Christopher Soukup – …And the Truth Shall Set You Free.

Of all U.S. minority groups, the Deaf community is perhaps the most invisible. The mental health sends the message of Deaf empowerment to the public. The principle of Deaf-centric or Deaf-centered mental health is always demonstrating a passion. Or, is it a recipe for power-struggle for passion where the Deaf community needs the most in the mental health field? Especially the Deaf-centered way.

In the highest standard of principle what it should be, a Deaf-centric or Deaf-centered mental health organization had revolutionized the stereotypical odds. It should be of, by, and for Deaf people. This “cultural awareness” in our Deaf community where we live continues to be a minority group thriving for awareness and social justice, which we are seeing in the mental health field that is sorely painful in the Deaf leadership.

National Deaf Therapy (NDT) under the auspices of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD). ‘Auspices’ is from the Latin, auspicium, and auspex, which mean “one who looks at birds”.

Communication Service for the Deaf: Using the ‘flying birds’ as power-hungry; According to wiki: ‘Augury is the practice from ancient Roman religion of interpreting omens from the observed flights of birds.” (1)

Is it the wrong path where National Deaf Therapy is being heavily appropriated by Communication Service for the Deaf exercising privileges and profiting? Even in 2019. But, should we not completely surprised? Don’t we see manifestations of elitism, favouritism, and privileges every single day? Let me use those examples:

Jameson Crane III and Jonathan Soukup, both CEO and co-founder in the same business together (see link below), they have strong connections to Communication Service for the Deaf, its founder of CSD, Benjamin Soukup, and its current CEO, Christopher Soukup (Jonathan’s brother).

As for Jameson Crane III’s hearing father, Jameson Crane, Jr. was on Communication Service for the Deaf board, now is on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees (see both links below). Social Venture Fund (SVF) has awarded National Deaf Therapy because of father-in-law’s connections as a board to NDT as well. Jameson Crane III’s spouse: Amanda Sortwell Crane, one of National Deaf Therapy co-founder.

Don’t we see manifestations of elitism, favouritism, and privileges?

Power-hunger is shown by connection to Gallaudet University? A good example, ADWAS founder, Marylin Jean Smith is on Communication Service for the Deaf board (see link below), and one of the National Deaf Therapy co-founders, Megan Erasmus is working for ADWAS while running National Deaf Therapy (see link below). Is that a big conflict of interest?

I was told that it is common for people to work full time while maintaining their own practices part-time until their practice grow enough that they can support themselves with the new private practice. Still conflict of interest?

Convo Communications: the CEO, Jarrod Musano who owns the Daily Moth and Melmira, connected to Communication Service for the Deaf, yes or no? However, Jarrod and Communication Service for the Deaf board member, Danny Lacey, have strong connections between each other.

The disability framework, a negativity bias defining the Deaf community, colonizes National Deaf Therapy. Exploring core concepts what “disability” to define ‘Deaf’–especially how the polarity of disability is culturally constructed and embodied, emphasizing the “social model”–and it shows clearly that National Deaf Therapy did not aim enough for a deepened understanding of the social, economic, and political aspects of disability as perceived and embodied in literature.

Does it mean the Deaf are defined from the American society because they are not normal healthy people as long as they must live in the medical model of disability?

Although frequently used to refer to the Deaf, this label is considered highly offensive to the Deaf. It ignored cultural identity and its use among hearing is a sign of ignorance (Roach, 2002) [2]

Ryan Commerson [3], producer of “Media, Power, & Ideology: Re-defining D-E-A-F”— Supposedly, Deaf people are labeled as ‘disability’ in the name of ideology.

Commerson: “…the misrepresentation would still reside in your subconscious. What should you do about it?” that leads to ‘Contesting Stereotypes: Taking Images Apart’.

“…When a particular meaning in broadcast for a while, then it becomes common sense,closed, and resides in your subconscious. Life goes on as normal. However, we must go back to the misrepresentation residing in their subconscious…and reveal the distortion of the images. People might be rattled or accept this new reality. However, the problem with this is, by unlocking the meaning, it’s open for interpretation. Would everyone interpret it the same way?”

He used to be a scholar until Communication Service for the Deaf took him in as Social Change Strategist and exploited his views. I bet Ryan couldn’t challenge Communication Service for the Deaf because he is stuck with them.

In my previous blog post:

“The Deaf community is powerful in the human psyche. Indeed, at this level of humanity, would the Deaf community understand the painful history of what the term “disability” define Deaf people? Have the Medical Model of Disability had caused enough destruction in the Deaf community?”

‘Do Deaf People Have a Disability?‘ published by Harlan Lane [4]:

“A disability is a limitation of function because of an impairment. Deaf people are limited in some functions because of an impairment of hearing. Therefore, Deaf people have a disability.”

Justice must include human rights and compassion. It must include an appreciation of Deaf cultural uniqueness. What strikes me the most by Lane’s writing as seen in the picture:

“On the other hand, the Deaf-World is a linguistic and cultural minority quite unlike disability groups and with a distinctly different agenda. Moreover, to be Deaf is not disability in Deaf culture, and most members of the Deaf-World see no disability in their ways of being. To give up their legal rights would be self-defeating; to demand them under disability law seems like hypocrisy.”

Does that mean the Deaf community has become a pet cause for Communication Service for the Deaf and National Deaf Therapy? This is not the spirit of the Deaf community. That is the sign of power-hunger. Or, is it power-struggle?

The true leadership that steps up to the plate with the facts as they are and makes intelligent decisions on those facts only and not only on the emotionalized, oppressive of the Deaf community and the misinformed public sentiment. Why is National Deaf Therapy under the auspices of Communication Service for the Deaf pushing for a chess game?

-JT

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

References:

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augury

(2) Roach, Amy (2002). “Which is Correct: Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, or Hearing Impaired?” Deaf Linx. 22 Feb. 2003

(3) https://vimeo.com/12817361

(4) Lane, Harlan L. “Do Deaf People Have a Disability?” Sign Language Studies, vol. 2 no. 4, 2002, p. 356-379. Project MUSE

Links:

http://naturaltcapital.com/

https://www.prweb.com/releases/brandi_rarus_top_marketing_communications_executive_joins_communication_service_for_the_deafs_board_of_directors/prweb16295100.htm

https://www.gallaudet.edu/board-of-trustees

https://www.csd.org/about/

“In the collective mind the intellectual aptitudes of the individuals, and consequence their individuality are weakened.”–Gustav Le Bon, La Psycholgie des Foules, 1895

Dear Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) CEO Christopher Soukup:

Since you are the Mighty Chief of CSD Social Venture Fund (SFV) and the majority stakeholder for National Deaf Therapy (NDT) to invest in business owned by members of the Deaf community, you control the information, using misinformation to shield, and in consequence, as you wrote in June 2016:

“As a not for profit organization, we remain committed to pushing out our resources into the community—in the form of tangible action and new products, programs, and services that make our world a better place for everyone. Careful and responsible management of our resources is an absolute reflection of our integrity and our commitment to you.”

The reflection of integrity and commitment is nothing to replace better than this. Since you put (NDT) in your power, misleading the Deaf community that the message: “Hate is not a mental health issue” is greatly problematic. The hardest part what you wrote: “Careful and responsible management”

There are plenty of valid-proven academic articles by well-versed professors and experts that hate is a mental health issue. Unlock the power of hate and action. For one, NDT argue that it is not a mental health issue differs from, and Deaf citizens punished more severely; because it betrays the expression of ignorance.

On the surface, this appears to be a problematic with significance: Deaf citizens do experience hate, derives from truth, in the same manner as all of us. The language deprivation of “hate”, although intentional, is no less truth.

Deaf people has a deep-longing to live as powerful people, to share their stories within our Deaf community and to make connections because they have suffered an inordinate amount of language deprivation that has left them deeply wounded.

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”–Maya Angelou

Hate: Crime, speech, literature and culture. For example:

Dr. Merzenich in his own reference with the print from American Psychological Association: “The simple fact is that if [American Deaf culture] could be reliably wiped out, it would be a good thing to wipe out. (Fischer & Lane, 1993)

As wiping out the culture, language, souls, and stories is very much part of hate in the broadest sense of mental health issue. The deprivation of truth will affect Deaf people’s usability, life security, and stability, would also affect in higher education. It would take the high road–boldness and healing.

The denial of hate leads to a societal taboo that would reject Deaf people in general. The sociological and punishment as punishing hate articles have plenty of merit that hate is indeed, recognized as mental health issue.

The rule of law whether it lacks the most where it represents the moral view of the Deaf community, is it accurate enough for NDT under your leadership to formally announce that hate is not a mental health issue as it is powerfully damaged, misleading the information and seeing the statement in print is even more painful.

Deaf citizens illustrates the fact they struggle in their own values or liberty that cannot easily reconcile with the community and becomes a difficult time to value their own individualism and self-constructed to begin their journey as survivors of dealing with hate, whether the forms of hate, through self-destructive in attempting to grasp its own path to escape oppressive judgement of systematic oppression to curb their struggles.

Being told by NDT in the direction of your leadership such as careful and responsible management, Mr. Soukup, the only freedom Deaf survivors of hate could reasonably negotiate in their lives was suffering enough pain. The denial of hate as a mental health issue abides by the society customs for the refusal, or flippancy towards, the mental state is severe enough.

Yet, you approved the idea that hate is not a mental health issue clearly a decision making table and decide the best for the Deaf community is questionably concerned lacking compassion and leave the results on the benefits of politics and power. As to put this:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”-Jedi Master Yoda

-Jason “JT” Tozier

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

Tag: Christopher Soukup

MENTAL HEALTH: Power Hunger or Power Struggle?