tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522530.post115824466365413864..comments2023-08-22T10:11:00.147-04:00Comments on DEAF IN THE CITY: JRShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02485752215710916988noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522530.post-1158258347004291382006-09-14T14:25:00.000-04:002006-09-14T14:25:00.000-04:00Government recognition of BSL as language in own r...Government recognition of BSL as language in own right coincides with publication of Understanding Deaf Culture by Paddy Ladd<BR/><BR/>Secretary of State Andrew Smith and Minister for Disabled People Maria Eagle announced that the Government will recognise British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in its own right and will give 1 million in funding to support the move. This coincides with publication of Understanding Deaf Culture by Paddy Ladd<BR/><BR/>“Ladd writes powerfully of Deaf pride. But he also records the 19th- century perception of the Deaf as "savages", an inferior people who needed to be "cured" of their condition, often by crude experimental methods. He details its ongoing effects on an education system in which the average Deaf child now leaves school with a reading age of eight.”<BR/><BR/>http://www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/news/newsarchiveitem.aspx?resourceid=1483<BR/><BR/>Understanding Deaf Culture : In Search of Deafhood<BR/><BR/>“Chapter 1 presents an overview of Deaf communities, from an insider <BR/>perspective. Such an overview moves beyond the medical and disability-<BR/>related criteria of deafness (loss of hearing, 'need' for various forms <BR/>of rehabilitation, etc.) to a cultural definition of the community as <BR/>made up of Deaf with their own language (sign language), their own <BR/>membership criteria (endogamous marriage, socialization in special <BR/>residential schools, etc), their own community practices (further <BR/>socialization in Deaf clubs, Deaf sports, etc.). Ladd then goes on to <BR/>discuss such complications of the overview as the participation of <BR/>minority Deaf in the majority culture (at work, in higher education, <BR/>etc.), the presence of Deaf minority groups, and Deaf organization and <BR/>political activities. In closing the Introduction Ladd once again <BR/>emphasizes that the features of Deaf communities resemble most closely <BR/>the colonial situation”<BR/><BR/>http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?SubID=15159Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522530.post-1158251881484287362006-09-14T12:38:00.000-04:002006-09-14T12:38:00.000-04:00It's important to note that Massieu was probably n...It's important to note that Massieu was probably not the typical Deaf Culture man. He was nuts. He had an obsession with watches which translated into a name sign that lasted forever. He was also, I believe, not quite a "Deaf Culture" person - he liked to push boundaries. <BR/><BR/>It is true that the men at the Deaf banquets called themselves Men of Nature (mostly to excuse their uncontrollable hands which may have been on every ass in the room...)JRShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02485752215710916988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6522530.post-1158251626798036872006-09-14T12:33:00.000-04:002006-09-14T12:33:00.000-04:00The World of C.A. Fanara"The second speaker was Dr...The World of C.A. Fanara<BR/><BR/>"The second speaker was Dr. Paddy Ladd, none other than Mr. Deafhood himself! His lecture was entitled, "Deafhood and Future Directions of Deaf History Research". He made a dramatic entrance: wearing a suit, but with long hair and earrings, a blue ribbon in the name of Deaf like the red ribbon for AIDS and announced he was lighting a candle in the memory of the late Bernard Mottez. So very Paddy indeed. He then proceeded with his lecture by stating what he will discuss: review the past 25 years of Deaf History research, identify its weakness and propose future direction of Deaf History research. He identified the past 25 years as the first wave of Deaf History research titled "Deaf Resurgence". He thanked Jack Gannon and Harlan Lane for spearheading the start of Deaf History research to new heights. He basically believes that this period of research covered histories of Deaf individuals, institutions, national history and so forth. However, he said there were weaknesses in this period: Deaf communities, Deaf thoughts/beliefs, Deaf philosophy and more about Deaf women - all of which were seldom mentioned. So in the next second wave of Deaf History research, he stated, we should cover these topics plus sign language patterns over the ages, variety of Deaf peoples and so forth - this would be called Deaf Reconstruction, he said. The next part of his speech was quite enthralling: why we should have "Deafhood" readings. He pointed out the 19th century Deaf French banquets where the Deaf French would discuss their own Deaf philosophy. Paddy gave a good example of this Deaf French thought: "Massieu and Clerc felt that there were two groups of languages - natural and artificial. Natural languages belonged to the Deaf and the savages. Artificial languages belonged to the hearing people. They believed that language was linked to Deaf biology. This was why Deaf people were more of a global group; they were the Sign Language peoples. Therefore, they were among the First Nation people, those who believed that they belonged to Earth, not vice versa." These are mind-boggling as well as thought-provoking, eh? I could see that most people in the auditorium were grinning. Only Paddy could go off on a tangent like this and have people smile. He ended his lecture with this quote, "Deafhood History is within us all."<BR/><BR/>http://www.xanga.com/allisonfanara?nextdate=8%2F10%2F2006&cal=1Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com