Deaf Culture & Libraries
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Deaf
Culture is not simply the activities of a group of people who are not
able to hear, but a
long-standing cultural
legacy that has developed in communities and has been passed down
through
generations within Deaf families, Deaf schools, Deaf clubs and Deaf
communities. For many people it is way of life and a source of fierce
pride.
There are two basic ways that people understand d/Deafness:
The
central component of Deaf Culture (in North America) is the use of
American Sign Language (ASL). Deaf culture is built this common
language and a set of shared experiences, traditions, customs, and
interests.4 Deaf schools, which immerse
their
students in an ASL environment, have traditionally been seen as playing
a large role in the creation and continuation of Deaf Culture.5
Many Deaf children also grow up bilingual, learning both ASL
and English. Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts
university for and run primary by the Deaf community, has
played
an
important role in defining Deaf Culture in North America. 6
There is a fierce sense of pride in Deaf culture, and a sense that those people who did not grow up Deaf are at a disadvantage in this setting. Even if they are fluent in ASL and have many friends in the Deaf community, hearing or late-deafened people will probably never become a true part of Deaf Culture because they do not share similar experiences of growing up Deaf, or attending Deaf Schools. For this reason, adults who lose their hearing later in life usually don’t identify with Deaf Culture as they do not share these common experiences. Likewise, not all people who are deaf or hard of hearing consider themselves part of Deaf Culture7.
There are two basic ways that people understand d/Deafness:
- Medical/Pathological View - This model sees hearing people as “normal” and defines deaf people by the ways they deviate from the accepted norms in hearing society. Deafness is seen as a disability to be overcome, and people are thought to have something wrong with them that could be “fixed”. In this view, speech is equated with language, and deafness is seen as a barrier to communication.2
- Cultural/Linguistic Model The cultural model sees Deaf people as a group sharing a rich common culture and fully-developed language. The focus is on cultural difference rather than disability. Deaf Culture is based on this cultural model.3
There is a fierce sense of pride in Deaf culture, and a sense that those people who did not grow up Deaf are at a disadvantage in this setting. Even if they are fluent in ASL and have many friends in the Deaf community, hearing or late-deafened people will probably never become a true part of Deaf Culture because they do not share similar experiences of growing up Deaf, or attending Deaf Schools. For this reason, adults who lose their hearing later in life usually don’t identify with Deaf Culture as they do not share these common experiences. Likewise, not all people who are deaf or hard of hearing consider themselves part of Deaf Culture7.