what you do. I ask you to discuss productively and in harmony with each other. Harmony does not necessarily mean agreeing but listening to each other. You may have special insight to take us to places we never imagined. I am not here to simply teach "at" you. I am here to challenge you to think critically, express you opinions, values and beliefs, help you develop tools and skills for your future, and to become active listeners by really hearing what each other has to say. Although our goal is to always be in peace with each other, that is not realistic. Coming forward with what you think, why you think what you do, and being able to support it gives you power. At the end of the day, you may not accept what each other has to say, but you have heard their message and at least entertained the idea that they have presented. Pondered over what others believe, feel and think and perhaps later in your life, it will be useful to you in ways you never imagined.

So many excellent points where brought up in class. I neither agreed nor disagreed, I only asked you to think about things, I brought up hard questions to answer and I pushed you to see them from all different angles. You may be wondering what I actually believe, because I did not state it in class. Do I believe that all cultures must have language? Yes, I do. But when I say this, I do not mean that they have an entirely different language with a complete set of rules, structure, and syntax. What I mean is that they use special language that is unique to them, that unless you socialize with them regularly you will not understand. For example in the LGBT community, Lesbians will comment, "Which color bandana?" This has a specific meanings to lesbians that other cultures may or may not be aware of. Deaf people sign, "Train go sorry,". If you are not a part of this culture, you will not be able to understand what this means. Teenagers use words today that I find completely foreign!

So what is culture? It depends. Some cultures are easier to define than others but that does not mean that they do not exist nor does it mean we should not accept them as cultures. I have included articles that I have found that have interesting messages. I do believe they will give you some closure to our discussion today. But I want you to push ahead and keep an open mind. I want to hear what you have to say and why you feel what you do. Your voice is important. All of you. To question is to be human. Embrace it. The ride is well worth it.



What is Culture?
http://anthro.palomar.edu/culture/culture_1.htm


Edward B. Tylor
(1832-1917)

The word culture has many different meanings. For some it refers to an appreciation of good literature, music, art, and food. For a biologist, it is likely to be a colony of bacteria or other microorganisms growing in a nutrient medium in a laboratory Petri dish. However, for anthropologists and other behavioral scientists, culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. The term was first used in this way by the pioneer English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871. Tylor said that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Of course, it is not limited to men. Women possess and create it as well. Since Tylor's time, the concept of culture has become the central focus of anthropology.

Culture is a powerful human tool for survival, but it is a fragile phenomenon. It is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds. Our written languages, governments, buildings, and other man-made things are merely the products of culture. They are not culture in themselves. For this reason, archaeologists can not dig up culture directly in their excavations. The broken pots and other artifacts of ancient people that they uncover are only material remains that reflect cultural patterns--they are things that were made and used through cultural knowledge and skills.


Layers of Culture

There are very likely three layers or levels of culture that are part of your learned behavior patterns and perceptions. Most obviously is the body of cultural traditions that distinguish your specific society. When people speak of Italian, Samoan, or Japanese culture, they are referring to the shared language, traditions, and beliefs that set each of these peoples apart from others. In most cases, those who share your culture do so because they acquired it as they were raised by parents and other family members who have it.



The second layer of culture that may be part of your identity is a subculture . In complex, diverse societies in which people have come from many different parts of the world, they often retain much of their original cultural traditions. As a result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable subculture in their new society. The shared cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from the rest of their society. Examples of easily identifiable subcultures in the United States include ethnic groups such as Vietnamese Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. Members of each of these subcultures share a common identity, food tradition, dialect or language, and other cultural traits that come from their common ancestral background and experience. As the cultural differences between members of a subculture and the dominant national culture blur and eventually disappear, the subculture ceases to exist except as a group of people who claim a common ancestry. That is generally the case with German Americans and Irish Americans in the United States today. Most of them identify themselves as Americans first. They also see themselves as being part of the cultural mainstream of the nation.These Cuban American women in Miami, Florida have a shared subculture identity that is reinforced
through their language food, and other traditions.


The third layer of culture consists of cultural universals. These are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively. No matter where people live in the world, they share these universal traits. Examples of such "human cultural" traits include:

1.

communicating with a verbal language consisting of a limited set of sounds and grammatical rules for constructing sentences

2.

using age and gender to classify people (e.g., teenager, senior citizen, woman, man)

3.

classifying people based on marriage and descent relationships and having kinship terms to refer to
them (e.g., wife, mother, uncle, cousin)

4.

raising children in some sort of family setting

5.

having a sexual division of labor (e.g., men's work versus women's work)

6.

having a concept of privacy

7.

having rules to regulate sexual behavior

8.

distinguishing between good and bad behavior

9.

having some sort of body ornamentation

10.

making jokes and playing games

11.

having art

12.

having some sort of leadership roles for the implementation of community decisions

While all cultures have these and possibly many other universal traits, different cultures have developed their own specific ways of carrying out or expressing them. For instance, people in deaf subcultures frequently use their hands to communicate with sign language instead of verbal language. However, sign languages have grammatical rules just as verbal ones do.


Culture and Society

Culture and society are not the same thing. While cultures are complexes of learned behavior patterns and perceptions, societies are groups of interacting organisms. People are not the only animals that have societies. Schools of fish, flocks of birds, and hives of bees are societies. In the case of humans, however, societies are groups of people who directly or indirectly interact with each other. People in human societies also generally perceive that their society is distinct from other societies in terms of shared traditions and expectations.

While human societies and cultures are not the same thing, they are inextricably connected because culture is created and transmitted to others in a society. Cultures are not the product of lone individuals. They are the continuously evolving products of people interacting with each other. Cultural patterns such as language and politics make no sense except in terms of the interaction of people. If you were the only human on earth, there would be no need for language or government.


Is Culture Limited to Humans?

Non-human culture? This orangutan mother isusing a specially prepared
stick to "fish out" food from a crevice. She learned thisskill and is now teaching it to her child who is hanging
on her shoulder and intently watching.

There is a difference of opinion in the behavioral sciences about whether or not we are the only animal that creates and uses culture. The answer to this question depends on how narrow culture is defined. If it is used broadly to refer to a complex of learned behavior patterns, then it is clear that we are not alone in creating and using culture. Many other animal species teach their young what they themselves learned in order to survive. This is especially true of the chimpanzees and other relatively intelligent apes and monkeys. Wild chimpanzee mothers typically teach their children about several hundred food and medicinal plants. Their children also have to learn about the dominance hierarchy and the social rules within their communities. As males become teenagers, they acquire hunting skills from adults. Females have to learn how to nurse and care for their babies. Chimpanzees even have to learn such basic skills as how to perform sexual intercourse. This knowledge is not hardwired into their brains at birth. They are all learned patterns of behavior just as they are for humans.

Editorial: What is Disability Culture?
http://www.independentliving.org/newsletter/12-01.html

I cannot begin to count the number of times I've been asked this question in the past decade or so. Some people desired a one-sentence response, others a one-paragraph answer and still others just wanted to argue about or mull over the idea. In the past five years or so, there have been hundreds of documents discussing disability culture being distributed. Don't believe me? Well, for the first time in a year or so I just did a couple of searches. Entering the keywords, "disability culture," Yahoo returned 2020 web page matches; Google 2600 matches; and Alta Vista delivered 1272 matches.

Why such interest in the idea of a disability culture. From the international perspective the word "disability" has different connotations to diverse cultures, just as the word "culture" does. The definition of disability that may have become the most known is that of someone who has a major life impairment preventing them from participating easily in a major activity, such as walking, seeing, hearing, thinking. But that definition is one of only dozens in the United States alone. Worldwide there may be hundreds, if not thousands of definitions of disability and I would venture the same applies to the idea of culture. Any word that has such historical and contemporaneous significance will create controversy and interest. Put two such words together and the interest is magnified. This is what's happened with disability culture.

To return to a definition, here's my one paragraph definition, the shortest I can come up with, published in a 1996 issue of MAINSTREAM magazine that I still use:

People with disabilities have forged a group identity. We share a common history of oppression and a common bond of resilience. We generate art, music, literature, and other expressions of our lives and our culture, infused from our experience of disability. Most importantly, we are proud of ourselves as people with disabilities. We claim our disabilities with pride as part of our identity. We are who we are: we are people with disabilities.

Those of us working the field of disability culture probably all agree on several basic points. First, disability culture is not the same as how different cultures treat different disabilities. Instead disability culture is a set of artifacts, beliefs, expressions created by disabled people ourselves to describe our own life experiences. It is not primarily how we are treated, but what we have created. Second, we recognize that disability culture is not the only culture most of us belong to. We are also members of different nationalities, religions, colors, professional groups, and so on. Disability culture is no more exclusive than any other cultural tag. Third, no matter what the disability or location of the person with the disability we have all encountered oppression because of our disabilities. Fourth, disability culture in the southwest of the U.S. may be very different than in the northeast U.S. or Europe or Africa, but all of us have the similarities described in the first three points. Finally, we who have worked, researched, studied and written about disability culture have most often begun in the arena of cross-disability culture, meaning all disabilities and cultures. We're aware they're may be nuances, or even larger differences between some of us, but we've had to start somewhere. If we consider all the possibilities of all disabilities and all cultures it's probably more accurate to say that there are "cultures of disabilities."

Why is any of this important? I believe there are two significant factors. First, how will we or anyone else know how to relate to us if none of us are aware of our cultural background. For example, most disabilities come with some sort of pain and/or fatigue. How will mainstream society ever be able to incorporate us into itself if neither we nor it recognize pain and/or fatigue as part of who we are. Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, for years we have discussed integration like it was our business to fit in with mainstream society. As we become more aware of our own unique gifts some of us have also become more convinced that this is a backwards perspective. It is absolutely not our job it fit into mainstream society. Rather it is our destiny to demonstrate to mainstream society that it is to their benefit to figure out that we come attached to our wheelchairs; our ventilators; our canes; our hearing aids; etc. and to receive the benefit of our knowledge and experience mainstream society needs to figure not how we fit in, but how we can be of benefit exactly the way we are.

That's disability culture, at least from one person's perspective.

Steven E. Brown, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Institute on Disability Culture
http://anthro.palomar.edu/culture/culture_1.htm

Breast Cancer Culture
http://cancerculturenow.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-do-you-want.html

What Do You Want?
I feel like someone has removed my brain, stomped on it and reinserted it into my head. So might you if you've been following the debates raging on Facebook and the breast cancer blogosphere over the last week or so. From critically analyzing the societal worth of campaigns like "I <3 Boobies" and "Feel Your Boobies", to a blog post improbably titled, Breast Cancer: Let’s Fight The Disease – Not Each Other, which actually seemed to tacitly disparage the National Breast Cancer Coalition's mission to stop breast cancer by 2020, and then ironically erupted into a war of words in the comments section; I feel exhausted yet also emboldened and motivated.

On one hand it was disheartening to see the blatant ignorance that still exists in considering the breast cancer culture, and indeed the censorship that went on with one incident when confronted with breast cancer truth. But on the other hand, I saw spirited discussion, energy for new ideas and deep questioning of the breast cancer status quo which gives me hope that change might be coming to the breast cancer movement.

But there's one point on which I am still very confused.

CBS News recently ran a story called "Breast cancer mommy; Brave, beautiful.....and bald". Essentially it was a fluffy little piece about cancer patients losing their hair, and how they can "rock their baldness" and still be "brave" and "beautiful". Yep heard all this before. I get it. Hair doesn't define you. Hair loss shouldn't affect your self worth. Cancer can't take away the essence of you; yada, yada, yada.

Then I read the author's biography, and I felt my blood pressure beginning to rise to something past a slow simmer;
"Meredith Israel, 37, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in June, 2009. She says she's in the fight of her life, determined to prevail for the sake of her family, including her 3-year-old daughter, Niomi, and her husband, Gary. Meredith found her breast cancer through self-examination and a mammogram. Since being diagnosed, she has raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research and has been a vocal proponent of self-exams and early detection."
Now don't me wrong. My heart aches for this woman. I understand only too well the devastation of a Stage IV cancer diagnosis and to throw children into the mix as well? Well, it goes without saying that cancer is never a good news story.

According to the story, Ms Israel "has raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research and has been a vocal proponent of self-exams and early detection." Now I really hope this story was reported correctly and the $100,000 really did go to research, and if that's the case then I applaud Ms Israel for her efforts. It's a wonderful achievement.

Then my mind started working overtime. I wanted to know what kind of research? The kind that could possibly result in treatments or yield findings that could potentially help Ms Israel with her prognosis? Or did the money go to research that, although might eventually be helpful to others, won't help further knowledge about metastatic breast cancer? Then I wondered why would someone with metastatic cancer openly advertise themselves as a proponent of breast self-exam and early detection? Neither causes are scientifically proven to offer any guarantees as either reliable methods of screening, nor indicators of whether a person will go on to develop metastatic disease. Further, neither of these causes have really been shown to impact mortality rates from breast cancer, which remain barely unchanged in decades.

It is at this point I should clarify where I'm going with all this.

Many of the breast cancer fundraising campaigns we see today are invariably founded, or have involvement at some level, by breast cancer survivors. The "I <3 Boobies" and "Feel Your Boobies" campaigns are good examples, and indeed Susan G. Komen for the Cure's founder, Nancy Brinker is a breast cancer survivor as I'm sure are many of the staff and volunteers.

But here's what I don't get. I have Stage IV breast cancer. It's a bad situation. Right now I'm focused o n trying to get the best treatments and give myself some sort of a fighting chance (whatever that means). I'm well aware that in order to truly survive this disease I need some sort of a miracle. One that might, just might, come out of a research laboratory. But it's going to take time, money and focus by all relevant stakeholders. I've also come to realize that getting research funding to focus on metastatic cancer is a pretty tall order. It's not a popular mission for myriad reasons, and it's a fight to steer money in this direction. So what can I do? I can donate. I can tell my friends and family to donate. And I can use this blog to speak out on the topic and try to get people to think more deeply about this issue.

It all comes down to the fact, that I want something better for myself. There I said it. Selfish me. Wanting to live a long life as well. Wanting to live the dream of the victorious cancer survivor.

And yet, still we throw money at fundraising campaigns whose main priorities are breast cancer education, awareness and so-called early detection programs. Research is treated like the ugly step-sister and invariably gets pushed down in the priority spectrum, or just not even funded at all, in favor of the glitz, sass, sexiness and glamor of more cutesy breast cancer "awareness". How much more awareness do we possibly need? We're stuck in a rut that's not moving the fight forward to end this disease. We're just screening and diagnosing and feeding the cancer machine, with not enough thought as to how we can stop the machine and how we can help the people stuck inside it.

Well, I'm sick of it. Where's the anger people? Why don't we want something better for ourselves? Why not be advocates for research that might actually help those of us currently dealing with this disease AND those still to be diagnosed? What's wrong with being selfish? It's our lives we're talking about here.

And for those selfless people who continue to work so tirelessly to fund raise for these awareness campaigns; I thank you for your efforts, but I implore you to ask yourselves who all this awareness is helping. Consider the questions raised by Gayle Sulik where she asks "What Good Is Awareness If...."

We're stuck in a dangerous rut that values breast cancer awareness and early detection as some kind of holy grail never to be criticized. Awareness and early detection will not make any difference to my life or my outcome, nor the thousands of others dealing with this disease and the 40,000 women or so statistically slated to die from breast cancer this year alone. Sure, awareness and early detection campaigns might help get someone diagnosed, but then what? Successful treatment? Maybe, maybe not. The bottom line is this. Science still can't tell us who's going to draw the short straw. It could happen to anyone at anytime. Regardless of early detection, breast-self exams and no matter how much more money we throw at breast cancer awareness.

We can and should be doing better.

Awareness DOES NOT EQUAL Breast Cancer Cure.

Ask yourself, if you were me, what would you want?



*****Discussion******

What did you hear today? Were you listening? What did your classmates say? What was their message? What article did you connect with best? Why? What inspired you? Is your mind open? Really? Prove it!

Children of a Lesser God.... Are they?

Children of a Lesser God is a 1986 romantic drama film that tells the story of a speech teacher at a school for deaf students who falls in love with a deaf woman who also works there. It stars William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, and Philip Bosco.
Children of a Lesser God was directed by Randa Haines, was adapted by Mark Medoff, Hesper Anderson and James Carrington from Medoff's Tony award-winning play of the same name, which ran on Broadway from 1980–1982.


In her debut role as Sarah Norman, Matlin won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actress. Aged 21 at the time, she is the youngest actress to have received an Oscar for Best Actress. Almost completely deaf in real life since the early age of 18 months, she has since gone on to become an established film and television star and remains active in charities for the deaf and hearing impaired around the world. The film also garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for William Hurt, Best Supporting Actress for Piper Laurie, Best Picture, and Best Writing for an Adapted Screenplay.


Plot:
Sarah Norman (Marlee Matlin) is a troubled young deaf woman working as a cleaner at a school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in New England. An energetic new teacher, James Leeds (William Hurt), arrives at the school and encourages her to set aside her insular life by learning how to talk.

As she already uses sign language, Sarah resists James's attempts to get her to talk. Romantic interest develops between James and Sarah and they are soon living together, though their differences and mutual stubbornness eventually strains their relationship to breaking point, as he continues to want her to talk, and she feels somewhat stifled in his presence.


Sarah leaves James and goes to live with her estranged mother (Piper Laurie) in a nearby city, reconciling with her in the process. However, she and James later find a way to resolve their differences or do they?

My questions for you:

~This is a powerful title. Wow, lesser god. Really? Based on what you have learned in class and what you have seen so far in the film (give examples from class and the movie) why you think this title was chosen? Is it appropriate? Why or why not? Is it deceiving? Is it helpful to the audience to allow them to understand from a Deaf perspective? Why or why not? Where do you think it comes from (do some history) research and see what you find)?

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

~Select a presentation topic and begin developing your presentation. Each student will present for 10 minutes. Members of the Deaf community will be invited to attend so be sure to do your best work. Directions will be posted on the blog next week.

We have covered several areas of Deaf culture but there is so much more to learn and explore. We are only at the very tip of the iceberg.

You may wish to expand on a topic that we have addressed, or find one of your own. I know that Amanda had discussed wanting to know more about CODA, perhaps she would like to take this further. Sarah had mentioned wanting to learn more about oppression, she can elaborate on that. There are so many topics that you could select from. I would like you to decide on your topic by next Monday, March 28th. Pick something that interests you. You will be working on this for awhile so you want it to be something that inspires you.

Here are some topic ideas, they would need to be elaborated on:

~National Theatre of The Deaf
~Martha's Vineyard
~Gallaudet University
~Laurnet Clerc
~Deaf Performers
~Deaf portrayal in the media
~Laws to protect Deaf people
~Deaf President Now

Graded how?




Introduction to Deaf Culture Presentations
Spring 2010

Speakers(s):___________________________________________________________________

Topic:________________________________________________________________________

5 = Excellent 4 = Good 3 = Average 2=Fair 1 = Poor 0 = Missing

INTRODUCTION
Gained attention and interest 5 4 3 2 1 0 Comments:
Introduced topic early 5 4 3 2 1 0
Previewed body of speech 5 4 3 2 1 0
Related to audience 5 4 3 2 1 0

BODY
Main points clear 5 4 3 2 1 0 Comments:
Main points fully supported 5 4 3 2 1 0
Organization well planned 5 4 3 2 1 0
Clearly cited support materials
(2+sources) 5 4 3 2 1 0
Language clear, concise, appropriate 5 4 3 2 1 0
Effective transition 5 4 3 2 1 0

CONCLUSION
Reviewed main points 5 4 3 2 1 0 Comments:
Reinforced central idea 5 4 3 2 1 0
Strong closing 5 4 3 2 1 0

DELIVERY
Maintained eye contact 5 4 3 2 1 0 Comments:
Used voice effectively 5 4 3 2 1 0
Presented 1 visual aid 5 4 3 2 1 0
Used nonverbal communication effectively5 4 3 2 1 0
Posture/ stance 5 4 3 2 1 0
Vocalized pauses 5 4 3 2 1 0

OVERALL EVALUATION
Speech was engaging/conveyed topic 5 4 3 2 1 0
Speech clearly stated goal 5 4 3 2 1 0
Speech completed in time limit (20min) 5 4 3 2 1 0 Time: ______:______

Comments / Grade:___________


**You have been graded so far on:
~weekly blog assignments
~article summaries
~midterm
~class participation

Please bring to class on Monday, March 28, 2011:

~How many articles you have completed___/2
~How many weekly blogs you have completed___/8
~Midterm grade___/100
~Participation and attendance___/A, B, C, D, F

What grade do you think you have earned? ____/A-F

Reflect

I am so sorry I could not be with you today. My daughter is very sick with a temp. of 104. Poor thing wanted me to hold her all day. I hope tomorrow she feels better. If not, to the doctor we go. No fun!

I have decided to allow you to reflect on these past 7 weeks and share what has been the most meaningful thing you have learned on this journey. I would also like you to include something you would like me to add or touch on when we return. Please reflect in one paragraph or more. You only need to post your own reflection. Since it is spring break next week, I will not require you to comment on each other's comments.

It has been a great ride so far!

Have a wonderful spring break!

Monica

But before you go... this is part of our oppression discussion from this week. It may surprise you...maybe not...
http://www.deaftv.com/film/What-Would-You-Do-Discrminate-Against-Video/