In the early 1800s, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet became inspired by a young deaf neighbor, Alice Cogswell, to travel and learn how to communicate with the Deaf. He travelled to Europe where he met the Braidwood family who-to his dismay-focused on only the oral method of teaching. Students were expected to […]
Deaf culture
Deaf Culture and Bluntness
Have you ever had a conversation with a Deaf person and noticed there seems to be a lack of “beating around the bush”? One of the first things you may learn about Deaf culture is that being blunt is certainly the default. When talking about a third person, you may […]
Reasons to Learn ASL: Talk in Unconventional Places!
When you were younger did you go underwater in a pool to make faces at your friends? Imagine if you had known sign language then, you could’ve had entire conversations while swimming! Signed languages defy what the hearing world expects from conversation. It doesn’t have to be quiet to sign, […]
Reasons to Learn ASL: Combat Audism!
In our world, it can be unfortunate that anyone who is seen as “different” is discriminated against. The Deaf have their own battle with audism: the idea that those who can hear are better than those who cannot. With your knowledge of American Sign Language, you can help bridge a […]
The Internet and Deaf Culture
To all people, the invention of the internet has been a beneficial one. There is information available readily at your fingertips, and various ways to communicate. The Deaf community, however, has been impacted in specific ways by this relatively-new creation. Communication online and through social media allows Deaf people from […]