educational standards and language/cultural conflicts OR thoughts/free-write/rant

Hello!

Essentially all of my posts thus far have been either "this is what I'm doing" posts of "this is what I WILL be doing" posts. And… as much as I like to share the big picture goings-on in my life with those of you far away, those are perhaps not the most interesting parts of my experience this semester. I'm taking classes, I'm swimming, I'm working in the tutoring center, and I'm going to Australia next semester. Let's move on.

I am finally sitting down to write for you some of what has been going on in my head this semester. Because, as interesting as Gallaudet and DC are... Becca's-brain-within-Gallaudet-within-DC might be just that much more interesting to read about. (Mom: If it's not grammatically correct, I apologize (and I probably know). Consider it prose.)

Gallaudet. "Gallaudet University is the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students. The University enjoys an international reputation for the outstanding graduate programs it provides deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students, as well as for the quality of the research it conducts on the history, language, culture, and other topics related to deaf people" (from gallaudet.edu).

That is how Gallaudet self-identifies. For me though, it is a Mecca of language and culture and also language-conflicts and culture-conflicts.

Gallaudet claims to be a world leader in education... and yet I see how far it has to go. Gallaudet's problem is that it claims to be "the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students." Well this may very well be the case, but it doesn't take much if you don't have any competition. The problem (haha "the" problem... *a* problem) with Deaf education is that it is seen as "Deaf education"... rather than simply "education" and in this way is often not judged by the same standards as "non-Deaf education." (Sounds funny huh? Almost as funny as "non-white" perhaps?). And for all the talk in classrooms about the disparities in the Deaf educational system, it is continued here. By faculty and students both. Perhaps there is a catch-22. You can't raise expectations too far beyond the skills of students or it will only create frustration and resentment. But you can't increase students' skills without forcing them to reach higher. Perhaps it is not a catch-22. Perhaps it is just the same old problem: we shouldn't be focusing our attention on teaching high school students how to read, we should be focusing on the kindergarteners who, without help, will soon become those same high school students. The problem does not originate at Gallaudet, but is not resolved here either.

Despite all the talk at Gallaudet of lousy education systems, and the negativity involved in lower expectations... the same thing is happening here. I, unsurprisingly, view this all in connection with language. There is fight after fight in the Deaf community about the unfairness of testing Deaf students in English (not English tests mind you, other tests). Tests which for native English speakers are intended and designed to test x, y, or z become English tests for Deaf students. Deaf culture is a linguistic minority. In many ways American Sign Language (ASL) users are no different than, say, the Spanish-speaking minority. Both minorities are expected to adapt to the English majority. However, the one significant difference is that Deaf individuals do not have the same ACCESS to English. And some professors here recognize that. Professors TALK about how students should be offered the option of signing their tests, rather than writing them... allowing these students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of subject material in their first language. And yet... in none of my five classes is there evidence of this actually happening. Professors expect students to write out their essay tests. (Because this is an important skill to have? Well it is. But professors: you can't have it both ways). And then, of course, these professors are faced with the following problem: perfect English compositions are highly valued, but they are not testing for English skills. So... how do you grade these tests and papers? What comments do you write? Don't get me wrong: there are Deaf students with perfect written English grammar. However just the other day I worked on a group quiz with a senior whose signing was BEAUTIFUL and whose written English I honestly did not understand. So some may be perfect, but others are far from it. She will graduate in May.

Culture-conflicts. As a hearing person in Deaf culture I am overly aware of the cultural rules and values of the Deaf community. And, as a hearing person in the context of Gallaudet University it is not be my place to reject, disrespect, or in any way disregard these rules and values. Seems obvious right? Well to me it is. But somehow to others, it is not. These are the cultural-conflicts I see every day. I will write about just two things for now: cell phones, and simcoming.

Cell-phones are commonplace in the hearing world. An understatement. Think about how many hearing people you know who don't have a cell phone. Okay, now keep reading. Pagers (sidekicks, blackberries, etc) are commonplace in the Deaf world. Think about how many Deaf people you know who don't have a pager. Let me help you out: the number of Deaf people without pagers is probably even less than hearing people without cell phones (economics, age, and population size taken into account of course). Walk onto any hearing university campus and within minutes you will undoubtedly see large handfuls of people walking with their phones glued to their ears. Walk onto Gallaudet campus and you see the same thing... only pagers in hand, eyes down. The Deaf community, traditionally much more social and reliant on person-to-person contact, conversation, etc than the hearing world is becoming just as technological and disconnected as everyone else. Point number one. (Not the one I intended to make when I started this paragraph).

Point number two: walk around with your nose in your pager all you want. Sure, it bothers me, but I'll get over it... the world is changing. But hearing folks: PLEASE STOP WALKING AROUND GALLAUDET ON YOUR FUCKING CELL PHONE! It is, to be straightforward, just plain rude to be in the presence of Deaf individuals and on the phone. If you're walking down the street on your cell phone and you pass a Deaf person does that make you rude? No. That is not the point. If you're hanging out with Deaf friends and your phone rings and you answer it... is that rude? You bet. (Is it often understood, excused, acceptable, etc. if they're close friends?... of course, just like anything else, just like with hearing friends). But Gallaudet is not the world. It is not the street. And it is also not your bedroom. Gallaudet is a haven of Deaf culture, and should be treated as such. It is rude to be on your phone because a Deaf person walking by does not have access to that. And to this one might say... so? I have thought about this. You're having a private conversation, not intended for other people... so it doesn't matter whether they can hear it or not. It's just the same as Deaf people walking around on their pagers (the original reason I included that now separate paragraph)... you don't know what they're saying, they don't need to know what you're saying. These are two logical arguments I have thought of. But it is just not the point. The point is that it is rude and it is bringing your hearing culture onto Gallaudet, where it just doesn't need to be. ESPECIALLY if you are a hearing student who has chosen to be a part of the HUG (Hearing UnderGrad)program. You would think those would be people who have the UTMOST respect for Deaf culture. Some do. Many do not. The hearing graduate students are even worse. Half of them are here for a Deaf Education masters and can't sign for shit... even after a year. Do you know that by law Gallaudet isn't required to give those hearing students interpreters and yet they do without ever faltering? How do you expect them to learn? And that Deaf students often have to fight to get an interpreter for a class where the professor thinks s/he knows how to sign? Why are there so many people on this campus, part of this community (never mind those people who come here for conferences but aren't really involved in the Deaf community, I'll excuse them) who disrespect the culture? THAT is my question. Why do you have to bring your hearing culture onto the Gallaudet campus? Is it really fair to learn about and benefit from Deaf culture while simultaneously contributing to its demise?

This brings me to my second topic: simcoming... shorthand for simultaneous communication... signing and voicing at the same time. The idea behind simcoming is this: if you're in a situation with Deaf people AND hearing people who don't sign, and you are a hearing person who signs, if you simcom then there will be equal access. The reality? You most likely aren't using either language correctly because you're trying to use two differently structured, different modality languages with different grammars simultaneously. My new favorite sign (like poster/sign not ASL word):
SIMCOM in a large red circle crossed out
Please use only one language at a time.
It's a great idea. And I understand the concept having spent a year with a hearing non-signing roommate and a Deaf best friend. And, in reality it slightly hypocritical of me to criticize it as if I was better at it I might do it more. I am aware of this hypocracy. But... there's something very wrong about it. Most likely as a hearing person your first language is not ASL (CODAS (Children of Deaf Adults (assumed meaning: hearing children) are the exception)... and thus when simcoming the hearing person gets more access than the Deaf person. Whether they sign or not they get both the auditory and the visual. Most likely the English part of your simcoming ends up much more fluent than the signed part. So... is there really equal access? No. Once again the Deaf person receives less of the message. And the hearing non-signer is not forced to learn. Once again it is the hearing people with privilege and access. Interpreters are the worst. Why, on Gallaudet campus, when you all sign proficiently, must you simcom? Are you just practicing with one another for a situation where there are actually hearing people who don't sign? You really have to throw the English in there don't you? Take advantage of being here and allow ASL the same status. I understand the idea. I really do. But at LEAST be aware of the politics would you? And Ariel: can you PLEASE stop speaking to the food service people? They work here. You sign. Why perpetuate the fact that they don't? They're not going to put the wrong vegetables in your pasta, I promise. But it might benefit them to learn the signs for the vegetables instead of making all the Deaf students point over the counter. Might benefit all of us.

All for now. Thought provoking?