1. CSD 5400 REHABILITATION PROCEDURES FOR THE HARD OF HEARING
Hearing Loss and Identity
Psychosocial Aspects
Deaf Culture

2. Culture
“a pattern of beliefs, values, behaviors, arts, customs, institutions, social forms and knowledge that are characteristic of a community”
Transmitted through language
When children learn (acquire) language from their parents, they are learning their culture, too
Deaf children of hearing parents are exposed to two languages and two cultures. Many times, the child’s native language and culture are not the parents’
Culture:
Culture is a pattern of beliefs, values, hehaviors, arts, customs, institutions, social forms and knowledge that are characteristic of a community. The patterns of beliefs and values are used by the community to interpret their individual and collective experience, past and present. Culture is, in part, transmitted thru language.
When children learn the lang of their parents, they are learning their culture too.
Deaf children of hearing parents are exposed to 2 languages and 2 cultures, and sometimes the first lang and culture are not the parents.

3. Deaf Culture Woodward (1972) proposed the following distinction:
“deaf”: a medical definition of deafness which focuses on the hearing loss itself. “deafness” is seen as a disability.
“Deaf”: a sociocultural view of deafness which focuses on the social and cultural experiences of being deaf in a society in which the majority of individuals are hearing. “Deafness” is seen as a linguistic and ethnic minority culture.
A guy named Woodward in 1972 proposed the distinction between deaf and Deaf to draw in the concept of culture to deafness.
Deaf--is a medical view of deafness. It focuses on the hearing loss itself. In this view, attention is directed toward the impact of deafness on education, communication, intelligence, socialization, development, and socioeconomic status. Deafness is seen as a disability.
Deaf--with a capital D--is a sociocultural view of deafness which focuses on the social and cultural experience of being deaf in a society in which the majority of individuals are hearing. Deafness is seen as a linguistic and ethnic minority culture.

4. Some Membership Guidelines
“Native” language is ASL (American)
Family history of deafness
No spoken English
Congenital time of onset
Residential school placement
Hearing children of Deaf parents
Membership:
Communicating primarily by ASL is a major characteristic.
The number of preceding generations of deafness gives individuals greater credibility in being ident as Deaf.
People who mouth or use spoken English have less credibility.
Those born deaf are held in higher esteem than those with acquired deafness.
Individuals who attend residential schools have more credibility than those who attend public schools.
Hearing children of Deaf parents commonly have connection to the community.

5. Transmission of the Culture
Only 5-7% of deaf people have two deaf parents
Importance of residential schools for the deaf
Deaf houseparents
Older Deaf students
Deaf staff and Deaf teachers
Transmission of Culture:
Remember that only 5-7% of deaf people have 2 deaf parents, so the culture must be transmitted in ways different from almost any other culture that is passed on from parents to children.
A primary way the culture is transmitted is through residential schools.
At residential schools, Deaf children are with Deaf houseparents, older Deaf students, Deaf workers, and Deaf teachers. Even the hearing teachers in residential schools are more knowledgeable of Deaf culture than hearing teachers in public schools.
Indeed, the passage of PL and IDEA in 1975 has caused great concern by Deaf adults because they have drastically reduced the number of Deaf students attending residential programs.

6. Patterns in the Culture
Highlights:
Political activity
“Deaf President Now” (DPN) movement
Storytelling
Poetry
Theater
Writing and publishing
Patterns in the Culture:
Not just a shared language. Some things that highlight Deaf culture:
Political activity--a good example is the Deaf President Now movement--1-week protest in 1988 at Galludet University when they hired a hearing non-signing president. The appt was cancelled and they eventually hired the first deaf university president, ever.
Storytelling, Poetry (acted, not read), Deaf theater (National Theatre of the Deaf, publishers and authors (Galludet university Press).

7. Home Cultures
Deaf individuals have the same diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds as hearing persons
Deaf individuals from minority groups must deal with issues of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
Home Cultures:
Deaf individuals have the same diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds as hearing persons. A knowledge of these cultures is crucial as well, yet many people working with children seem to that cultural differences are not significant in the lives of Deaf people. Things like race, etc.. are very important and can interact, culturally, with deafness in different ways.
Deaf individuals from minority groups must deal with issues of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. They must figure out the respective influences of their multiple cultures as well as the subculture groups of which they may be a part.
Common to have groups like African American Deaf, Hispanic Deaf, Native American Deaf, etc…
“children of a Lesser God”