Tag: Alan Hurwitz

Heroes of Human Rights

The Last Hiccup3 Comments

solidarityNancy Rourke’s Solidarity

Human right is an important example that has deceived not only me, but also the graduating students of 2015, also it is the failure of higher education in the most cynical, outrageous ways that allowed the keynote speaker, Vinton Cerf to preach hate speech in the eyes of breaking the democracy of a human life. He has breached trust with Deaf community in the most egregious ways. Gallaudet University has utterly failed in the performance of keynote speakers.

December 10th is the date we all must remember for two important reasons. Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet’s birthday and the International Human Rights Day, and graduating Deaf students are to celebrate the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights every day in Gallaudet halls. That is what Rev. Thomas Gallaudet wanted.

The contradiction of this blog post on how hate expressed in the community is the attempt to express a human language that is not matter-of-fact, when I, and my knowledge, and being a survivor of hate speech for years, my own conditioning are matter-of-fact. The high demand to educate about human rights in Deaf America, it is the nature and magnitude of the problem. When you are reading this, share the awareness with your friends, family, lost souls, and whoever they are!

Becoming an activist is very often a passion unlike the selection of advocates. People are often driven to become activists. For some, it is the beauty of the language or the aesthetic grace of an interpretation. For others, it is the love of ASL and pursing meaning from communication and still for others, it is about service to the Deaf community and humankind.

Whatever the reason behind the selection of an activist as a major course of study or career, there are steps to take to ensure that the transition to students how to stand up against hate bias, crimes, literature, speech and eventually “certified” activists are taken with the fewest obstacles possible.

Vinton Cerf presented a damaged prism through which to view the history of Deaf people, his rapid journey through the technology marvels, voyages of exploration and exploitation, all seen from the vantage point of Alexander Graham Bell Association’s effect on the development of genocide makes “entertaining” presentation. Does it wring your neck when you read this? I understand. Protect your Deaf mind!

HUMAN + RIGHTS= ?

In the next five topics, human rights had been developed to solicit discourses, discussions, and dialogues. These concepts that govern my thoughts are not just matters of my intelligence. They also govern the Deaf people in their everyday functioning, down to the most mandate details. Our concepts structure what we see, how we perceive the world, and how we relate to each other as Deaf people. Our conceptual system plays a central role in defining our realities. There is only one way to find out. I hope to share the same inspiration with my readers.

  • Human rights are Deaf people’s principles meaning of understanding reality and communicating that understanding to others.

     

  • The essence of human rights is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another

     

  • As we make a journey in ignoring human rights, more surfaces are created.

     

  • Human rights encode our past

     

  • If the human rights in Deaf community are not strongly present in the media, the young generation of the Deaf will be economically and culturally marginalized.

-JT

Copyright © 2015 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message

Charge Vinton Cerf with Deaf Hate Speech!

The Last Hiccup121 Comments

 

10_2As I watched the graduation via live streaming for Gallaudet University earlier today to watch the keynote speaker what he has to say. The keynote speaker is the father of Internet: Vinton Cerf.

I found that Vinton Cerf’s presentation during the 2015 commencement did not have any place on academy at all. He encouraged Deaf people to get cochlear implants on their most important day of their lives: graduation! It is the biggest insult to their pursuit of happiness. What is more that Alan Hurwitz smiled right back at him and told him a big THANK YOU.

I am deeply concerned with the resurgence of allowing eugenics on the graduation day with Cerf’s alliance with political-ideological movements to block ASL in education. Gallaudet University has continued toward to developing a program for the eradication and oppression of ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf by promoting more speculative communicative pursuits.

There was really no excuse for Vinton Cerf’s unprofessional behavior–a travesty of social injustice. Gallaudet University should not be the community that turns Deaf people into puppets by TELLING them to get cochlear implants–the greatest mocking treatment of Deaf people!

I am getting really tired sick of the amount of language bigotry and hate speech anymore! The question you ask yourself, what are the dangers of allowing Vinton Cerf to speak eugenics-style presentation in 2015? As I was taught that Gallaudet University was supposed to be the voyage and movement. It’s sad because no one has stopped his speech and allowed him to practice hate speech—Gallaudet University is supposed to defend ASL fiercely.

There were couple of Deaf graduates graduating with honor and respect; yet, the kind of imagination at Gallaudet University is that Mr. Cerf makes sure that Deaf people forget that they are Deaf. Just like AGB’s philosophy in 1884. “We should try ourselves to forget that they are deaf. We should try to teach them that they are deaf.” Since Vinton Cerf is the father of Internet, let’s stamp him as the father of Hate Speech eradicating Deaf graduates today. It is a sad day!

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-JT

Copyright © 2015 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message

Observing Cochlear Implants: The Human Cost

The Last Hiccup2 Comments

ImageArtwork done by Joseph N. Artino

NBC’s TODAY’s Health News made a huge headline few days ago that says “Defective cochlear implants shocked kids—even though company had been warned” (please see link below) about Advanced Bionics, the second largest manufacturer of cochlear implants (CI) acknowledging that they implanted defective devices in children and adults for Y-E-A-R-S even though many devices had failed, that is rare to see like this! The media has been hiding the truth for years about marketing cochlear implants to parents of Deaf newborns that the lifestyle is wonderful. You see, our American society is far from shy when it comes to realizing that those who are cochlear implant survivors DO NOT hear the way hearing people normally do. They do it with an ugly reason “we must fight against their being Deaf” and that is very much clear message that it is an implicit act of discrimination against Deaf people everywhere. Being Deaf is incurable, irreparable and irreversible. Once you were tested Deaf, it is a permanent thing! By the way, it was never an amazing medical device at all. It was more like a punishment device for Deaf children.

People who work for Advanced Bionics are chosen for ignorance and feeble mindedness. For example, a dear friend told me a story few years ago when he met a guy who had a terrible story about CI that he had a serious illness that required a CAT scan on his brain but since he had a CI, they removed it with a promise of a new replacement. After his surgery recovery, he got new CI, he could not recognize his mother’s voice anymore and thought she was another person. What? Of course, sounds heard through CI are synthetical and they are not biological enough (hearing enough) They told him that his new CI was better than the other but his mother never got better. He and his mother became strangers to each other. He could hardly stand her mother speaking. He said she sounds horrible.

Stories like his must be told to every corner of the world. What we really need from CI folks are stories as sidewise arguments in literature that CI is a huge hoax. Since Gallaudet University has a CI service, we must protest and we must not silent about it.  Abraham Lincoln: It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest.

Silence is likely to occur numerous times throughout the Advanced Bionics process; it will mean that a great deal of suffering is inevitable. We must not be silent, is it because we did not know which way to go. It is a kind of gamesmanship in which we spar silently to see who can hold out longest without making noises. I am safely assuming that Gallaudet University—an university of our own will silent about Advanced Bionics and that is a shame!

Such silence can be deafening roar unless a leader breaks in and provides us the relief we need. Alan Hurwitz cannot do this job and Gallaudet would not allow him. What a catch-22 situation! When Americans won the Revolutionary War, they became determined for learning. Ben Franklin founded Pennsylvania State University. Thomas Jefferson set up the University of Virginia. Abe Lincoln signed the charter that made Gallaudet University for Deaf people. Are we the Deaf set up for their medical arrogance that practices cochlear implant at the University?

The public needs to look for the truth in a very big way. It helps parents of Deaf babies draw the line between perception, which could involve gruesome struggles and reality. But what precisely are the realities of having a goal to have cochlear implanted babies? More to the point, what is life like for those cochlear implanted babies and what options exist for parents who want to give their babies a lot of work than they realize. It takes years and years to prep even for 20 second near native pronunciation scene; again, it is the share of the hoax.

There are stories about their struggles within our society that is generally hostile toward their practice. I firmly believe that we are open to hearing people but we were often meted out by something unknown and unfamiliar—the world of sounds. We are unable to produce these sounds spontaneously so we sound “funny” to them in the same manner that their skills in American Sign Language (ASL), for example, look “funny to us.” Until the day we practice the Martha’s Vineyard Island communication system in which signs and words were never merged into a single discourse, we will have healthy objectives and goals. Telling Deaf people to come to hearing people is like telling Native Americans to come to White people.

When the Deaf gather together, economics will be used to break them up. Language and the culture of the Deaf, for example, need to be violated by introducing cochlear implants. That is breach without question. We need to focus on literature that reflects the diverse ways in which our society currently defines and measures Audism. The extant literature generally treats the definition of Audism as problematic. That is widespread consensus that legalistic definitions of being Deaf and ASL are as unacceptable and inadequate as they appear so. Thus, the parents and guardians are advised if their babies should fail the federally mandatory hearing screening tests, and the Deaf babies should be transferred to some social services for counseling and cochlear implants, that is becoming the problem. The big pictures come in with this massive problem.

The administration at Gallaudet University allows so many flyers and images about encouraging cochlear implants on the “advertising” board. It is covered up and I had witnessed the “yes-man” atmosphere there. They accept information with questions that confirm the same information. Damn it. It is not about literacy. It is about liberty and democracy. It is “human-doing” to assert that CI is an option and to waste so much education for Deaf children whose mind is wired as Deaf mind from the very breath of life. CI is a permanent token of mourning that being Deaf is inevitable. Why are we the Deaf are different?

In 2010, there was a French study about cochlear implants that showed ten percent (10%) of complications and let me copy and paste from the link you can see below—“The study included 434 children in France who were followed for an average of 5.5 years after they underwent cochlear implantation. Complications were classified as early (within eight days after surgery) or delayed (more than eight days after surgery), and minor or major (requiring hospital re-admission and/or extended hospital stay) Forty-three patients (9.9 percent) experienced complications, including 28 with delayed complications, with an average delay of 2.2 years. Of those 43 patients, 13 (30.2 percent) required cochlear re-implantation.  

See that?! 30.2%! It was an EPIC FAILURE and that was in 2010. Now four years later, I bet you that the stats are higher than reported in the media world. The power of media without giving you all sides of an issue is dangerous and wrong and causes extreme harm. It can come from television that cochlear implants are amazing medical devices before parents of Deaf babies has time to learn a wide and have knowledge of life.

Have the Audists lost the ability to disagree that being Deaf is sinful? What about respecting Deaf culture with civility and respect? Of course, Audists finds a way to lose civility and show lack of respect to have only increase more threatening our Deaf nature of democracy.

If the society is so concerned about fixing Deaf children, then it is time to focus on the big criminals: Cochlear implant makers, cochlear implant companies, and investors who make a lot of money off cochlear implants, they are the liars of the society. Deaf people have every right to seek their quest for their freedom and safer society. Let’s repeal Advanced Bionics and its cousins and stand up to fight for our own freedom from the mad fraud companies across the country and international waters. Shut them down for good!

Make sure you sign the petition underwritten by Audism Free America (AFA) before you finish reading this.

http://www.petitiononline.com/petitions/AFA62509/signatures

-JT

Copyright © 2014 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

Link:

http://www.today.com/health/defective-cochlear-implants-shocked-kids-even-though-company-had-been-2D79371793

http://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/hearing-aid-news-350/voice-control-needs-time-to-develop-after-cochlear-implant-635028.html

Gallaudet Pitfall: Deaf People’s Harmony

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Image

From one of my previous blogs, someone asked me to show the proof that Aristotle committed suicide; there is no need to criticize my truth. That person had an access to the higher education and can find out from there. It is an easy vocation to do it. Hint: A book that focuses only on Alexander the Great’s life. After Aristotle actually took his life, his work fell into the hands of the Arabic world, Islam, the enemy of the Church. Although the Church was aware of Aristotelian thoughts, they refused to incorporate his work into the intellectual life. Reason: Aristotle did not die naturally. Aristotle’s work became appreciated in the 13th century Spain where Judaism, Christianity and Islam lived in harmony.  Aristotle lived in harmony to mock Deaf people’s solemnity.

The copies of Aristotle’s work eventually fell into the hands of Saint Thomas Aquinas who promoted some concepts into the Church in the 14th century.  Aristotle lived way after Socrates passed away in 399 B.C.; his thoughts were evolved from the Socratic doctrine that the mutes, who signed in groups, had intelligence.  Saint Augustine was the 4th century AD bishop who ordered Saint Jerome to put together and compile the Bible. The same guy, Saint Jerome who wrote EPHPHATHA in the Bible. Much information was deliberately eliminated, but St. Augustine pointed out that the Deaf do have the soul if they are able to talk about the same GOD. The whole point is that EPHPHATHA is very Aristotelian method.

I began to realize that many people are not aware of the governance at Gallaudet University—a system of higher learning management. EPHPHATHA is a governance duty to make sure Deaf people is healed from their ears. Alan Hurwitz could not do anything to make Deaf students better on campus or even to offer an academic course. It is the Board of Trustees (BoT) that is more powerful than Faculty Senate. It is the same truth for all other colleges and universities. If Board of Trustees said no, then we are all struck.  For example, if a professor can facilitate a course proposal through the Faculty Senate’s Curriculum Committee, and if the Committee said no, then the professor is stuck. An administrator could not touch the Senate because he is an administrator. The same thing goes to Alan Hurwitz.

In 1988, when there was a Deaf President Now (DPN) protest, the Faculty Senate voted to disassociate itself from the Board Chairperson Janet Spillman for saying that the deaf people were not ready for a higher position at Gallaudet. It was the vote that helps winning the protest.  It is time to erase EPHPHATHA from Gallaudet campus and vote no confidence in BoT’s leadership.  Also it hurts not only the university but also our Deaf intellectual life—our academic freedom. It must not be over-sighted.

Imagine this, if Deaf people, the Deaf world, populated the world, our beloved earth. What if the world was devoid of hearing people? At very least a Deaf world would be a signing place where everything had a sign name thought of or experienced, for there would be just a signed language. Unfortunately, the world is not Deaf. Indeed, it is thickly populated with people who can hear and speak. In this very world today, I am asking if these hearing people do actually listen to themselves and to speak with the Deaf. Or should I ask whether these hearing people so gullible there exists the medical and scientific arrogances.  For instance, the term, EPHPHATHA, the world’s invisible Audism had proposed that Deaf people must be cured. If we manage to get the media to recognize the extent of Audism on Gallaudet campus, then we move them closer to an open mind because Audism is “unheard of”—Aye?

In the 15th century, Martin Luther challenged the Church by publishing the Bible in the German language.  In the 16th century, Henry VIII broke up with the Church. In the 17th century, the Puritans became the pilgrims in America. In the 18th century, America revolted against the British Empire. In the 19th century, America had the Civil War. In the 20th century, America saw two World Wars. In the 21st century, the term EPHPHATHA is still around Gallaudet. Why not we the Deaf challenge BoT and remove the term off the seal. It is time for Deaf people to live in harmony.  The irony thing is that one of the BoT members holds PhD in Cross Cultural Communication and Language and the same guy who coined Audism has not done enough conscious effort to stop it.

EPHPHATHA is very much the role of culture in attempting to medicalize Deaf suffering and toxic language in cross-cultural discipline and measures. Is it an occupation that many critics are not aware of EPHPHATHA at best, a betrayal at worse? We all ride. Now we can ride as one. The goal of removing the term is to gather thousands and thousands of support, to speak with one powerful “voice” and let policymakers, the media, and BoT know that removing Audism-theme is important and be supported. Also, will Gallaudet University we known ever grow into a reality or see the light of the day?

It is about liberty and democracy.  As Deaf citizens of the world, exactly what is our responsibility toward deafness implies—ASL and sign language! Being Deaf does not mean listening and speaking.

Isaiah 29.18: “Is it not a duty that falls to all of us to take up these children and to protect them on behalf of God, to educate them so that, as the prophet tells us, every day the deaf may heard the word of the book”

-JT

Copyright © Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

As Speechless As You Are

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Image

After collecting and reading archived letters from Gallaudet University about EPHPHATHA in my previous blog with 12 different posts, (I could not upload all the images at once, so I had to split different posts and I apologize about that) it is still blurry and very limited information. We the Deaf need to report Audism, language aversion, our language, and our culture. Removing EPHPHATHA will design to empower the Deaf community to prevent these religious “bad omen” or “witch hunt” to heal and minimize the false beliefs and negative feelings that people have about the Deaf. What does Deaf people feel like when they drive by, walk by nor walk around Gallaudet and see EPHPHATHA playing behind the fence? Deaf people on display?

EPHPHATHA is driving Deaf people out of their state of being Deaf and only sees the world of action to make sure that Deaf people do not think and desire their own culture because EPHPHATHA is an everyday influence on Gallaudet’s seal which has a huge power-playing and that is why Deaf people do not talk much about it. Talking about EPHPHATHA is an opportunity for us to learn about ourselves as Deaf people and I think it is very important to know that we need to reclaim our lives back in good conscience. Not only that the term also fragmentize the Deaf community into quattuordecillion pieces.

Deaf people must fight against the religious belief to heal us in order to preserve our language and our culture for future generations. Gallaudet needs to know that every Deaf citizen’s rights to be rooted in the free pursuit of happiness. “Be Thou Opened” has nothing to do with the opening of mind, knowledge, education, learning, whatever, but we must look at the very ORIGIN of the term: healing ears and speech. That is very much hidden message. Every English word always has the ORIGIN meaning of it. We must remember to recognize the origin meaning first. The term itself taught the university how NOT to tolerate diversity.

From one of my favorite books, Cultural Studies in the Future Tense by Lawrence Grossberg wrote “Cultural Studies describes how people’s everyday lives are articulated by and with culture. It investigates how people are empowered and disempowered by the particular structures and forces that organize their everyday lives in contradictory ways and their (everyday) lives are themselves articulated to and by the trajectories of economic, social, cultural, and political power..This is, seeks to understand not only the organization of power, but also the possibilities of survival, struggle, resistance, and change. It takes contestation for granted, not as a reality in every instance, but as an assumption necessary for the existence of critical work, political opposition, and even historical change.”  

It is time to make a substantive democracy and work for real change. EPHPHATHA is divided. We, the Deaf people, are united. It is pretty much evident that Audists are holding large claims on Gallaudet’s property, including a fair amount of government debt. President Hurwitz is not the president we need. He is not doing his job. We have to let him ago. We need to get back in shape. It is pretty easy choice when you compare two circus clowns, I. King Jordan and Alan Hurwitz that lie at the drop of their teeth every time they speak, worship only the greed of EPHPHATHA and never tell us what their plans who allows the obstruction of Audism on the Gallaudet seal. Both are members of Alexander Graham Bell Association. No character and heart for the Deaf community at all.

It is time to propose to the Gallaudet administration that it is enough to play mind games with Deaf people’s emotions. We need to get ourselves involved in this hidden term and remove it. Our activism needs to make a loud statement and let them know that our conviction that EPHPHATHA is wrong. Why does Gallaudet fail Deaf people from not succeeding their hearing abilities? Deaf people should not been criticized and their biggest liabilities are to be succeed and get a fair education from Gallaudet without the term wringing their necks around. EPHPHATHA does not contribute to the cultural diversity of this Deaf community and makes us invisible in this world. Removing the term off the seal will bring Deaf people a place of belonging, but if the term is still there, then Deaf people will deny their sense of belonging. Simple.

-JT

Copyright © 2013 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.