This vlogger with screenname ASLFreedom discusses his journey of shame and then embracing his multi-identities including being Deaf. Warmly and painfully honest.
beautiful imagery and symbolism by Mark Myers (heeheeluck) about Deafhood and audism.
from pdurr at youTube. Excerpts from Dr. Paddy Ladd’s presentation at National Technical Institute for the Deaf / Rochester Institute of Technology. This is Part 1 out of 3 parts. The presentation was done April 2, 2004. In this part, Dr. Ladd discusses:
1) dedication of speech to Marie Philip and Marvin Marshall
2) To set up Deaf Studies is to give space and time to focus on reflecting upon Deaf culture, to see it in a big picture, to look at its history, philosophy, arts, etc.
3) Most of books discussing the Deaf experience tend to focus on the experience of oppression
4) The need for a new framework to study Deaf culture–checking out other fields and applying to Deaf Studies
5) We need to look at and learn from post-colonialism studies from South Africa, India, etc. where liberation happened, and people started to reflect upon their own identities and their roles on Earth
6) Harlan Lane did pioneering work in applying the concept of colonialism to Deaf people (1993) from which Dr. Ladd explored in depth
7) Colonialism in the United Kingdom happened at the Deaf school and Deaf club
8 ) Oralism = clear Colonialism of Deaf schools, more specifically, Deaf people’s bodies
9) Oralist colonialism was systematic (planned and widespread) — different from general oppression
10) one result of colonialism — cutting Deaf people, especially children, off from Deaf history, traditions, culture, knowledge, etc.
11) Not all “hearing” people are responsible for the colonizing of Deaf people– only a special group or specialisits are responsible. The others who are NOT colonialists are hearing “lay people.”
12) Liberation permits the colonized group to explore themselves as a culture, to be able to revisit their dream of what an ideal world would be, to begin to run their own business in that world, etc, FREE FROM EFFECTS OF COLONIALISM.
13) One area is to reconstruct Deaf Education, not just make small modifications, not to restrict only on language development, but also to include moral and spiritual education. Hearing parents not familiar with Deaf culture will not be able to do this, so it will be an important purpose of Deaf education.
14) Reconstruction means making our Deaf picture big again, requires us to ask big questions expecting big answers about ourselves, our world, our roles, etc. before colonialism, and where we can go in the future after being liberated.
15) Deafhood as a word is a way to bring us the big picture. Opposite of the word “deafness”.
16) Deafhood is the way each Deaf person views him/herself and his/her role on Earth. Not only that, the whole Deaf community too and all the Deaf nations.
17) Deafhood needs to be taught and learned. It does not come with just being Deaf.
18) Important to understand the differences between being member of a Majority Culture from being member of a Minority Culture.
from pdurr at youTube. In this part, Dr. Ladd discusses:
1) Pre-Colonialism: The annual banquets in Paris and the wonderful Deaf leader Ferdinand Berthier
2) The tenets from these Parisian banquets
3) The diversion from what’s good about Nature by science and its emphasis on “progress” and its impact on Deaf philosophies
4) Books by Deaf philosopher – Pierre Desloges (1779) and about philosophy of Clerc and Massieu (1815) – and additional Deafhood philosophy from them
5) examples of effects of colonialism on Deaf people
6) Television issues — Deaf channel in Sign Language vs captions
7) Deaf culture nowadays reflects some of the negative effects of colonialism–it is not fully reflecting all the positive possibilities of being Deaf from past, present and future.
8 ) Why we need the concept and term of “Deafhood” to expand on Deaf culture — pull out of the effects of colonialism upon Deaf culture, and move towards a better vision for Deaf world
9 ) Deafhood as an international concept, the visual space deep inside Deaf people, beyond the boundaries of the majority culture, beyond the signed language of a Deaf culture, i.e. American. It’s where Deaf people from different countries click when meeting each other.
from pdurr at youTube. In this part, Dr. Ladd discusses:
1) hearing allies and how best to work with them
2) importance of using group processing and reflections to create solutions rather than aiming for quick solutions that are not thought through
3) the great significance of Minority Studies (i.e. Deaf Cultural Studies) as a healthy space to deal with oppression and liberation
4) the need to have Deaf Studies in secondary school level as well as at University level
5) having Deaf parents doesn’t automatically make anybody knowledgeable about Deaf culture–just like hearing American, having American parents doesn’t automatically make someone knowledgeable about America, that person should STUDY American history, politics, language, etc. to become real knowledgeable
6) the great increase in Deaf children being mainstreamed and implanted makes creating Deaf Studies curriculum for them even more important– NOT less important as some assumed.
7) the recent increase of genetic engineering and its impact on Deafhood philosophy about existence of Deaf people on Earth–Deaf Studies becomes even more important to present space for development of arguments to challenge the genetic engineering’s goals
8 ) discussion of the artwork by Alexander Martianov and why Dr. Ladd chose it for the cover of his book “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood”
Summary: Patti Durr of Rochester, NY, discusses differences between LOVE and FEAR and why it is essential for an oppressed group to choose LOVE and its rewards and to overcome FEAR. Excellent reminder, excellent references.
Kathryn Snelgrove-Kerr shares her reflections after the Deafhood workshop in Richmond, VA.
Summary: Star Grieser and Shannon Riddle share their reflections after the Deafhood workshop in Richmond, VA on September 11, 2010 with presenters Dr. Genie Gertz, Ella Mae Lentz and Dr. Laurene Simms.
(This was originally posted in www.joeybaer.com under “Deafhood”)
Summary: Joey explains the premise of the 5 part interview with Dr. Paddy Ladd while he was in town early 2008. Then, he asks the first question about Dr. Ladd’s background. Dr. Ladd generous gives a brief explanation.
PS. Dr. Ladd is from the United Kingdom and uses British Sign Language. He has a working fluency of American Sign Language and it’s amazing that he’s capable of using ASL to communicate to us ASL users in this interview series! We appreciate it a lot.
(this was originally posted in www.joeybaer.com under “Deafhood”)
Summary: Dr. Paddy Ladd explains how he came to coin the term “Deafhood” in response to Joey Baer’s question.
PS. Dr. Ladd is from the United Kingdom and uses British Sign Language. However, for this video targeted for American Deaf citizens, he respectfully uses American Sign Language and does it well to express his information. Amazing!
