#Deaf History

[nemfrog]

Signing. The book of deaf-mute signs. 1900.

Internet Archive

[sobuildabeautifulcity]

as it’s disability pride month, i decided that i would share some of the knowledge i gained about disability history (in the US) through writing my dissertation & share it on medium.

i wrote about the importance of diversity & intersectionality in the US disability rights movement, focusing on the 504 sit-ins in San Francisco & the Deaf President Now! protests at Gallaudet University in D.C. i also wrote about how our history is recorded, and how it has been overlooked.

there are two separate posts. the first is an easier to read version. this is for anyone who needs a more simple language version. it has more of a focus on the events rather than analysis, but does talk some about diversity. the sections are separate, so you can read about the 504 sit-in without reading any other section. it is about 1,500 words.

the second post is written in my regular writing style, and includes some bits copied from my dissertation directly. it is roughly 3,500 words long & includes a source list at the end.

please share this! reblogging helps spread the post to other people & means more people can learn about key moments in disability history.

[curiousacademic]

The fact that sign language was BANNED world-wide for almost a century and nobody knows about it is scary.

Research the conference of Milan.

[bodhrancomedy]

TikTok has been glitching my videos recently, but this one is important.

[usergreenpixel]

Soo… I was deep in my research of the Peninsular War, Dos de Mayo and Francisco de Goya’s life during the war, as he is actually a very important character in the story I mentioned in an earlier post asking for advice on sources.

Btw, the story used to be called The House of the Deaf Man, but I’ve since changed it to “By the Maestro’s Side” for REASONS ™️.

(Also, yes, I am the kind of person working on several pieces of writing at once and I don’t forget them, I promise.)

Anyway, I was researching Goya’s illness and subsequent deafness (he went completely deaf in the 1790s, causing a drastic change in his art and personality) and I found this:

This is an etching from 1812 attributed to Goya, and it’s called “A Study of Hands”, which might seem like just a study done by the painter because hands are a fucking bitch to paint.

However, take a look at this:

This is the Spanish dactylology alphabet (spelling of words via signs). Notice the similarities?

While pop culture tends to portray Goya as verbal and reading lips (which is much harder to do in reality btw) whenever he is portrayed in literature or in film, I think the etching is a bit of a window into his ways of communicating, or at least into his exploration of the options of communication.

My research has, in fact, yielded some information about Goya using dactylology historically on multiple occasions, aside from reading lips and writing. And this has given me ideas for some plot points too.

But yeah! Glad to have discovered this etching and take a deeper dive into the history of sign language and means of communication.

[lightofraye]

Deaf History

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am a part of the deaf community. Being labeled CODA (child of deaf adult(s)) is what a person like myself is called. I am hearing, I can hear, but both of my parents, two of my three brothers, and vast majority of my maternal relatives are deaf. I grew up in that community, I grew up feeling more at home in that community than I ever did in the hearing community.

There's a whole culture to being deaf. There's the language, reading body language to convey tone, there's a whole thing about being deaf that goes beyond just knowing Sign Language. This is why when learning Sign Language, being immersed in it is the best way to learn. (But then, this is true of any and all languages.)

In so many ways, ASL (American Sign Language) is my first language. I learned how to sign first before I learned how to speak with my voice. I frequently found myself wishing I could go to the deaf school instead of the public school because I was more comfortable around deaf people than I was hearing people. (And no, I would not have been allowed to attend deaf school; it's restricted for deaf students only.)

I grew up accustomed to watching television, movies, etc, with captioning or subtitles. In fact, it's weird for me to watch them without. My mother didn't believe me at first until she asked an interpreter who was also CODA. The interpreter said it was the same for her.

My parents met at Gallaudet, the country's first, and so far, only deaf university. In fact, it's the first in the world. The history of Gallaudet, of American Sign Language, was all because of one man.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet's life was forever changed because of a deaf little girl named Alice.

Alice wasn't playing with other children and that drew his attention. Concerned as to why, Thomas found out that Alice was deaf and could not communicate at all. Determined to teach her, Thomas taught Alice what different objects were called by writing their names and drawing pictures of them with a stick in the dirt. Alice's father was impressed and hired Gallaudet to continue teaching Alice through the summer.

Alice's father, along with several businessmen and clergy, asked Gallaudet to travel to Europe to study methods for teaching deaf students. There was a family in Scotland that they wanted to work with, but that family refused for whatever reason. Plus, Gallaudet found their preference for oral communication extremely limited and did not produce desirable results.

While in Great Britain, Gallaudet met Abbé Sicard, head of the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris, and two of its deaf faculty members, Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu. Gallaudet was invited to Paris to study the school's method of teaching the deaf using manual communication. Gallaudet studied the teaching methodology under Sicard, learning sign language from Massieu and Clerc.

Gallaudet sailed back to America with Clerc. The two men toured the New England region and raised funds for a deaf school in Hartford, Connecticut. It later became known as the American School for the Deaf in 1817. Alice was one of the first seven students.

One of Gallaudet's children, his youngest, founded the first college for the deaf, in 1864.

It is due to Gallaudet that American Sign Language even exists. Despite many an indigenous tribe having their own form of sign language, none ever became the official form of sign language for the United States.

Almost each country have their own form of sign language. No, it is not the same, and language barriers exists for deaf people as well. There was even an invention of an International Sign Language that was used during the Deaf Olympics to help bridge communication issues.

I love sign language. It is the third most widely used language in the United States. First is English, second is Spanish, and third is Sign Language. No, deaf people are not dumb (I honestly hated that old saying and am happy to see it finally phasing out). They can read, write, live independently, work, drive, you name it--there are solutions to each of their problems. Accessible solutions.

Having visible celebrities such as Shoshannah Stern, Marlee Matlin, and so forth help bring attention to such existence. Switched At Birth, a television show, also spotlighted deaf characters. Recently, a movie called CODA, helped spotlight--and it won an award, too.

I continue to be proud of my heritage. I hope to continue to teach my son how to sign--and taught him the most important one.

The one that says "I love you".

[salvadorbonaparte]

[filiasyth]

Happy Deaf History month!!!  (April)

There are a few important hallmark dates celebrated every year by Deaf communities in April.

National ASL Day

Celebrated on April 15, the day in history when American School for the Deaf was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817.

learn more about ASD here:  American School for the Deaf

Here are some great presenters briefly explaining different aspects of ASL. (with closed captions for non-signers)

Deaf LGBTQ+ week

Celebrated in the second and third weeks of April, usually alternating dates, with many events and celebrations to highlight the rich heritage of Deaf queer people everywhere. (has closed captions for non-signers)

Also, April 8 is noted, as it is the day in 1864 when Gallaudet University, the only university in the world specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, was chartered.

Lastly, I should say that even though this is not (NOT) a post for sharing resources to learn ASL, I did want to add one final part which specifically relates to Deaf culture, & how to interact respectfully with deaf and hard-of-hearing people. It’s by Chrissy from The Essential Sign:

(and yes, you guessed it, does have CC for non-signers. 😉)

Happy Deaf History month!

[rikaklassen]

CWs: eugenics, linguicism, linguicide

Today I learned there were many deaf artists in Finland until sign language became forbidden and oralism became the dominant model for education which persisted until the 1970s.

[nemfrog]

Smell. The book of...signs. n.d.

Internet Archive

[polyglotabc]

Beyond Just Hand Gestures

Discover the vibrant world of Deaf culture and the rich language of sign language in our latest post, a journey into the heart of a unique and diverse community.

Exploring the Depths of Sign Language Introduction The Multidimensional Nature of Sign Language Hand Gestures: The Foundation Facial Expressions: The Emotional Context Body Language: The Supporting Pillar The Diversity of Sign Languages The Role of Culture in Sign Language Technology and Sign Language Conclusion Summary Further Reading Book Recommendations Featured���

[touchstarvedandinlove]

Can I PLEASE find the people who agree with me when I say Alexander Graham Bell is a meanie pants (understatement)

[thegoblinpit]

I’m HOH and this is literally so exciting to me. I wish Deaf history and ASL were prioritized even a little bit in education here

https://www.solterrawaycottageschool.com/post/sign-language-on-abraham-lincoln-s-hands-don-t-ask-the-lincoln-memorial-park-rangers

[lightofraye]

Full credit of the image and text goes to the Accidental Talmudist.

Princess Alice was an unconventional royal who prioritized helping others over wealth and privilege. She devoted her life to good deeds and spiritual growth, and was notable among European royalty for taking Jews into her home during the Holocaust.

Princess Alice stood out for another reason: she was deaf from birth.

Born in 1885 at Windsor Castle, Alice was the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She learned to lip read at a young age, and could speak several languages. Alice was widely regarded as the most beautiful princess in Europe.

At age 17, Alice fell in love with dashing Prince Andrew of Greece and they were married in 1903. Alice and Andrew had four daughters and a son. Their son Philip would later be married to Queen Elizabeth II. Alice communicated with her children mainly in sign language.

Political turmoil in Greece forced the royal family into exile. They settled in a sleepy suburb of Paris, where Alice threw herself into charitable work helping Greek refugees. Her husband left her for a life of gambling and debauchery in Monte Carlo.

Relying on the charity of wealthy relatives, Alice found strength in her Greek Orthodox faith. She became increasingly religious, and believed that she was receiving divine messages and had healing powers. She yearned to share her faith and mystical experiences with others, but instead was dismissed as mentally unhinged.

Alice had a nervous breakdown in 1930. She was committed against her will to a mental institution in Switzerland, with a dubious diagnosis of schizophrenia. Alice did not even get a chance to say goodbye to her children. Her youngest, 9 year old Philip, returned from a picnic to find his mother gone.

Alice tried desperately to leave the asylum, but was kept prisoner in Switzerland for 2 1/2 years. During that time, her beloved son Philip was sent to live with relatives, and her four daughters married German princes. Alice was not allowed to attend any of their weddings.

Finally, in 1932, Alice was released. She became a wanderer, traveling through Europe by herself, staying with relatives or at bed & breakfast inns. In 1935, Alice returned to Greece, where she lived alone in a modest two bedroom apartment and worked with the poor.

The Germans occupied Athens in April 1941. Alice devoted herself to relieving the tremendous suffering in her country. She worked for the Red Cross, organizing soup kitchens and creating shelters for orphaned children. Alice also started a nursing service to provide health care to the poorest Athenians.

In 1943, the Germans started deporting the Jews of Athens to concentration camps. Alice hid a Jewish widow, Rachel Cohen, and her children in her own apartment for over a year. Rachel’s late husband, Haimaki Cohen, was an advisor to King George I of Greece, and Alice considered it her solemn duty to save the remaining Cohen family.

Alice lived yards from Gestapo headquarters. When the Germans became suspicious of her and started asking questions, she used her deafness as an excuse not to answer them. Alice kept the Cohen family safe until Greece was liberated in 1944.

After the war, Alice founded her own religious order, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary, and became a nun. She built a convent and orphanage in a poverty-stricken part of Athens. Alice dressed in a nun’s habit consisting of a drab gray robe, white wimple, cord and rosary beads - but still enjoyed smoking and playing cards.

In 1967, after a Greek military coup, Alice finally returned to Great Britain. She lived at Buckingham Palace with her son Philip and daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.

Alice died in 1969. She owned no possessions, having given everything to the poor. Before she died, Alice expressed a desire to be buried at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, but instead was laid to rest in the Royal Crypt in Windsor Castle.

In 1988, almost 20 years after she died, Alice’s dying wish was finally granted. Her remains were sent to Jerusalem, where she was buried on the Mount of Olives.

In 1994, Alice was honored by the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem (Yad Vashem) as Righteous Among The Nations. Her son Prince Philip said of his mother’s wartime heroism, "I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special. She was a person with a deep religious faith, and she would have considered it to be a perfectly natural human reaction to fellow beings in distress.”

For her devotion to helping others despite her own challenges, we honor Princess Alice of Greece as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist.

[salvadorbonaparte]

I think I'm losing my mind. I swear I saw several sources say that the Congress of Milan didn't apply to religious education but I can no longer find those sources.