Deaf Experience – …And the Truth Shall Set You Free.

Laurent Clerc: United Nations Human Rights Prize

December 11, 2018 The Last HiccupLeave a comment

70 years ago on December 10th, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was brought up with the idea to recognize that as humans we adopt equal rights, freedom, and pursuit of happiness.

I just read the winners for 2018 United Nations Human Rights Prize who deserve an award. From the United Nations website writes:

The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights.

In the past, United Nations Human Rights had given to someone who passed away such as Eleanor Roosevelt. Why not Laurent Clerc? He contributed to Deaf community in the heart of human rights. Establishing the first American Deaf School in Hartford, Connecticut. For next 50 years, the school had trained many Deaf students in the field of educators to teach Deaf pupils to be successful. Laurent Clerc’s spirit embodies the self-determination of the newly Deaf space; his thoughts are still considered the strongest influence in Deaf people’s bodies, minds, and spirits.

Laurent Clerc’s quote:

“A knowledge of history is extremely useful; it lays before our eyes the great picture of the generations that have preceded us; and in relating the events which passed in their time…it lays before us the precepts of the wise…of all ages…”

There was no “rehabilitation” program or education for Deaf students. Laurent Clerc predicted the importance for future of the Deaf citizens to preserve and perpetuate in the language and culture, protecting and promoting ASL. French influence upon American Sign Language (ASL) and intellectual life of the Deaf has become quite pronounced as the result of the contact between Deaf people to seek for higher education. Not only in America, but influenced Canada as well, too.

Last September 2018, United Nations recognized its first International Day of Sign Languages, and it is a huge step. There was more than 70 million Deaf people living world wide, according to the World Federation of the Deaf, the higher education is pretty difficult to grasp, only two percent out of 70 million Deaf people have the human right access to a formal education.

Since Laurent Clerc’s arrival in America, his mission has been to provide quality individualized education honoring the talents of Deaf students, making sure they were given the highest opportunities to acquire academic skills necessary for success.

Making sure the long journey, the dark moments of doubts and struggles, going through series of emotional, mental and physical—and the feeling in a life time would end up being over, until Laurent Clerc’s arrival made sure it was never over. It was very much part of human right. Being the state of Deaf is a human right in the highest form of freedom.

Honestly, I do think Mr. Laurent Clerc deserve United Nations Human Rights Prize, the largest honour of lifetime work. What do you think?

Laurent_Clerc_Bust_by_Carl_Conrads,_American_School_for_the_Deaf,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_January_2016_01.JPG

-JT

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

References:

https://usdeafhistory.com/tag/laurent-clerc/

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/news/dspd/international-day-sign-languages.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Prize_in_the_Field_of_Human_Rights

DPN 30: Social Change and the Experience of Unemployment

February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 The Last HiccupLeave a comment

285a294e353fc012d7d6129bb3541a7f--washington-dc-travel-travel-posters.jpg

News is here. There is an article you should read about hardest working cities in United States. Washington, D.C. metro is the largest Deaf community and word that more Deaf people are expected to move and live in Washington, D.C. in time being. There is a website that specializes in Deaf Urbanism. It is worth your time reading.

Not long time ago, I learned that 1,000 people are moving to DC every month. Expect of big changes should you visit DC. When I first read this article this evening, it shows that Washington, D.C. is the fourth hardest working city and it is climbing fast. The questions we must be seen and examined ourselves. How can we make Deaf community economically, socially, and mentally? This might be something we need to remember. Within five years from now on, Will kind of culture District of Columbia at the point of the time?

Rachel Bowlby writes, “What is by definition one’s own, one’s very identity or individuality, is at the same time something which has to be put on, acted or worn as an external appendage, owned as a property nominally apart from the bodily self.”

There is plenty of research that shows Deaf people are hardest working people because they value the most. Since Gallaudet University, the world’s only university for Deaf is located in Washington, D.C.; The radicalizing of Deaf jobs had profound effects on Deaf professors, associate professors, and staff that they had been waiting for pay raise, none of this happening for long eight and half years. Finally they got very small raise last year. Soon, with days, Deaf President Now will celebrate 30 years to develop and intensify the bonds of Deaf community.

Rewind. 2018. 2008. 1998. 1988. The creation of DPN was to create high employment opportunities for Deaf community. I believe.

Let’s take a look directly at implicit and an explicit political framework for Deaf community in the future. I am writing here that it is a huge deal right now, particularly as evidenced by the very title DPN (Deaf President Now) of one of the most famous history for Deaf community.

30 years later. Deaf community is still suffering the highest unemployment, and had been cooperatively owned by the oppressive system. In 1988, I was 14 years old living in Old Wild West, I never knew about DPN and been shut out of literacy forms, an imagined community of Deaf people, and now living in DC is hard to fathom that the unemployment is high, and expected better results.

Within Deaf people expected to be grow large in DC area, what about social, cultural, and economic literature to preserve Deaf accessibility? How can we make it Deaf-friendly city with the best accessibility possible? Aiming to be the best Deaf community in the world?

30 years later. What happened to the visions of Deaf identity in employment? The new forms of urbanism are already developing around the city. Will Gallaudet University pay raise for Deaf professors, associate professors, staff get every year to meet their living expenses? Oh, living in DC is expensive. It is also fourth fastest growing city in the United States.

Open captioned movies are on high demand to make a bold statement. Every weekend. In the Spring of 1988, for the special meaning devoted to Deaf community and national identity, and now in 2018, District of Columbia yet able to create more jobs for Deaf community. If Amazon chooses DC area, then will there Deaf Space be created? Who will redefine just who its minorities are?

30 years later. We need to be reminding about the prospects of minority status. Will employment serve simply a predication, then or as an image of unemployment be hidden in the largest Deaf community? Add for employment opportunities for Deaf returning citizens to live comfortable in DC; For that, we must continue our dreams. We still have a dream. Right?

-JT

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References:

https://ggwash.org/view/66282/why-we-all-need-deaf-urbanism

https://wallethub.com/edu/hardest-working-cities-in-america/10424/

Holiday of Darkness: Deaf Returning Citizens’ Journey

December 24, 2017 The Last HiccupLeave a comment

Do Deaf returning citizens deserve shame? Politics can be funny. The politics of returning citizens remains unseen. The question, do people understand in second chances? Does the society discuss not enough about the pedagogy of second chances? That is up for you to decide.

The biggest holidays of the year: December. You see all those holiday spirits going around, people volunteering to feed the homeless, and in addition with the holiday spirit should encourage to end abuses of shaming returning citizens, and diminish culture oppression in their lives, they had been dealing with some of the prolonged dependency of being as Deaf returning citizen that they account ASL for communication, information, and knowledge. Their experiences have never been done before, but the crisis demands a new form of activism.

The stories are the reason they are here; with that being the case, the society would have doubts as to the relevance of the story they might have to share, but the offer itself also pushed them to take a closer look at the back story that bought their lives to the corner of growing pains. The biggest goal: Be the change. Returning citizens had their notes filled with observations and experience.

The people are true-color oppressors, no more than first-class airplane seats. The journey has begun in the search of healing. Returning citizens have the right to choose to seek path to heal every fiber of their bones. It takes a lot of courage to change a person’s life around. The liberty of respect is hard to replace these days. It takes a lot of hard work to believe in themselves, they also need to refuse to believe in the past and make all the difference as much as I can.

The important question we should need to know: Do you ever think about what justice means and how it should be applied in a democratic society? Can politically active voters strongly against unfair laws that have more to do with political careerism than actually providing well-reasoned fear?

Holidays can be very difficult times for them at this time of the year dealing with stigma—the greater degree to which returning citizens can be integrated into Deaf community and have access to both social services along with neighborhood supports, the greater the chance for complete rehabilitation.

There is more to that as the signs of the holidays may be the time to highlight the spirit of the holidays—not everyone feels merry during the holidays. For some, it can be lonely due to a loss of loved one, being far from family, rejection from circle of friends, bear with difficult memories and even from Deaf community itself. Struggling with the “Holiday Blues”—Would it make people feel better if they commit more to support Deaf returning citizens and understand their struggles and stories?

Any effort at getting to know Deaf returning citizens will reveal many who, despite all odds, struggling to be good neighbor, and community member. The societal debt had been paid, and they are free to pursue life’s opportunities as any other normal American citizen. Re-entering into society is a hard place filled with hate, anger, depression, and loneliness. The part about loneliness is the most invisible human trait.

-JT

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The Nation Was Also Built By Laurent Clerc

May 1, 2017 The Last Hiccup1 Comment

History Through Deaf Eyes

Today, May 1st is Immigrant Rights Day! Consider, to begin with a colonialism scene in Deaf world–especially in America that time. In 1816, Laurent Clerc to begin his journey for America knew the destiny to create in the name of Deaf Education. Clerc was the ONE who generated Deaf Education, without him, it would not be the same. It was a fate to get rid of Audism and break the colonization.

This was the time that Clerc had to articulate his teaching philosophy in America. The ability to acquire and use sign language exclusively is valuable for Deaf students in the field of literatures and Clerc strive to have students actively thinking about higher education within minutes of entering the classroom, and when communication something Clerc pushed to use as much sign language as possible.

Clerc had been teaching for long time, and I’m sure he enjoyed this work a lot. He had coordinated Deaf Education and there is no way he would realize that his presence had developed and facilitated many courses through the College-wide Curriculum Committees and Higher Education Commission. His gift for America was a huge amount of time, and through this process, he determined to boil down his teaching philosophy to higher principles that Clerc as an immigrant made a huge difference today.

The most important principle of Deaf Education is always demonstrating a passion for higher learning. Unfortunately, there is no unique recipe for passion that works for all Deaf students. While for some Deaf students it is important to know how to use ASL, others find the ideas for education in ASL interesting by themselves.

The final grade has been a top-priority for many Deaf students, but I am sure that Clerc always do his best to explain that it should an ultimate goal for acquiring skills in ASL. Otherwise, students would gain the skills in ASL after classroom is over and that is very desirable for Clerc.

So, I feel that Clerc as an immigrant with his credentials why Deaf Education is important and where it is used today and explain the ideas behind philosophy and linguistics, propagating the idea that ASL can be approached from two perspectives, science (descriptive) and art (prescriptive). Before proceeding to the theory Clerc would give a lot of examples and usually draw appropriate pictures.

Clerc’s passion is enthusiasm for acquiring and mastering ASL for Deaf students. His enthusiasm must be infectious enough to transmit to the students. In this case they would learn ASL because of ASL itself and not only because it is used somewhere else. The goal here is to share the beauty of ASL. Deaf students, I am sure that have never complained about a lack of enthusiasm.

We reinforce Deafhood every time we use ASL. © Jason “JT” Tozier 2017

Clerc might not also realize that he brought human rights of the Deaf in America. It was all about modeling and teaching professional behavior and respect. To Clerc, teaching and learning is palpable: When Clerc can see it in a student’s visible delight in acquiring and using ASL jargon; when Clerc can read the excitement in students’ essays about ASL or Deaf experience that is also part of Deaf Studies, Clerc cannot say anything better than an Irish writer, W.B. Yeats about teaching when he wrote:

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Clerc’s energy had ignited in Deaf students a passion to learn as much as possible and be professional within the field of Deaf Studies. I can best summarize in one word for Clerc: passion. Passion helps the Deaf students engage in the course assignment, even if there is no “correct answer” in the processes of exploring the language and culture of the Deaf. Engaged students in classrooms must work hard, write about their Deaf experiences, and learn to think, respect others, and above all, have fun!

Clerc was the most important Deaf immigrant in America. Thank you, Laurent Clerc for your genius and innovations. You were the face of human rights! After all, we are a nation of immigrants. Behold the Deaf community in highest standard possible! Yes, Immigrant Rights are Human Rights!

-JT

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References:

https://www.neh.gov/explore/history-through-deaf-eyes

At The Rim: Here Comes the Rimshot

March 24, 2017 The Last HiccupLeave a comment

This post is to honor the author of At The Rim for your leisure. You know, being colonized and deny the journey of your own Deafhood, the same term before your eyes, is your last hiccup that recognizes your weakness to embrace Deaf identity.

Dude, the 1988 greatest story, has forever radicalized the original root of Deaf culture. Why do you think Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet wanted to create college for whom? Did the same Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet have a vision for hearing people? That was not his vision.

My fellow radicals who were supposed to pass on the torch of experience and insights to a new generation just were not there.”-Saul Alinksy

Tick tock. You need to work on your attitude more often. There is a word that might remind you would want to learn “self-hate” and that is where it begins. It does not mean it hates hearing. Do you hate Deaf? There was no such thing as “hearing hate” as you claimed. It is the bed of personal growth. Look at us, Deaf to Deaf!

As the author of this post, I do not hate hearing either. I come from hearing family. It is how hearing system work, it starts with the community accountability. Imagine this, what if there was none of stories about it in 1988 that never existed? What would it looks like today? Come on, history is for reason, born for America values in Deaf Education, and hold the key strong! Forget all the flat liners.

All the DPN activists had the same cause to protest as all of them have the constitutional rights, First Amendment, “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” All of DPN had not committed any criminal incidents as you claimed. The only picture I once saw in a book about DPN itself where the bus tires were slashed, it is only misdemeanor.

Please take a look at other universities, pardon me, hearing universities, there were plenty of riots and done real criminal damage, it is huge difference what DPN was all about. Stop living in hearing mind.

It was only a temporary. Look at Jackson Police Open Fire on Protestors from website, “killing 2 students and leaving 12 injured. Many more sustained minor injuries from broken glass in the incident, wherein 30 seconds of gunfire and 140 shotgun rounds left every window along one city street shattered.” It was 1970. Mississippi.

As I checked last time, there were no injuries in 1988. DC lights flocked overnight in good faith.

No more than half hour drive depending on traffic, you would see University of Maryland in College Park, in 2010, 28 arrests, as for DPN, zero arrests, no? Unless I am mistaken. Two years later, University of Kentucky had won a basketball game against archrival, University of Louisville; there were a lot of riots and fires. None of them are like Gallaudet. There was no such thing as riot as you claimed.

The final note: DPN was a peaceful rally. Riot and rally are much different.

You are still living in the past. Accept the fact that Deaf people won. It is simple. You are correct that it is 2017 because the last time I checked, the president is still Deaf. Sorry to ruin your day but your hearing superiors don’t work well in here.

Dude. I am telling you that today Gallaudet University, President Bobbi Cordano has changed the leadership and make it more like Deaf-centered as possible, it is not full-ride centered yet, but it is going in the right direction.

Would people also think it is time to have Gallaudet University, Deaf-centered, Deaf-controlled and Deaf-oriented one day in the future? It may be possible. [I support that idea, myself.] I am sorry that you are being colonized and hope you will realize that you would need to heal your pain.

Let your extremism go. Being Deaf mind is the center of your heart. The heart is very precious and they control your destiny. Do not wait too long. The Deaf Mind I possess is not extremism. It is progressive. Please visit this page in 2013, Mirror, Who is the Fairest?

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2013/06/16/mirror-who-is-the-fairest/

American values are the most beautiful and complex tools of all time, at the same time, you need to realize by insulting American values on an American soil, it is nothing greater than Gallaudet University. You know, “Make Gallaudet Great” in ’88. The same principles we recognize the mystic flying birds, today is 2017 and the beauty of Gallaudet’s spirits are evolving.

The making of DPN made the wave of social movements, from civil rights to the rights of “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Deaf students had every right to petition the Government for all grievances. It does not mean they are rioters again as you claimed. Remember, it is not too late to begin your Deafhood journey that you will always grateful for in the long run.

That’s the beauty of life! Self-hate by being Deaf is not going to work anywhere. My blog is all about tough love. Also, my blog is not to be kicked around. When I visited Seattle to attend Paddy Ladd’s presentation at University of Washington in 2012, it was a method to see the love to embrace state of being Deaf and that is where you need to see the rim shot.

Looney_Tunes_'Haredevil_Hare'_-_screenshot.jpg

At your last hiccup.

-JT

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

References:

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/01/biggest-college-campus-riots-in-history/kentucky-students-flood-lexington-streets-in-celeb

https://attherimmm.blogspot.com/2017/03/deaf-v-deaf.html

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2017/03/22/powerful-diversion-in-deaf-community/

https://audismnegatsurdi.com/2013/06/16/mirror-who-is-the-fairest/

My New Deafhood Journey: Gallaudet University

August 24, 2013March 6, 2017 The Last Hiccup3 Comments

When I first visited Gallaudet in 2010, it was one of my life’s highlights on my journey. After reading many Deaf books and watching educational vLOGS has become significant as it highlights the process of shaping my individual identity as the state of being Deaf.

Gallaudet is about to carry on my next journey of the Deafhood which will carry the depths of subjugation. I hope to see my individual restraint, self-improvement, and model citizenship to expand. Gallaudet will be the allegory of my Deaf experience, first as the state of being Deaf, and finally the citizen of the Deaf world. I hope to see some tone of my personal initial rebellions, then one of authorities suggesting that our Deaf community need to return to its very type of institution as it is originally revolutionized in order to survive as a Deaf world.

Yes, there are Audists out there if anybody who is deliberately and deceptively destroying us Deaf people by omitting American Sign Language (ASL) and his or her desire to contain, through language, disruptive powers that would threaten a restoration of social and political order. I shall continue my Deafhood journey to which I have grown accustomed in many ways. The process of Deafhood journey has reinforced my ownership of my life as well as relegated myself back into the sphere of society. I will make an attempt to protest at those people who try to destroy me and make me behave like hearing people.

Renaming in my journey can also be seen as a necessary part of strategy of hearing colonialism. Justification of hearing colonialism demanded a suspicious vantage point of Deaf people as heathen and immoral, and imparting this consciousness into the minds of enslaved. I hope to see more strength in my cultural roots. In essence, renaming ultimately functioned to reject our Deaf culture is wrong. Our initial resistance by hearing colonialism is paramount testament to the level of forced assimilation as byproduct of hearing colonialism.

Gallaudet has many stories of colonialism against Deaf people around the world. Now I am about restoring political and social order. We need to understand that the ASL is the key in social order so controlling that the language could restore calm in tides. The Milan Resolution has since overthrown Deaf institutions and now needs to concern itself in the matter of forming their own. Finally, Gallaudet is about comprehensive system of relationships, values, symbolism and order which must be assimilated in order to become an individual and self-expressive, and the Deaf colonies need to restore comprehensive system in order to become a sovereign and develop a new social and political order. Individual and national autonomy is the effect of language. I am excited to begin my Gallaudet journey.

-JT

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