The Sound of Silence: A Profile of the Deaf CommunityBy Lauren Fogg

I walked into the Lexington Mall.  The heavy glass doors lead me directly into the large food court. The smell of Chinese cuisine, chicken, and chili fill my nose.  I can hear children whining and food service workers asking passers-by, “Want to try a sample of Bourbon Chicken?”  I walked directly to the end of the dining area that is nestled in the center, scanned the crowd of people chomping and sipping their dinner and drinks they’ve purchased from one of the food joints that encircle the entire seating area, and I immediately spotted them.  It wasn’t hard to find them either. They were sitting at the front of the dining area.  There must have been twenty-five of them all grouped together.  However, it wasn’t the fact that they were sitting right up front that made them easy to find.  It was their hands.  Hands moving and gesturing; movements that hardly revealed what they were saying.  Their mouths were moving, but no sound came out.  Raised and furrowed eyebrows, grins and grimaces confirmed their emotions as they socialized and visited as if it was one big family gathered for a reunion.The other diners stole quick glances trying not to get caught looking at this group, as it is impolite to stare, not to mention eavesdrop.  People seated further away craned their necks to get a better look as if they were watching the monkey exhibit at the zoo.  It was evident that they were intrigued by this group of people who were talking with their hands and “listening” with their eyes.  This group of people, the deaf community, is composed of what appeared to me to look like ordinary people.  There wasn’t a thing that I could pick out that would distinguish them from any other person that I might encounter; not just at the mall, but anywhere.  They were mixed in race and class, ranging in various ages from young to old.I discovered some of the group was bi-lingual.  A young female, maybe around the age of eighteen, someone who I had recently seen signing to a group of older adults, walked over to a young male and began speaking to him.  Only this time she used her voice.  I couldn’t make out what she was saying due to the clamor of the surrounding food court.  I found myself wondering if that was what being deaf was like.  One can see the mouths moving, but fails to hear the sound.Humans are so dependent upon sight and sound to gather information for almost every aspect of daily life, it is quite easy to take the ability to see and hear for granted.  Communication is one of the most

important skills required to succeed emotionally, socially, and academically.  Whether it is receptive or expressive communication, both are needed for one to be included a community.  In this report, the issues of being deaf or hard-of-hearing are explored to produce a better understanding of how those who are deaf adjust to the hearing world so that they can be accepted as part of society.  I will argue that people who are deaf are unfairly marginalized because they are required to adapt to the hearing world in order to function successfully and acquire a quality life in comparison to those who do not have a disability or impairment.  Some of their abilities are restricted and they need assistance in some, if not all, aspects of daily life.  This makes it difficult for anyone who is deaf or hard-of-hearing to reach complete independence.MethodsFor this study, I interviewed three individuals, two of which are insiders of the deaf community.  I spent approximately five hours in the field observing people who are deaf, three hours interviewing my connections with the deaf community, and about four hours interacting with deaf individuals.  However, most of this project was conducted through research to gain a substantial amount of background information on the deaf community, and the artifacts which are associated.Using Your HandsThe deaf have their own language which is not at all like the spoken languages that hearing individuals use.  It is a code of symbols that relay the message to the receiver.  It is assumed by some that American Sign Language is the “ungrammatical form of English” (Perlmutter 2).  However, sign language has its own form of grammar.  This language does not have a sign for every word.  There are words in the English language that are spelled and sound the same, but they have different meanings.  For instance, “right” can mean the opposite of “wrong”, or it can mean the opposite of “left”.  In order to interpret the two meanings, one must know the difference between each sign.  Furthermore, signs do not express the English words; they only express meanings (Perlmutter).In English, words are used to relay a message and sign language does the exact same thing, but instead of using signs for each word, the signed message can be expressed in just one sign.  When two people are signing, they do not always watch the others’ hands. They maintain eye contact because expression can also be interpreted on the face.  For instance, yes or no questions, or declarative statements, are conveyed by facial expressions.  Those who use sign language read the signing hands with their peripheral vision (Perlmutter).

The fact that sign language is so different from spoken English is evidence that it was formed within the deaf community and not based on English at all.  The reason why it differs so much from the spoken language is because it is, in fact, a different language, thus, proving that the deaf community has had to adapt to the hearing society by creating their own way of communicating (Perlmutter).   Below is a photo of the American Alphabet and numbers one through nine in American Sign Language.

The American Sign Language AlphabetFigure 1: David Rakowski

http://www.linguisticsociety.org/files/Sign_Language.pdfUnexpected EncounterThe only experiences I have had with the deaf community before was just simply being exposed to them as a child.  My mother has worked with students with disabilities through employment at the University of Kentucky for thirty-seven years.  Being raised with this kind of exposure to people with disabilities has enabled me to respect and treat all people equally.  However, I did not have enough contact or information on those who are deaf to fully understand that these particular groups of people have their own culture.  After some digging, I found a few people who could provide some insight on this culture and how people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing fit into the hearing society.   I was about to have my first true encounter before I even began my research.One Sunday morning, I walked into the church foyer that sits at the top of a long hallway that houses six classrooms, each one is painted with colorful murals depicting a different Bible story.  The desk, the main

feature of the foyer, consists of a touch-screen computer and label printer that I punch my phone number into in order to obtain the check-out ticket to claim my child at the end of the church service. I place the corresponding sticker on my daughter’s dress and drop her off in the nursery.  As I am headed to my own Sunday school classroom, the children’s director, Kylie, stops me.“Hey! I need you!” she exclaims.“What for?” I respond with a surprised look.“We are short-handed on people to work with the 4 and 5 year-olds, and the 2s and 3s.                 Can you help?”“Of course, I’m always happy to help with the youngins!”She allows me to choose which classroom I want to help with.  It turned out to be the 2 and 3 year-olds.   I walked into the classroom where there are about 10 little children playing, laughing, and some, crying.  I grimaced slightly without anyone seeing.  Why did I choose the 2 and 3 year-old classroom?  The room is painted with bright colors depicting bible stories like “Noah’s Ark” and “Moses parting the Red Sea”.  There is a large cabinet along one wall that contains cubby-holes with each child’s name displayed on the front.The lesson should have begun already, but we are waiting on something.  What is it?  Oh yes, another helper.  We need someone to actually teach the lesson.  During our wait, a helper from the 4 and 5 year-old classroom escorted a young boy over to the 2 and 3 year-old room.“He says his dad wants him to be in the classroom where he was dropped off”, she explains.“Did he start out in this classroom or in the 4 and 5 year-old room?” I ask with a confused look on my face, as I am not quite sure how this boy ended up in another classroom to begin with.“I don’t know, he says he is supposed to be in here.”“Okay, well we always have room for one more”, I say as I shift my eyes down to look at the boy standing there, hand-in-hand with the teacher who has brought him here.He is a blond-headed, blue-eyed young man, about the age 5.  He gave me a small innocent smile as I welcomed him into the classroom.  I looked for his name tag which had been stuck to the back of his shirt and discover his name is Thomas.  Something else has caught my eye and made me feel somewhat uneasy.  Thomas has a plug with a wire on his head just behind his left ear.  I suddenly realized that I had encountered a child with cochlear implants.  I have not had to actually

interact with anyone who was deaf or hard-of-hearing before.  I do not know anything about these people.  Will I be able to communicate with him?  Will I have difficulty understanding him or meeting his needs?While I pondered this dilemma, Thomas immediately walked over to a group of kids playing with the Fischer Price kitchen set.  He jumped right in, grabbing the plastic pieces shaped to look like fruits and vegetables, and the small metal pots and pans.  The other children began talking and playing with him, but did not seem to take notice of his implant receiver that sat behind his left ear.  Other than this small feature, Thomas was just like the other children as he communicated verbally and emotionally during play time.  Observing his interactions with his fellow classmates, my mind was put at ease to know that there would not be a communication barrier.Thomas’s cochlear implant has given him the ability to hear and because he has these implants at such a young age indicates that he has what is called congenital deafness which is present at birth.  However, cochlear implants have become a controversy in the last decade as technology continues to improve.  Some members of the Deaf community find cochlear implants to be an abomination because it is viewed as a “cure” for deafness.  When people of the deaf community receive the cochlear implants, especially children, it decreases the size of the community because they no longer are dependent upon learning American Sign Language.  Instead, children learn the spoken language as they are able to develop their language and speech skills with their new ability to hear.  The Deaf community does not view themselves as disabled, but instead unique as they have their own language and understanding of how the world works.  Robert Sparrow, the author of “Defending Deaf Culture: the Case of Cochlear Implants”, states that “Cochlear implant technology represents an attack on the culture of the Deaf because it seeks to ensure that deaf children grow up to use a spoken language rather than the signed languages of the Deaf.  Success in this project adversely affects the interests of individual members of the Deaf culture by reducing the size of the community with whom they can communicate with in their first language”.

Cochlear Implant                                                               Figure 2: NIH Medical Arts. Ear with Cochlear Implants

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/coch.aspx           Those that are completely deaf, or suffer from severe hearing loss benefit most from a cochlear implant which is depicted in Figure 2 above.  The implant bypasses the damaged parts of the ear to stimulate the auditory nerves.  Cochlear implants do restore hearing, but this piece of equipment is most useful for those who have congenital or pre-lingual deafness in order to help those people to develop their language skills.  The earlier the implantation occurs, the better the chances are for people to develop those skills.  The implant consists of a microphone, speech processor, transmitter and receiver, and an electrode array.  The microphone allows the sound to be picked up from the surrounding environment.  The sound is then sent to the speech processor which selects and arranges the sound.  The transmitter and receiver collect the sound and transform it into electric pulses.  The electrode array is a group of electrodes that receives the impulses and sends them to the auditory nerve.  The only external part of the implant is the transmitter which is placed behind the ear; everything else is surgically placed within the ear, or underneath the person’s skin (NIDCD, “Cochlear Implants”).Despite the controversy surrounding this medical advancement, Thomas has the ability to communicate with his family, teachers, and peers without having to be shadowed by an interpreter, learning American Sign Language, and can live a quality life similar to those without hearing loss or deafness.  He will no longer need academic accommodations and his parents will not have to worry about the stigma that follows the placing of their child in a special education

classroom.Minor Hearing Loss            Those that do not suffer from severe or profound hearing loss can acquire some hearing with the use of a hearing aid.  Hearing aids are not like cochlear implants as they do not require a surgical procedure, however they can still be somewhat costly.  Further, hearing aids only amplify sounds and only benefit those with moderate hearing loss.  All hearing aids contain the same parts and function in the same fashion.  They contain a microphone, earhook, volume control, and an on/off switch (Ruben).Much like the microphone in that of the cochlear implant, the microphone within the hearing aid picks up sound within the environment.  The sound then travels through the earhook, also known as the tonehook, into the earmold which delivers the sound into the ear.  The earmold is probably the second most important piece of the hearing aid as it is molded to the user’s ear to ensure a snug fit.  Earmolds are replaced over time because as the person grows, the earmold will  no longer continue to stay inside the ear canal (Ruben).

The behind-the-ear hearing aid is the most powerful but least attractive hearing aid. The in-the-ear hearing aid is the best choice for

severe hearing loss. It is easy to adjust but is difficult to use with telephones. The in-the-canal hearing aid is used for mild to moderate hearing loss. This aid is relatively inconspicuous but is difficult to use with telephones. The completely-in-the-canal hearing aid is used for

mild to moderate hearing loss. This aid has good sound, is nearly

invisible, and can be easily used with telephones. It is removed by pulling on a small string. However, it is the most expensive and hard to

adjust (Ruben).Figure 3: Robert J. Ruben M.D. “Hearing Aids: Amplifying the Sound“

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/ear_nose_and_throat_disorders/hearing_loss_and_deafness/hearing_loss_and_deafness.html    

A Professional’s InsightNot having any knowledge about the deaf community, I needed more concrete information about this group of people and how they adapted to a hearing world.  The best resource that I could think of was the Disability Services Office at the State University, where I was attending as a full-time student.  I made my way over to the office hoping to speak with, Jane, an advising consultant, to speak about the observations she has had concerning students who are deaf.  I learn she has worked with persons with disabilities for thirty-seven years.  I poked my head into her office a mere 10 minutes before the office closed for the day.  She looked up from her computer after I tapped lightly on the door frame.  Her left eyebrow rose as she asked, “May I help you?”“I hope so.  I am in need of collecting some information for a project.” I said.“Okay?  How is it I can help you?” she asked, eyebrow still posed in the same spot, making her forehead wrinkle slightly.“Well, I am required to pick a community to observe and I am to publish my observations on my blog.  I have this form here that I will need to have you fill out, basically giving me permission to post the information provided.” I explained, sliding the release form across her desk.“Sure, that sounds easy enough.  What would you like to know?” she asked with a smile, lips pressed together.“Well, for starters, what are some of the observations you’ve had while working with students who are deaf?” I asked, readying my pen and paper to begin taking notes.She took a deep breath, furrowed her eyebrows, and pursed her lips as she gathered her thoughts to respond to my question.  She informed me that the deaf student community is small in number compared to other disability groups.  Some of those students decide to attend smaller colleges rather than attend one as large as the state university where I am currently a student.  She continued,”Some students tend to matriculate while staying within their

community, therefore, will attend colleges that specifically enroll and matriculate other deaf individuals.  So that way they are with their peers at the post-secondary level of education and not necessarily just by themselves at a hearing institution.  A lot of the students that we have, I will say, that have done well, are ones that have very high skill when it comes to being able to communicate in written English because at this school, you must be able to communicate in writing. That communication is a struggle for students who are deaf because the way deaf people communicate does not fit with our grammatical English rules, so instead of asking someone, “Would you like to go to a movie?” they would look at each other and sign, “Go movie?”According to Jane, the deaf community speaks in a different manner than the hearing community would.  It is like a foreign language in the way it is translated.  Some languages cannot be translated word for word into English because in some cases the way the language is spoken has a different structure than that of the English language.Jane went on to describe other observations she has had over the years.  This time, explaining about how many deaf students are enrolled in the university this year which turns out to be more than she has seen in years past.  There are twelve deaf students, eight of which are enrolled full-time.  She focuses on the undergraduate students who she referred to as “little fish in a big pond” because they typically do not have friendships already established when they move onto campus.  It is difficult for them because they do not have the ability to communicate with others unless they have the services in order to do. They rarely take the opportunity to get involved in intramural sports, Greek life, or other organizations because they do not have the means to facilitate communication.I nod my head, as if in agreement while I take in everything she is saying.  She came to a pause and I realized that she was waiting for my next question.“What type of services might a student who is deaf need to be able to make their college experience manageable?”, I read the question right off the paper I had in front of me, changing a few words here and there to make it sound a little more professional.Jane informed me that deaf students’ dorm rooms can be equipped with emergency communication devices to indicate that the phone is ringing, there is someone at the door, and notify them of an emergency.  Some students are given the privilege of acquiring special parking permits that allow them to park within the university’s interior in the event they are going to be on campus during the evening hours as the field of visibility is reduced and the college wants the students to be safe.

Those who are deaf learn American Sign Language as children in schools for the Deaf.  In the college classroom, interpreters will be assigned to work with the student who is deaf to translate lectures, discussions, and meeting with professors.  Professors are to prompt students who are deaf to participate in the classroom and by no means are to be exempt from group activities as they are provided with interpreters to facilitate communication.  However, “Because deafness is a low incidence disability, there is not widespread understanding of its educational implications, even among special educators. This lack of knowledge and skills in our education system contributes to the already substantial barrier to deaf students in receiving appropriate educational services” (qtd. in Luckner, Slike, and Johnson 59).  Deafness is not a common disability among students, therefore the knowledge that is required to provide the appropriate education they need, is lacking.  There is already the communication barrier between the deaf students and their teachers and peers, so not having the ability to provide them with the accommodations that they require within the general classroom will result in poor academic success. Educators are not aware of the time, materials, methods, and commitment that is needed to educate students with deafness or hearing impairments, therefore, the student with the disability is left at a disadvantage. The educators should be trained to accommodate those students who have the right to a fair and appropriate education within the least restrictive environment rather than the responsibility being solely up to special educators.Once Jane finished explaining the necessities for deaf college students to manage their college career effectively, she placed her hands on her desk neatly, sat straight in her office chair, and gave me a look as if to ask, “What next?”  I only had one other question to ask and I realized she had already addressed it.  I smiled cordially and closed my notebook.  She stood up and pushed her chair with the backs of her knees, her hand stretched out, looking for mine.  I shook her hand firmly, thanked her once more, and say “goodbye” as I walked out of her office. Differences between DeafnessSome may assume that people who are deaf have the same hearing or vocal qualities, but in fact, there are several different types of deafness.  First of all, there is deafness and there is hard-of-hearing.  Being deaf consists of “hearing loss that precludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid; the deaf person may or may not speak, lip read, sign, or use hearing aids” (Haynes).  However, someone who is hard-of-hearing is one who has “enough residual hearing to permit the successful processing of linguistic information through audition and usually with

hearing aids” (Haynes).  Among the deaf, there are those that fall into different categories.  Congenital deafness is deafness that is present at birth which was aforementioned in Thomas’s case and can be caused by diseases that affect a fetus during pregnancy, but most commonly is caused by some genetic origin (Fisch 68).  Adventitious deafness is when hearing becomes non-functional later in life through illness or accident (Haynes).  According to Better Health Channel, the most common cause of adventitious deafness is noise.  There is also conductive deafness which occurs when there is failure in the working parts of the ear such as the eardrum, and nerve deafness is the failure of the cochlear nerve to send impulses to the brain (“Deafness-a Range in Causes”).  Someone who is deaf can fall into more than one of these categories.The Insider’s Point of ViewI was quite intrigued in discovering that deafness could be caused my genetic origins.  What was even more intriguing was stumbling across a mother of one such subject who inherited this trait.  Betsy, another employee of State University, is the wife and mother of someone who is deaf.  She became involved with the deaf community by taking a position with a vocational rehabilitation center.  There she became a counselor, but soon realized she did not have the communication skills to provide the necessary counseling.  Betsy became interested in riding lessons and soon became a volunteer in helping other riders, whom had disabilities, be able to balance on their mounts.  There, she met a man who was deaf and the attraction was instant.  She went on to marry this man and soon they began working with each other teaching an American Sign Language course with the university.  Betsy and her husband now have two sons, one is deaf, the other hearing.Betsy and her husband come from a strong Christian background.  Together they beat the odds and made their relationship work as statistics show that eighty percent of deaf/hearing marriages end in divorce.  Despite the differences that their family faced, this helped them develop a more successful marriage.  When asked about these differences and how their family compared to other families that did not contain deaf members, Betsy replied, “Gosh I don’t know how life would differ.  Except maybe in some homes there is only one language spoken, where in ours, we are required to be bi-lingual.”Betsy and her family are restricted in some ways.  They can’t go to the movie theater because the films are not captioned.  They typically need an interpreter for medical appointments, which the offices and companies are not willing to pay for.  These interpreters do not come cheap.  To avoid having that cost, Betsy would need to leave work so that she is present for such appointments in order to interpret the conversation for all parties involved.  “Losing time from work is not

nearly as efficient as most families take care of matters”, Betsy says.Betsy’s oldest son, who is deaf, has experienced some isolation within the classroom and throughout his social life from time to time.  He is unable to communicate with others like the other children are and requires an interpreter to follow him around.  However, Betsy and her husband were very involved with getting him acclimated in the world of recreational sports through their church programs.  Betsy and her husband both coached the basketball team which allowed their son to gain full participation.  He was able to pick up sign language at a very early age.  “He would watch us model language and he would copy it.  It is the same process hearing kids go through when they attempt to produce the sign in isolation and approximate the original sign as closely as they can”, Betsy informs me.  He is now a college student at State University and holds down a part-time job at the local grocery store.Betsy and her husband both worked hard to ensure that their son acquired a quality life and had the ability to participate in the activities that any child would be exposed to, impaired or not.  They saw the importance for him to have the ability to communicate and began teaching him sign language at an early age.  Learning sign language as someone who is deaf is essential in order to function successfully in the hearing society.  They will have to be shadowed by an interpreter or constantly struggle with communication barriers between themselves and those that are not hearing impaired.  However, in their article, “Educating Deaf Students: from Research to Practice”, authors Marschark, Lang, and Albertini stated that “those deaf children who learn to sign at a young age tend to be better adjusted emotionally, on average.  They also tend to do better in school and have better social relationships with their signing parents and peers in comparison to children with similar hearing losses raised only with spoken language”.  Early intervention for those who are deaf is essential in helping them adjust emotionally, academically, and socially.  When children are born deaf or become deaf before language can be learned it is difficult for communication to be successful because their speaking abilities have not had the chance to mature.  Giving the deaf child the ability to communicate in different ways will improve the relationships with family, faculty, and peers and allow them to create a social network.  Further, they will have the ability to interact within the classroom which will improve their chance for success.  Through their dedication, Betsy’s son has had the necessary support in order to live a normal life as a college student as well as the ability to compete in the employment market.No LimitationsAnother subject that I interviewed did not let his impairment limit him

in his capabilities to obtain a quality life.  Jerry, a former football player for State University whom I met a few years ago, and although he graduated last year and moved back home, I still see him from time to time.  Jerry is an African-American, standing about 6 foot, or perhaps an inch or two short of that.  He is physically fit and being a football player, this is beneficial.  He has short, buzzed hair, brown eyes, and I must say; a great smile.  Every time I would see Jerry, I would wave “hello” and he would shoot back a big, pearly white, super friendly grin.  When I speak to him I move my mouth slowly and pay special attention to how I enunciate, as Jerry is deaf.  I ask him questions like, “how are you?” or “how is school going?”, nothing that would require an in-depth response because Jerry became deaf as a child and I lack the ability to sign as a means to facilitate communication between us.I had discovered that Jerry lost his hearing due to a high fever with a terrible case of chicken pox which means that he falls into the pre-lingual, adventitious deafness category.  He is an inspirational guy.  While he attended college, he became interested in the arts as a form of expression.  After graduating he returned to the deaf school he once attended to help other deaf children follow their dreams.  He is still involved in the arts, mostly metal art, where welding is essential.  His art is abstract and follows a theme of deafness.Recently, Jerry was honored in the “Family Day in the Sculpture Garden” event that the college was sponsoring.  He invited his family, who came and took pictures with him next to his sculpture which sits outside of the Disability Services Office.  He seemed very proud of his accomplishment as he held his head high and smiled brightly for each picture.  I stood there watching, while he signed to his family, friends, and his girlfriend.  I found myself wishing that I knew sign language so that I could tell him how happy and proud I was for him.Jerry says he has culture from both the hearing and the deaf.  Socially, he has spent more time with those that are hearing and it has restricted him because most of them do not understand his speaking voice.  His experience with those who are deaf has been limited to just a few friends.  However, his deafness has empowered him.  Through his art and his ability to play organized sports shows people that he is capable of anything, even being someone who is deaf.  He says, “I want to show people I am deaf, that I am courageous, and I have spirit.”Jerry feels that his being deaf is somewhat unfair, “that I can’t hear 100%, but for them it seems easy”, he says, “but nothing can stop me.”  He faces this disadvantage, but does not allow people to take advantage of him.  “I tell them, I’m not stupid”, he explained, referring to those who try to use him or trick him because of his inability to hear.  “I understand them and I owe thanks to my family who taught

me everything.”  Having this advantage, in knowing when someone is trying to dupe him, he takes that knowledge and helps out his friends who are deaf, so that it doesn’t happen to them.  Jerry plans on returning to college to further his education.  He is determined and has defied the stereotypes and limitations many would place on such an individual.Much like Betsy’s son, Jerry cannot enjoy going to the movies and he struggles with making friends because of the communication barrier between himself and the hearing world.  However, Jerry has found a way to fit into society where he is not only comfortable and happy, but successful.  He has received a substantial amount of support from his family as well as the school faculty that has provided Jerry with the tools and confidence he’s needed to become such an inspiration to people, hearing and deaf.Communicating Through ArtJerry’s art, aforementioned in the last section, gave him the ability to express himself with his hands in another form, aside from sign language.  He drew his inspiration for his art from his experience with deafness and his mother.  His major accomplishment was his metal art piece which is now on permanent display.  It is titled “Cherished”, and represents his mother holding and singing to him as a baby; a time he remembers when he began to lose his hearing.

“Cherished” By Jerry C.This sculpture represents Jerry being held by his mother, who would rock him and sing to him. This is one of the memories he

had before he had lost his hearing. Figure 4: “Cherished” by Jerry C.

              The following image is also the works of Jerry, continuing to

follow the deaf theme.  This particular piece depicts a bumblebee landing on a flower.  This may have been a sound that he remembers before he lost his hearing and it “speaks volumes”.  Those that have the ability to hear take for granted the simple buzzing of a bee, but Jerry expresses how important it is for one to be thankful of everything they have, no matter how small.

Metal Art Sculpture By Jerry C. Figure 5: No title

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150962735537149&set=a.10150962733222149.417534.6069

37148&type=3&theaterMy last image is yet another sculpture from Jerry’s collection.  This one depicts a hummingbird with its beak inside a flower.  Jerry describes this work as follows:“This sculpture shows the beauty of nature, but it means more to me.  When I see hummingbirds at my parents’     house reminds me of going to the audiologist as a child.  They would clean my ears and make ear molds and poke around like a humming bird beak.  In the center of each flower is there is a cochlea.  One is nice and one is damaged like mine.  The nice cochlea is to show I was born hearing.  The damaged cochlea represents my deafness.”

Figure 6: “Hummingbird In My Ear” by Jerry C.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?

fbid=10150962735682149&set=t.12925053&type=3&theaterAlthough Jerry cannot hear one-hundred percent, and cannot speak well enough for hearing people to comprehend, he obviously has a passion for art and has used his abilities to explain to the world how his deafness has empowered him.  Furthermore, he has shed light on what deafness is like so others can grasp a better understanding of how those that are deaf can find their place in society amongst the hearing.ConclusionBetsy, as well as Thomas’s family, had to make the important decision to have their sons undergo the medical procedure of having cochlear implants installed.  Although they both have the ability to hear, they still are labeled as deaf individuals as their ability to hear was not fully restored, but with the help of speech and hearing training after their implants, are better equipped at living in a hearing world.Jerry’s evolution as a deaf individual took him through the whole experience of learning a sport and performed well enough, despite the hearing loss to compete at a collegiate level.  He was able to convince both fellow players and coaches that he was capable of competing with his hearing peers in a division one sport.  Upon completion of his eligibility as a college football player, he discovered that he had another way to communicate as a metal art sculptor.People who are deaf, young and old, have to be able to adapt to living in a hearing society.  Deafness limits an individual’s ability to participate in activities that are set up to meet individuals who are

hearing, such as going through the drive-thru to order lunch, because it is assumed that everyone will have the ability to hear.  It can also cause a struggle in making friends with outsiders due to the communication barrier.  For deaf individuals just to function in a hearing world is difficult because hearing aids, cochlear implants, communication devices, and interpreters can be quite costly.  However, the individuals that I had the pleasure to share and co-mingle with give me reason to believe that the human spirit will prevail.  Despite the marginalization that occurs among deaf individuals, it is evident that they are capable of finding ways to fully participate in society and compete equally in the hearing world.

 Works Cited

Clayton, Terry. Cherished. Disability Resource Center, Lexington. Photo. 5 Nov. 2012.Clayton, Terry. Personal interview. 13 Oct. 2012.Clayton, Terry. n.d. Facebook. Digital file.Clayton, Terry. Hummingbird in my Ear. n.d. Facebook. Digital file.Cross, Beth. Personal interview. 11 Oct. 2012.“Deafness – a range in causes”. Better Health Channel. n.p. 2012. Web. 4 Oct. 2012.Fisch, L. “Causes of Congenital Deafness”. Public Health 1969. 68-74. Web.Fogg, Susan. Personal interview. 5 Oct. 2012.Haynes, Diane. “Learners Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing”. University of Kentucky. TaylorAuditorium. Lexington, KY. 25 Oct. 2012. Keynote Address.Luckner, John L., Slike, Samuel B., Johnson, Harold. Helping Students Who are Deaf or Hard of

            Hearing Succeed. 1, March 2012. Council for Exceptional Children. Print.Marschark, Marc, Lang, Harry G., Albertini, John. Educating Deaf Students: From Research to

             Practice. 29 Nov. 2001. Oxford University Press. Print.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Cochlear

             Implants. 11 Jul. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2012NIH Medical Arts. Ear with Cochlear Implants. n.d. Digital file.Perlmutter, David M. What is Sign Language. n.d. Linguistic Society ofAmerica. Print.Rakowski, David. 1991. Lifeprint. Digital file.Ruben M.D., Robert J. The Merck Manual Home and Health Handbook. Apr.2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2012Ruben M.D., Robert J. Hearing Aids: Amplifying the Sound. Apr. 2007. Digital file.Sparrow, Robert. Defending Deaf Culture: The Case of Cochlear Implants. The Journal ofPolitical Philosophy. Vol. 13. 2005. Print.