Deaf culture describes the social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values and shared institutions of communities that

are affected by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label, the

word deaf is often written with a capital D, and referred to as "big D Deaf" in speech and sign. When used as a label for the

audiological condition, it is written with a lower case d.

Members of the Deaf community tend to view deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability.[1][2]

The community may include family members of deaf people and sign-language interpreters who identify with Deaf culture and does

not automatically include all people who are deaf or hard of hearing.[3] According to Anna Mindess, "it is not the extent of hearing loss

that defines a member of the Deaf community but the individual's own sense of identity and resultant actions."[4] As with all social

groups that a person chooses to belong to, a person is a member of the Deaf community if he or she "identifies him/herself as a

member of the Deaf community, and other members accept that person as a part of the community."[5]

Deaf culture is recognised under article 30, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

which states that "Persons with disabilities shall be entitled, on an equal basis with others, to recognition and support of their specific

cultural and linguistic identity, including sign languages and deaf culture."

Contents

 [hide]

1 Acquisition of Deaf culture

o 1.1 Diversity within Deaf culture

2 Characteristics of Deaf culture

o 2.1 Sign languages

o 2.2 Values and beliefs

o 2.3 Behavioral norms

o 2.4 Literary traditions and arts

o 2.5 History

o 2.6 Shared institutions

o 2.7 Deaf Space

3 Terminology

o 3.1 "deafness" and "Deafness"

o 3.2 "hearing-impaired"

4 See also

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

[edit]Acquisition of Deaf culture

Merikartano school for deaf students in Oulu,Finland (February 2006).

Historically, Deaf culture has often been acquired within schools for the deaf and within Deaf social clubs, both of which unite deaf

people into communities with which they can identify.[1] Becoming Deaf culturally can occur at different times for different people,

depending on the circumstances of one's life. A small proportion of deaf individuals acquire sign language and Deaf culture in infancy

from Deaf parents, others acquire it through attendance at schools, and yet others may not be exposed to sign language and Deaf

culture until college or a time after that.[4]

Although up to fifty percent of deafness has genetic causes, less than five percent of deaf people have a Deaf parent,[6] so Deaf

communities are unusual among cultural groups in that most members do not acquire their cultural identities from parents.[7]

Students at a school for the deaf in Baghdad,Iraq (April 2004).

[edit]Diversity within Deaf culture

Anna Mindess notes that there is "not just one homogenous Deaf culture."[4] There are many distinct Deaf communities around the

world, which communicate using different sign languages and exhibit different cultural norms. Deaf identity also intersects with other

kinds of cultural identity. Deaf culture intersects with nationality, education, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, and

other identity markers, leading to a culture that is at once quite small and also tremendously diverse. The extent to which people

identify primarily with their Deaf identity rather than their membership in other intersecting cultural groups also varies. Mindess notes

a 1989 study, which "found that 87 percent of black Deaf people polled identified with their Black culture first."[4]

[edit]Characteristics of Deaf culture

[edit]Sign languages

Members of Deaf cultures communicate via sign languages. There are over 200 distinct, naturally-occurring sign languages in the

world. Although theUnited Kingdom and the United States share English as the most common spoken language, the sign languages

used in these countries differ markedly. Due to the origins of deaf education in the United States, American Sign Language is most

closely related to French Sign Language.

Apart from using sign languages, Deaf culture has typical beliefs, values, and arts that help to define it.

[edit]Values and beliefs

A positive attitude toward being deaf is typical in Deaf cultural groups. Deafness is not generally considered a condition that

needs to be fixed.[4]

The use of a sign language is central to Deaf cultural identity. Oralist approaches to educating deaf children thereby pose a

threat to the continued existence of Deaf culture. Members of Deaf communities may also oppose technological innovations

like cochlear implants and hearing aids for the same reason.

Culturally Deaf people value the use of natural sign languages that exhibit their own grammatical conventions, such as American

Sign Language and British Sign Language, over signed versions of English or other spoken languages. Note that spoken

English, written English and signed English are three different symbolic systems for expressing the same language.[8]

Deaf communities strongly oppose discrimination against deaf people.

Deaf culture in the United States tends to be collectivist rather than individualist; culturally Deaf people value the group.[4]

[edit]Behavioral norms

Culturally Deaf people have rules of etiquette for getting attention, walking through signed conversations, leave-taking, and

otherwise politely negotiating a signing environment.

Deaf people also keep each other informed of what is going on in one's environment. It is common to provide detailed information

when leaving early or arriving late; withholding such information may be considered rude.[4]

Deaf people may be more direct or blunt than their hearing counterparts.[4]

When giving introductions, Deaf people typically try to find common ground; since the Deaf community is relatively small, Deaf

people usually know some other Deaf people in common. "The search for connections is the search for connectedness."[4]

Deaf people may also consider time differently. Showing up early to large scale events, such as lectures, is typical. This may be

motivated by the need to get a seat that provides the best visual clarity for the deaf person. Deaf people may also be late to

social events. However, at Deaf social events such as parties, it is common for Deaf people to stay for elongated amounts of

time, for the solidarity and conversations at social gatherings are valued by Deaf people.

[edit]Literary traditions and artsMain article: American Sign Language literature

A strong tradition of poetry and storytelling exists in American Sign Language and other signed languages. Some prominent

performers in the U.S. include Clayton Valli, Benjamin Bahan, Ella Mae Lentz, Manny Hernandez, C.J. Jones, Debbie Rennie,

Patrick Graybill, Peter Cook, and many others. Their works are now increasingly available on video.[9]

Culturally Deaf people have also represented themselves in the dominant written languages of their nations.[10]

Deaf artists such as Betty G. Miller and Chuck Baird have produced visual artwork that conveys a Deaf worldview.[7]

[edit]History

Deaf people who sign are intensely proud of their history. In the United States, they recount the story of Laurent Clerc, a Deaf

educator, coming to the United States from France in 1816 to help found the first permanent school for deaf children in the country. [10]

Another well-known event is the 1880 Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Milan, Italy, where hearing

educators voted to embrace oral education and remove sign language from the classroom.[11] This effort resulted in strong opposition

within Deaf cultures today to the oralist method of teaching deaf children to speak and lip read with limited or no use of sign language

in the classroom. The method is intended to make it easier for deaf children to integrate into hearing communities, but the benefits of

learning in such an environment are disputed. The use of sign languageis central to Deaf identity and attempts to limit its use are

viewed as an attack.

[edit]Shared institutions

Women's art class at State School of the Deaf, Delavan, Wisconsin, c. 1880

Deaf culture revolves around such institutions as residential schools for deaf students, universities for deaf students

(including Gallaudet University and theNational Technical Institute for the Deaf), Deaf clubs, Deaf athletic leagues, Deaf social

organizations (such as the Deaf Professional Happy Hour), Deaf religious groups, and an array of conferences and festivals, such as

the Deaf Way II Conference and Festival and the World Federation of the Deafconferences.

Deaf clubs, popular in the 1940s and 1950s, were also an important part of Deaf culture. During this time there were very few places

that the Deaf could call their own; places run by Deaf people for Deaf people. Deaf clubs were the solution to this need. Money was

made by selling alcohol and hosting card games. Sometimes these ventures were so successful that the building used by the club

was able to be purchased. However, the main attraction of these clubs was that they provided a place that Deaf people could go to

be around other Deaf people, sometimes sharing stories, hosting parties, comedians, and plays. Many of today’s common ABC

stories were first seen at Deaf clubs. The clubs were found in all of the major cities, New York City being home to at least 12. These

clubs were an important break from their usually solitary day spent at factory jobs. [7]

In the 1960s, Deaf clubs began their quick and drastic decline. Today there are only a few spread out deaf clubs found in America

and their attendance is commonly small with a tendency to the elderly. This sudden decline is often attributed to the rise of

technology like the TTY and closed captioning for personal TVs. With other options available for entertainment and communication,

the need for Deaf clubs grew smaller. It was no longer the only option for getting in touch with other members of the Deaf

community. [7]

However, others attribute the decline of Deaf clubs to the end of WWII and a change of the job market. During WWII there was high

demand for factory laborers and a promise of high pay. Many Deaf Americans left their homes to move to bigger cities with the hope

of a factory job. This huge influx of workers into new cities created the need for Deaf clubs. When WWII ended and the civil rights

movement progressed, the federal government started offering more jobs to Deaf men and women. People began switching from

manufacturing jobs to service jobs, moving away from solitary work with set hours. Today, Deaf clubs are rare, but Deaf advocacy

centers and other Deaf organizations have become widespread and popular. [7]

[edit]Deaf Space

Initially known as visu-centric design. This concept began at Gallaudet University with the Sorenson Language and Communication

Center (SLCC) building. This was designed by the SmithGroup. "Designed in its entirety for the needs of the deaf and hard-of-

hearing, this unique academic building establishes a new level of architectural accommodation." [12] With soft corners, diffused lighting

and wide circular pathways SLCC allows total visual access and connectivity. Automatic sliding doors compared to the traditional

swinging doors allow continuous conversation, without unnecessary pauses. Metal railings can become visual obstructions, therefore

are replaced by glass railings. [13]

The SmithGroup has won the following recognitions for the Sorenson Language and Communication Center:

Section Award, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), 2009

Illumination Award of Merit, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), 2009

Silver Award/Educational/Institutional, International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Mid-Atlantic Chapter, 2009

Award of Excellence?Best Institutional Project, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Maryland/DC

Chapter, 2009

Institutional Award of Merit (submitted by Heery International), Mid-Atlantic Construction, 2008

"Eyeing the Future: Gallaudet University's new visu-centric facility promotes communication", Environmental Construction & Design,

November 2008

"Gallaudet Eyes the Future with Visual Design", School Construction News, November 2008 [14]

[edit]Terminology

[edit]"deafness" and "Deafness"

In a clinical context, the term deafness (written with a lower case d) refers to a physical condition characterized by a relative lack of

auditory sensitivity to sound compared to the species norm.[1] In a cultural context, the term "Deafness" (written with an upper case D)

refers to cultural membership within a group that is composed mainly, but not exclusively, of people who are clinically deaf and who

form a social community with an identity that revolves around deafness and the use of sign languages to communicate.[3]

[edit]"hearing-impaired"

The term hearing impaired is more likely to be used by people with a less than severe hearing loss and people who have acquired

deafness in adulthood than by those who have grown up deaf. By contrast, those who identify with the Deaf culture movement

typically reject the label impaired and other labels that imply that deafness is a pathological condition, viewing it instead as a locus of

pride.[1]

[edit]See also

Deafhood

Audism

National Association of the Deaf

American Sign Language Literature

Canadian Deaf Theatre

Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf  held in Milan, Italy in 1880.

Models of deafness

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Sign name

"Total Communication"

Dorothy Miles

[edit]References

1. ^ a b c d Ladd, Paddy (2003). Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood.. Multilingual Matters. ISBN 1853595454.

2. ̂  Lane, Harlan L.; Richard Pillard and Ulf Hedberg (2011). The People of the Eye: Deaf Ethnicity and Ancestry. Oxford University

Press. ISBN 0199759294.

3. ^ a b Padden, Carol; Tom Humphries (1988). Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture.. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674194233.

4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mindess, Anna (2006). Reading Between the Signs: Intercultural Communication for Sign Language

Interpreters. ISBN 9781931930260.

5. ̂  Baker, Charlotte; Carol Padden (1978). American Sign Language: A look at its story, structure and community.

6. ̂  Mitchell, Ross E. & Karchmer, Michael A. (2004) Chasing the mythical ten percent: Parental hearing status of deaf and hard of hearing

students in the United States. Sign Language Studies 4:2, 138-163.

7. ^ a b c d e Bauman, Dirksen (2008). Open your eyes: Deaf studies talking. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816646198.

8. ̂  Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 378

(photo and caption) (PDF)

9. ̂  Bauman, Dirksen (2006). Jennifer Nelson and Heidi Rose. ed. Signing the Body Poetic: Essays in American Sign Language Literature.

University of California Press. ISBN 0520229754.

10. ^ a b Krentz, Christopher (2000). A Mighty Change: An Anthology of Deaf American Writing 1816-1864. Gallaudet University

Press. ISBN 1563681013.

11. ̂  Baynton, Douglas (1996). Forbidden Signs: American Culture and the Campaign against Sign Language. University of Chicago

Press. ISBN 0226039641.

12. ̂  http://www.smithgroup.com/?id=424

13. ̂  http://hdl.handle.net/1903/11295

14. ̂  http://www.smithgroup.com/?id=424

[edit]Further reading

Berbrier, Mitch. "Being Deaf has little to do with one's ears": Boundary work in the Deaf culture movement. Perspectives on

Social Problems, 10, 79-100.

Cartwright, Brenda E. Encounters with Reality: 1001 (Deaf) interpreters scenarios

Christiansen, John B. (2003) Deaf President Now! The 1988 Revolution at Gallaudet University Gallaudet University Press

Ladd, P . (2003). Understanding Deaf Culture. In Search of Deafhood. Toronto: Multilingual Matters.

Lane, Harlan (1993). The Mask of Benevolence. New York: Random House.

Lane, Harlan. (1984) When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf. New York: Vintage.

Lane, Harlan, Hoffmeister, Robert, & Bahan, Ben (1996). A Journey into the Deaf-World. San Diego, CA: DawnSignPress.

Luczak, Raymond (1993). Eyes of Desire: A Deaf Gay & Lesbian Reader.

Moore, Matthew S. & Levitan, Linda (2003). For Hearing People Only, Answers to Some of the Most Commonly Asked Questions

About the Deaf Community, its Culture, and the "Deaf Reality", Rochester, New York: Deaf Life Press.

Padden, Carol A. (1980). The deaf community and the culture of Deaf people. In: C. Baker & R. Battison (eds.) Sign Language

and the Deaf Community. Silver Spring(EEUU): National Association of the Deaf.

Padden, Carol A. (1996). From the cultural to the bicultural: the modern Deaf community. in Parasnis I, ed. "Cultural and

Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience." Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press

Padden, Carol A. & Humphries, Tom L. (1988). Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Press.

Padden, Carol A. & Humphries, Tom L. (2005). Inside Deaf Culture, ISBN 0-674-01506-1.

Sacks, Oliver W . (1989). Seeing Voices: A Journey Into The World Of The Deaf, ISBN 0-520-06083-0.

Spradley, Thomas and Spradley, James (1985). Deaf Like Me Gallaudet University Press

Van Cleve, John Vickrey & Crouch, Barry A. (1989). A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America, ISBN 0-

930323-49-1.

[edit]External links

"Deafness is not a disability" (argumentum ad consequentiam)  Article discussing the controversy.

Identity Politics Gone Wild, by Charlotte Allen . Weekly Standard, 2 April 2007

Inside Deaf Culture Website

The Silent Worker  - a popular national newspaper among the deaf population of the United States during the end of the 1890s

through the end of the first quarter of the 20th century.

National Association of the Deaf . The NAD protects deaf and hard of hearing civil rights in the U.S.

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People  The RNID works for the UK's deaf people