After doing research at Library of Congress today, I found something interesting to share with the Deaf community what George Veditz shares his concern in this important writing to warn us about the future of higher education at Gallaudet College/University. Happy birthday, Mr. George Veditz!
Tag: Bilingualism
ASL: A Rich Experience Inside LOC
Why Library of Congress Matters Ever in the Age of Deaf Education
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.: Guardian of the private collections. There is nothing better than this unique place. The principles at play are much larger than this. I believe in mother of all libraries. Indeed, growing up where I usually carry library card with me all the time, the experiences as a library supporter, my experiences studying in libraries, and by researching, reading, and writing has informed my belief in the ideal that library system, that will greatly benefit of, in the ranks of information that has often quickly forgotten how important it is.
It is with a heartfelt debt of gratitude that I grabbed for the vote of confidence in electing to do this opportunity. I was helping out a friend for PhD dissertation, and I am humbly entrusted with the responsibility of helping out this. Access to private collections is generally limited to those engaged in higher learning studies.
All the books I’ve read about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, Edward Miner Gallaudet, Laurent Clerc, and others long before I moved to DC, but nothing will ever replace this. Now I got to witness hand-written letters by the very same people above. Incredible experience!
Until today, walking into Library of Congress to do academic research for the full day, has advanced issues of importance to Deaf community for truth results why American Sign Language (ASL) shall kept strong, vibrant, and resilient who care about the safety and wellness of where Deaf community live and about each other and how we can grow.
The collections of documents about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Edward Miner Gallaudet papers with hundreds and hundreds of letters goes back to 1806 to 1847, was incredible experience. I got to see the old letters written by Sophia Fowler Gallaudet whom she wrote a letter to T.H. Gallaudet had possibly made a history changer in Deaf Education. Sophia was born Deaf, and there was no Deaf schools in America that time. Sophia was a great writer, beautiful writing, indeed! Intellect. She was a matriarch in Deaf Education.
She writes: (keep in mind, it is not exactly accurate words, but I’ll do my best)
I love Laurent Clerc. I really loved [learning or seeing?] signs”
That might be the earliest birth of bilingualism (ASL/Written English) proficiency in my opinion. Sophia was definitely a thinker after reading the handwritten letters to T.H. Gallaudet and she knew that the importance of sign language in Deaf Education would be much needed in the sustained, systematic, and reflective thinking about the language and Deaf culture.
Laurent Clerc must be an amazing signer, that brought concepts and beliefs in any subject to see what is good and reasonable to believe about it, and why. That must have gotten Sophia to invest in love with sign language to understand expression, and shows that ASL is empirical and observable than ever today.
That letter written to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet proved that sign language tends to examine data and evidence already available, usually trying to put ASL into a clear and reasonable perspective, rather than to seek new data.
After all, bilingualism is the best thing. Modes of communication are considered to be a waste of mental energy, for no useful purpose. Bilingualism is a path that can be embraced. It might be a process quite foreign to many of us, but today, the peer pressure of western medical and technological science has pursued a path of restoration of hearing through amplification and cochlear implants, but they do not produce healthy path for Deaf people.
It is best to learn ASL and written English will make ALL the difference. Early life of bilingualism would begin great storytellers and create their layer inner richness as human beings. It develops an understanding of sign language, which makes a better human being.
In Sophia’s words to T.H. Gallaudet about Laurent Clerc is the most powerful means by values of Deaf culture are passed on. The formation of Deaf child’s identity is so important with ASL and written English where the stories that both mirror and appreciate that language and culture, and it is our responsibility to push for stronger bilingualism principles.
That is what Sophia wanted.
-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
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Gallaudet University: Bilingual Mission Task Force
It is important to have bilingualism at Gallaudet University today. We all know that American Sign Language (ASL) is our most natural form by the meaning through personal of all experiences. No question about that. ASL shows us the greatest skills of our civilization, along with literature in meaning significance.
At the same time, it is very important to emphasize that bilingualism has created all of us in this nation—same concept, as we are the nation of immigrants.
We need to change the attitude by adding “written” English—not “spoken” English as President Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano has informed the audience and live streaming for State of the University presentation to discuss Gallaudet Priorities Update to focus on a framework for bilingualism–but there is huge concern about bimodality [sign and speak with mouth] that has been added to Gallaudet’s priorities.
ASL-Written English bilingualism fosters empathy, trust, and mutual understanding. I wonder if the task force for Bilingual Mission hand-picked by President Cordano would aspire to affirm between ASL and English and depend the sense of awe and grace that accompanies an awareness of ASL-English bilingualism.
For example, there is someone who is on the task force team is a huge supporter of bimodality philosophy–which could bring big concerns on that issue.
Will Bilingual Mission Task Force create pathways better education to walk toward ASL-‘written’ English bilingualism? Do they teach the need to heal from the traumas of living in less than a just, sacred and sustainable world that Oralism is above ASL? How can they fix the concerns to resist the further destruction of the ASL-‘spoken’ English hegemony?
“Written” English is important to our intellectual and academic life. The task force needs to remove “spoken” English or bimodality philosophy off the table and expose that written English would bring many lifelong learning process that is the essence of our literacy–in other words, bimodality is all about academic hypocritism.
Gallaudet University would become the university that uses exclusive ASL for intellectual discourses–building relationship in this university to the world. Remember, the greatest gift what George Veditz in the 1913 film, The Preservation of Sign Language, promised our world including Gallaudet University.
I know for a fact that Veditz would challenge the Bilingual Mission Task Force to remove ‘bimodality’ or ‘spoken’ English–will they make any difference this time? The change to stop language oppression and hegemony has been recognized and we do not need to deal with that.
In 1864, National Deaf Mute College was never about bimodality–it was about educating students in exclusive sign language. Keep that way.
-JT
Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
Cochlear Implants Are Never a Medical Miracle
After reading the article, Why Some People Turned Down a ‘Medical Miracle’ and Decided to Stay Deaf published on Jan 4, 2017 written by Caroline Praderio has caught my attention.
It is romantic nonsense to ignore the fact competition for places in cochlear implant industries. As Yudhijit Bhattacharjee wrote, “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter”, published in the March 17, 2012 issue of New York Times Sunday Review:
“Reseachers were not wrong about the interference: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual’s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles”
Bilingualism in ASL and written English makes the best out of it. Cochlear implant is not even language, it is a tool also it happens to be failure.
In a modern world like ours, it has become commonplace for people to know more than one language. It isn’t uncommon to come across bilinguals who, not only have a command over their first or native language but are also fluent in a second, vernacular or foreign language as well.
According to common underlying proficiency (CUP) model of language processing, even though the database of different languages is interconnected in our minds, it is stored in separate compartments and thus does not interfere or encroach upon the other.
Thereby, making it possible for bilinguals to switch between two languages with equal ease and fluency. Research has revealed that the practice of bilingualism is beneficial in the following ways.
*A bilingual individual’s brain has two active language systems which work simultaneously without hindering the performance of other. Thus, ensuring that the brain is always exercising both its linguistically oriented cognitive functions.
*Bilinguals are also able to understand and appreciate the literature and discourses of their second language. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-being-bilingual.html)
While there are “plenty” of cochlear implant survivors, they would accede to the inactivation of mental process caused by false hope in the brain that is affected by shock. This mental inactivation attributes to deficit thinking, and the doctors or audiologists come up with strange ideas and priorities upon Deaf people and told them lies about the miracle what cochlear implants can offer. I had talked with plenty of cochlear implant survivors. Powerful stories.
We need to be aware that cochlear implants and some neurochemical reactions that seem to suggest as nonsense or nonexistent. Those survivors shed light on it and gave us some lead to various other scientific articles that refute hearing implants.
In other words, Praderio wrote, “………..For others, however, cochlear implants are more nuisance than medical miracle.”
Cochlear implants will be always human fraud. It has been never a medical miracle.
-JT
Copyright @ 2017 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
Disappointment at Gallaudet
During the Graduate School Orientation (GSO) week at Gallaudet University where I am beginning my academic journey, I participated in an activity, 25 Questions Activity, that allowed me to get acquainted with another graduate student I had not met. It was a learning fun for both of us and I wanted to blog about it.
We shared by telling each other who we are, what school we are in, and what improvement we would like to see at Gallaudet. I graduated with top honors and I am in the School of Deaf Studies/American Sign Language (ASL) Studies. My activity partner (her name withheld) is an interpreter-turned-teacher student who is very proficient in American Sign Language (ASL).
I complimented her skills in ASL because I was shocked to learn that there are many hearing graduate students who are not. She then told me she ran in an Audiologist student who has refused to acquire ASL. She asked why she came to Gallaudet, and her reply was: “Cheap!”
We discussed and agreed that Audism is prevalent in the graduate school at Gallaudet University. We attended a lecture about the university Sim-Com (simultaneous communication, meaning signing and speaking at the same time). The speaker explained that it is the university faculty that is a stronghold of this Sim-Com policy, this language bastardization.
From this GSO activity, we agreed that ASL is not a sound-oriented language. Signing and speaking at the same time means a language marginalization. Even a hearing individual sounds funny and ungrammatical when following the Sim-Com policy.
I knew, now I know, it is going to be an uphill battle if we were to accomplish the bilingualism mission at Gallaudet University. However, the first impression is lasting, and I’m disappointed.
-JT
Copyright © 2013 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.
...And the Truth Shall Set You Free. 
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