Deaf Culture Uncovered

In 1965, Deaf Culture was first recognized as a real culture. That was only forty years ago. William Stokoe, Carl Croneberg, and Dorothy Casterline were the ones who introduced the culture of the Deaf to the world. They wrote the Dictionary of American Sign Language and included information about the thriving culture of the Deaf.

Before the Dictionary of American Sign Language was published, people involved in the medical field and deaf education only saw deaf people in terms of their deafness or hearing loss. They never would have though that Deaf people had their own culture.

Carol Padden defines a culture as: learned behaviors of a group of people who share a language, rules for behavior, traditions, and values. Deaf culture fits this definition just like every other culture in the world. They have a language, values, rules for behavior, and traditions.

Language

American Sign Language is the language of choice for the members of the culture of the Deaf. If you are not fluent in American Sign Language, you are not part of this culture.

American Sign Language is a real language just like any other language. William Stokoe was the first to publish the truth about ASL--that it has its own structure, grammar, and syntax separate from English.

ASL is a real language and is the natural language of the Deaf.

Values

American Sign Language is the most valued in Deaf culture. Speech and spoken English do not compare to the natural language of the deaf. Even if a deaf person can read lips, comprehension is no where near that of ASL.

The preservation of ASL is also a value in the culture of the Deaf. Sign systems have been invented to try to help deaf children learn English. These systems include Signed English, Cued Speech, and Sign Supported Speech, to name a few. These systems are not supported in Deaf culture and are not even languages. These systems have deprived deaf children of learning their true language and the ability to communicate naturally.

Not speaking is a value in the culture of the deaf. Because speech is often forced on deaf children, it represents deprivation and confinement to a Deaf adult. If you are hearing, know ASL, and are around a Deaf friend, turning and speaking to someone else leaves the Deaf person out and is incredibly rude.

Socializing is highly valued in the culture of the Deaf. When you are deaf, having a social life is very important because there are usually very few Deaf people in a community. In a hearing world, having Deaf friends is necessary for support. Before text messaging phones, Deaf people would only communicate with their deaf friends through letters or in person. Today, Deaf people still take advantage of the time they have with their Deaf friends. They will stay at a gathering for hours and leave very late. Long goodbyes are more than common.

The members of the culture of the Deaf also value the literature of their culture. These are stories and cultural values that are passed down through signed communication. Deaf culture also has its own art, stories, poetry, theatre, jokes, games, and books. These avenues teach about Deaf culture and Deaf pride.

Rules for Behavior

It is not rude to stare in this culture. Not staring is actually rude in this culture. When someone is signing to you, if you break eye contact, you are very rude.

Facial expressions are required when you are signing. Some non-manual behaviors are part of ASL grammar.

When you introduce yourself in Deaf culture, you use your full name. Deaf people also ask each other for information about where they’re from (what city they grew up in), what school they went to (what residential school they attended), etc. The Deaf community is very small, so they try to find these commonalities with each other early in their introductions.

Deaf people also label themselves in different ways. People in hearing culture tend to label deaf people by their hearing loss--hard of hearing, hearing impaired, etc. In hearing culture, being hard of hearing is seen as better than being deaf. These labels are viewed the exact opposite in the culture of the Deaf. Deaf people call themselves one thing and one thing only when they are part of this culture--Deaf. The term “Deaf” has nothing to do with the degree of hearing loss. Using the term “hard of hearing” is actually viewed negatively in the culture of the Deaf. Using it makes it look like you think you’re better than everyone else (because that’s how it’s viewed in hearing culture). Using the term “hearing impaired” insinuates that you think there is something wrong with deaf people and that they desire to be “fixed.” This is actually the opposite of what members of the culture of the Deaf believe; they are Deaf and proud! The terms “deaf” (“little d”) and “Deaf” (“big D”) are also used and have much different meanings. “Little d” refers to someone who cannot hear while “big D” refers to someone who is part of Deaf culture and shares the language, values, behaviors, and traditions of that culture.