Here are my top five new year’s resolutions, all of which are based on my past regrets.
1. Quality time for my adult children, Justin and Vivienne.
Since we are physically apart with my being on this beautiful, rural island Maui in Hawaii, we did not communicate with each other very much. With my daughter Vivienne’s arrest on Black Friday at Gallaudet University, I began to realize how important Deaf family stories be told. Justin is being into theatre is very exciting to my family heritage, too. For the New Year 2007, I am more than determined to show them my love and appreciation for them. I expect to meet them during a blogging/vlogging conference in February.
2. Fit in Fitness
Although there are many opportunities for ocean sports, hiking trials and jogging with Frank, a close friend and colleague of mine on the island, I tended to put off till another time. I am a great procrastinator, and many opportunities are missed. For the New Year 2007, I am to jog three-four times a week, pursue new hiking trials on the island, and enjoy ocean sports.
3. Get Our of Debt
Credit cards may be great, but they are extremely tempting. For the New Year 2007, I am going to make any purchase by cash, not by credit.
4. Learn Something New
For my doctoral studies, I am now very much inclined to language documentation which is very challenging. It is like a library science for preserving and pegging specific linguistic aspects as “a system of abstract elements, constructions, and rules that constitute the invariant underlying structure of the utterances observable in a speech community.” For the New Year 2007, I am going to develop my theory of providing a comprehensive record of the linguistic practices characteristic of ASL.
5. Help Others
In the year 2006, I did a lot of volunteer work for many different people on the island. I helped out at a private school in developing a new bilingual/bicultural program for Deaf children, mentoring ASL students, working with Legal Aid Society of Hawaii to minimize practices of discrimination against Deaf people (asking if they could read lips is discriminatory!). For the New Year 2007, I am committed to continue my efforts to make this world a better place for all the Deaf to live.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Keep ASL Unique
American Sign Language is unlike any language. It's the fastest growing and least understood language today. In most cases just by looking at ASL, for short, you can't even tell if that language has grammar, and that is the problem. Our society is so used to thinking that a language is the same as a spoken or written language, English. If ASL doesn't sound like English, then it's not recognized. But users of ASL are just as human as someone who can hear. So why is it so hard to get people understand that ASL has its own entity.
The struggle for our language and culture that we the Deaf go through both financial and emotional is unexplainable; I don't think that there is any other language out there that people struggle so much. I can’t even imagine what would happen to a Deaf person if an ASL interpreter was not available to them, or a person with an amputee not having access to a wheel chair, so why is it so different with ASL?
Everyday, it seems, another blog comes along with startling thought about the language and culture of the Deaf. Any progress the Deaf community thought they were making since the 1988 Deaf President Now demonstration has been stalled. They might even have taken a few steps back. The premeditated selection of JKF by both IKJ (in the know) and the Board of Trustees (unbeknown) was a stumbling block, and it all came crashing down. Piece by piece, everything the Deaf community had built in the last two decades was torn down. The refusal of JKF to resign was a devastating blow to the Deaf community everywhere.
Hundreds of Deaf people across the nation and around the world have met and set up symbolic Tent Cities, been moved by their plight and signed on in support of the FSSA protests. IKJ, on the other hand, got the activists arrested on October 13, 2006, so dubbed Black Friday, to supersede any concern for the millions od Deaf people worldwide whose struggle with their language and culture are their everyday reality. His actions also constitute an attack on intellectual life of the Deaf, denouncing Deaf people as squabbles.
JKF had nothing she could even talk about anymore. She accused the activists as terrorists, criminals and law breakers. The compromise she was trying to reach had no bearing on our language and culture. She thought that with a high technology coming, Deaf people have very little chance of going far. She thought she could match signs with English words as illustrated by Susan Chevallier. I could honestly say that if the Board of Trustees was passive or inactive, it would be the last round of ASL and its embedded culture. The protests would either be successful, or we the Deaf would be oppressed by the "diversity and inclusiveness" banner for good.
Gallaudet University is unique. It is not a copycat. Although Gallaudet University should be up to par with other colleges and universities, she must always be a forerunner for Deaf people and their language and culture. Gallaudet University MUST never endorse any attempt to "make the Deaf hear." It would be like blaspheme because deafness is divinely endowed with manifestation for ASL.
The final words in my blog can be handled in another way: "We will never know if high technologies helped or hindered deafness. You just don't know. Deaf is Deaf, and ASL is ASL. We tend to just react to whatever ASL allows us." The Deaf community will continue to fight for Deaf children and families, putting pressure on our society to respect ASL, our language and culture.
The struggle for our language and culture that we the Deaf go through both financial and emotional is unexplainable; I don't think that there is any other language out there that people struggle so much. I can’t even imagine what would happen to a Deaf person if an ASL interpreter was not available to them, or a person with an amputee not having access to a wheel chair, so why is it so different with ASL?
Everyday, it seems, another blog comes along with startling thought about the language and culture of the Deaf. Any progress the Deaf community thought they were making since the 1988 Deaf President Now demonstration has been stalled. They might even have taken a few steps back. The premeditated selection of JKF by both IKJ (in the know) and the Board of Trustees (unbeknown) was a stumbling block, and it all came crashing down. Piece by piece, everything the Deaf community had built in the last two decades was torn down. The refusal of JKF to resign was a devastating blow to the Deaf community everywhere.
Hundreds of Deaf people across the nation and around the world have met and set up symbolic Tent Cities, been moved by their plight and signed on in support of the FSSA protests. IKJ, on the other hand, got the activists arrested on October 13, 2006, so dubbed Black Friday, to supersede any concern for the millions od Deaf people worldwide whose struggle with their language and culture are their everyday reality. His actions also constitute an attack on intellectual life of the Deaf, denouncing Deaf people as squabbles.
JKF had nothing she could even talk about anymore. She accused the activists as terrorists, criminals and law breakers. The compromise she was trying to reach had no bearing on our language and culture. She thought that with a high technology coming, Deaf people have very little chance of going far. She thought she could match signs with English words as illustrated by Susan Chevallier. I could honestly say that if the Board of Trustees was passive or inactive, it would be the last round of ASL and its embedded culture. The protests would either be successful, or we the Deaf would be oppressed by the "diversity and inclusiveness" banner for good.
Gallaudet University is unique. It is not a copycat. Although Gallaudet University should be up to par with other colleges and universities, she must always be a forerunner for Deaf people and their language and culture. Gallaudet University MUST never endorse any attempt to "make the Deaf hear." It would be like blaspheme because deafness is divinely endowed with manifestation for ASL.
The final words in my blog can be handled in another way: "We will never know if high technologies helped or hindered deafness. You just don't know. Deaf is Deaf, and ASL is ASL. We tend to just react to whatever ASL allows us." The Deaf community will continue to fight for Deaf children and families, putting pressure on our society to respect ASL, our language and culture.
Gallaudet: Community of Hirelings?
| In this vlog, Carl Schroeder discusses whether Gallaudet is the community of hirelings. | |
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Philosophy behind Davila's Acceptance Speech
Focusing on Davila’s acceptance speech, I would like to provide an analysis of the major philosophical themes embedded in his words. In this blog I will discuss the following themes:
(1) home again at Gallaudet University;
(2) the acceptance of American Sign Language in the academy;
(3) the nature and persistence of the linguistic research;
(4) the power of ASL to influence and shape the human mind; and
(5) the character of faculty as it shapes intellectual life of the Deaf.
“So, I’m home again!”
When Dr. Davila opened his acceptance speech, he clearly indicated that there is no place like home at Gallaudet University. He presented the first and foremost philosophy that Gallaudet University is often a place of safety, where worldly cares fade and ASL becomes the focus. In the broadest sense, ASL is home again, too!
“Gallaudet lives and thrives in the support of ASL.”
It is a good thing to encourage the academy to support ASL. There is always a hunger among Deaf students for academic discourse in ASL, the language they know the best. In the fact, at Gallaudet University, ASL is a lead language and is one of those universal characteristics of the human language for which professors are always on the prowl but that does not mean they should stop trying.
“We lead the world in linguistics research, in curriculum.”
The nature and persistence of the linguistic research in ASL means that we at Gallaudet are committed to being the best we can be and to be attractive to a diverse community base by taking strategic action to be more inclusive, especially to those who may be novices to teaching the Deaf. We are to bring the flag of ASL to places where it has never flown before.
“Gallaudet is sacred, and our acknowledgment of the importance of American Sign Language and diversity are two key issues for us.”
Dr. Davila was referring to the power of ASL to influence and shape our diverse mind. Gallaudet University is to defend ASL fiercely, which is important to making monopolistic claims on the Deaf culture. At Gallaudet, we value diversity in the student body within our Deaf community. We are committed to sustaining a culture where ASL is respect as an important language of academic discourse.
“…I would want to sit down with faculty committees and ask for their permission to do so, because I respect faculty governance systems.”
It is well documented that the IKJ administration was always at odds with the university faculty. IKJ was very stubborn in keeping and mentoring JKF only because he wished to benefit his own agenda. A bad philosophy! Dr. Davila, on the other hand, proposed to work closely to develop the character of faculty as it shapes intellectual life of the Deaf. A good philosophy! Gallaudet University is to be a compassionate place, and it should be the most tolerant place for both Deaf students and ASL discourse.
With Davila’s philosophy at Gallaudet University, however only brief, I want to be able to say one day that I am proud to have graduated from Gallaudet University because its approach to the Deaf world is the same as mine.
(1) home again at Gallaudet University;
(2) the acceptance of American Sign Language in the academy;
(3) the nature and persistence of the linguistic research;
(4) the power of ASL to influence and shape the human mind; and
(5) the character of faculty as it shapes intellectual life of the Deaf.
“So, I’m home again!”
When Dr. Davila opened his acceptance speech, he clearly indicated that there is no place like home at Gallaudet University. He presented the first and foremost philosophy that Gallaudet University is often a place of safety, where worldly cares fade and ASL becomes the focus. In the broadest sense, ASL is home again, too!
“Gallaudet lives and thrives in the support of ASL.”
It is a good thing to encourage the academy to support ASL. There is always a hunger among Deaf students for academic discourse in ASL, the language they know the best. In the fact, at Gallaudet University, ASL is a lead language and is one of those universal characteristics of the human language for which professors are always on the prowl but that does not mean they should stop trying.
“We lead the world in linguistics research, in curriculum.”
The nature and persistence of the linguistic research in ASL means that we at Gallaudet are committed to being the best we can be and to be attractive to a diverse community base by taking strategic action to be more inclusive, especially to those who may be novices to teaching the Deaf. We are to bring the flag of ASL to places where it has never flown before.
“Gallaudet is sacred, and our acknowledgment of the importance of American Sign Language and diversity are two key issues for us.”
Dr. Davila was referring to the power of ASL to influence and shape our diverse mind. Gallaudet University is to defend ASL fiercely, which is important to making monopolistic claims on the Deaf culture. At Gallaudet, we value diversity in the student body within our Deaf community. We are committed to sustaining a culture where ASL is respect as an important language of academic discourse.
“…I would want to sit down with faculty committees and ask for their permission to do so, because I respect faculty governance systems.”
It is well documented that the IKJ administration was always at odds with the university faculty. IKJ was very stubborn in keeping and mentoring JKF only because he wished to benefit his own agenda. A bad philosophy! Dr. Davila, on the other hand, proposed to work closely to develop the character of faculty as it shapes intellectual life of the Deaf. A good philosophy! Gallaudet University is to be a compassionate place, and it should be the most tolerant place for both Deaf students and ASL discourse.
With Davila’s philosophy at Gallaudet University, however only brief, I want to be able to say one day that I am proud to have graduated from Gallaudet University because its approach to the Deaf world is the same as mine.
Monday, December 25, 2006
We Need Hearing Informants
I decided to write this blog on behalf of our hearing friends who act as our informants. For many years, hearing people relied on Deaf informants to advance themselves and their professions. Now is a good time for us to have our own informants, to appreciate their knowledge and interpretation.
Gallaudet University has prided in vast contributions by Professor William C. Stokoe who published the first Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles. He worked closely with two Deaf colleagues—Dorothy Casterline and Carl Croneberg—who became their linguistic informants. Together they developed the dictionary but they were meted out by harsh and heavy criticism, especially by their department—English Department—at Gallaudet University, back in 1960s.
What do we learn from these giants, Professor Stokoe and his Deaf informants, Professors Casterline and Croneberg? We learn that a good linguist has good informants to make claims. It would be foolish if a Deaf linguist says that he or she does not have informants. It would be double foolish if he or she dismisses or conceals them.
Dr. Stokoe was fortunate to work with Professors Casterline and Croneberg who used their native knowledge of sign language in the analysis, interpretation and explanation of ASL grammar as well as pronunciation of signs. Together with these informants Casterline and Croneberg, Stokoe made outstanding and lasting contributions to Deaf communities throughout the world. It was unfortunate that Gallaudet University was too rough on them because these informants were as important as Anne Sullivan was to Helen Keller. Yes, Margaret Mead had her informants, too!
Gallaudet University seems to be still obsessed with the notion that discredits Deaf people for having hearing informants. For example, I recently received a forwarded copy—“What Holiday Mean for Attack Dogs?”—which was published on Christmas Eve in GallyNet-L by Deafio, a pseudonym that conceals the author’s identity. The GallyNet-L listserv is privately owned, operated and controlled by a Gallaudet administrator scheming against Deaf people behind the scenes. Deafio is the pen name with an o suffix as in some psychological terms such as sicko and whacko. This article was written to mock not only ASL, but also some Deaf leaders (Rosen and Boggins) and, especially, to attack a hearing whistleblower (Riley). We need to stop it because we do need hearing informants to advance ourselves and our purposes.
Gallaudet University has prided in vast contributions by Professor William C. Stokoe who published the first Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles. He worked closely with two Deaf colleagues—Dorothy Casterline and Carl Croneberg—who became their linguistic informants. Together they developed the dictionary but they were meted out by harsh and heavy criticism, especially by their department—English Department—at Gallaudet University, back in 1960s.
What do we learn from these giants, Professor Stokoe and his Deaf informants, Professors Casterline and Croneberg? We learn that a good linguist has good informants to make claims. It would be foolish if a Deaf linguist says that he or she does not have informants. It would be double foolish if he or she dismisses or conceals them.
Dr. Stokoe was fortunate to work with Professors Casterline and Croneberg who used their native knowledge of sign language in the analysis, interpretation and explanation of ASL grammar as well as pronunciation of signs. Together with these informants Casterline and Croneberg, Stokoe made outstanding and lasting contributions to Deaf communities throughout the world. It was unfortunate that Gallaudet University was too rough on them because these informants were as important as Anne Sullivan was to Helen Keller. Yes, Margaret Mead had her informants, too!
Gallaudet University seems to be still obsessed with the notion that discredits Deaf people for having hearing informants. For example, I recently received a forwarded copy—“What Holiday Mean for Attack Dogs?”—which was published on Christmas Eve in GallyNet-L by Deafio, a pseudonym that conceals the author’s identity. The GallyNet-L listserv is privately owned, operated and controlled by a Gallaudet administrator scheming against Deaf people behind the scenes. Deafio is the pen name with an o suffix as in some psychological terms such as sicko and whacko. This article was written to mock not only ASL, but also some Deaf leaders (Rosen and Boggins) and, especially, to attack a hearing whistleblower (Riley). We need to stop it because we do need hearing informants to advance ourselves and our purposes.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Happy Holidays from Kalalau's Korner
As a bee seeks nectar from all kinds of flowers,
Seek teachings everywhere.
Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze,
Seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered.
Like a madman, beyond all limits, go wherever you please;
And live like a lion, completely free of fear.
The Magic of ASL Dragon
ASL Dragon emerged from the forest where Deaf people were very close to nature that allowed them to use their language to the fullest. By the account of Gisbatzed the ASL Bard, ASL Dragon dreamed magic for all the Deaf.
In the deep woods where two rivers conjugated, Deaf people would gather, bringing together their language and culture, learning and philosophizing. Their spirit emerged and they created an institution that inspired the existence of ASL Dragon.
As Gisbatzed explains, the moon is still shining for our language and culture now as it did then. So does the magic of ASL Dragon as it remains awesome. Gisbatzed pointed out that ASL Dragon may emerge to anybody in the forest at any time.
Who then is Gisbatzed? We're told that Gisbatzed is a storytelling artist with a long white beard. He walks around with a staff. As the holder of the sum of knowledge he acquires from ASL Dragon, Gisbatzed travels far and wide to different towns where he shares his excitements about ASL Dragon. Many Deaf people love to listen to his stories.
We the Deaf have the first-hand accounts of both Gisbatzed and ASL Dragon. Even though they are usually understood without translation, we are impressed by the grasp of their languages--Gisbatzed's hands and ASL Dragon's claws duplicate the rhythms of nature, having come to common knowledge, namely, that they are ever-changing. We have a belief in their immortality and they inspire our language and culture.
In the other words, Gisbatzed's connection to ASL Dragon is the source of our power, both in language and in magic. By understanding their connection, our being Deaf is joined by our language and culture, ASL, which is like the forest--abstract structure--where we discover the magic of ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed. A few of us may know what ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed are, and why, and so the meaning and heart of ASL can only be found deep inside the woods where two rivers conjugate--where ASL Dragon is.
Don't miss ASL Dragon "vlogs" as they will be something you will tell your friends about.
In the deep woods where two rivers conjugated, Deaf people would gather, bringing together their language and culture, learning and philosophizing. Their spirit emerged and they created an institution that inspired the existence of ASL Dragon.
As Gisbatzed explains, the moon is still shining for our language and culture now as it did then. So does the magic of ASL Dragon as it remains awesome. Gisbatzed pointed out that ASL Dragon may emerge to anybody in the forest at any time.
Who then is Gisbatzed? We're told that Gisbatzed is a storytelling artist with a long white beard. He walks around with a staff. As the holder of the sum of knowledge he acquires from ASL Dragon, Gisbatzed travels far and wide to different towns where he shares his excitements about ASL Dragon. Many Deaf people love to listen to his stories.
We the Deaf have the first-hand accounts of both Gisbatzed and ASL Dragon. Even though they are usually understood without translation, we are impressed by the grasp of their languages--Gisbatzed's hands and ASL Dragon's claws duplicate the rhythms of nature, having come to common knowledge, namely, that they are ever-changing. We have a belief in their immortality and they inspire our language and culture.
In the other words, Gisbatzed's connection to ASL Dragon is the source of our power, both in language and in magic. By understanding their connection, our being Deaf is joined by our language and culture, ASL, which is like the forest--abstract structure--where we discover the magic of ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed. A few of us may know what ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed are, and why, and so the meaning and heart of ASL can only be found deep inside the woods where two rivers conjugate--where ASL Dragon is.
Don't miss ASL Dragon "vlogs" as they will be something you will tell your friends about.
Friday, December 22, 2006
ASL Dragon Slogan: Read, Think and Know
| Gisbatzed shares his excitement about ASL Dragon's slogan for all Deaf children. | |
Keep Visiting DeafRead.com
Thank you for visiting DeafRead.com and find my blog.
I was recently asked to discuss the second part of the “know thyself” phrase. It is a question whether or not we take a realistic inventory of American Sign Language, or ASL for short—and by “realistic,” I mean the exact opposite of what we use. Are we critical about how we use ASL?
In answering to this "know thyself" question, I am figuring out, when it comes to ASL, what I need versus what I want. When discussing what my language and culture, that is, ASL entails, it seems common for me to talk about my wants, but not my needs, and it is all too common for me to want ASL to be about everything in this vast universe. Unfortunately ASL is still not readily used or available in higher education.
Needs are hand shapes, palm orientations, and signing locations: the parts of signs that ASL possesses and that reality indicates. Wants are creativity (non-manual cues) and movements (theatre). Think hard about this issue when you’re using ASL. It’s something few of us take into account until it’s too late, and things are falling apart. Gallaudet University is a good example of how its mission of “diversity and inclusiveness” fell apart during the recent protests.
Here’s a “needs” list to help figure out what’s really crucial for our intellectual life:
Family background: Deaf parents, Deaf siblings, Deaf aunts or uncles, Deaf cousins
Deaf experience: Deaf friends, Deaf clubs, Deaf events
Educational background: University, Liberal Arts, Technologies, Graduate School
Present attitude: Success, Normal, Oppressed, Take it or Leave it
Future plans: Job, Real Estate, Retirement, Education
We the Deaf have one inalienable right not written in the Constitution: the right to think that ASL is our form of speech. Remember a wooden ruler? Wear hearing aids and you will be a hearing person when grown up. Use your voice and you’ll have a good job. Many Deaf children were even taught that just using ASL would make their English bad. Do you remember how shocked you were when you realized you were using ASL? Do you remember that none of your former professors ever wanted to master ASL in a million years? Do you remember that you wish your professor could use ASL?
If, after all this, you still find your wants and needs a mystery, one answer may be to keep visiting DeafRead.com.
I was recently asked to discuss the second part of the “know thyself” phrase. It is a question whether or not we take a realistic inventory of American Sign Language, or ASL for short—and by “realistic,” I mean the exact opposite of what we use. Are we critical about how we use ASL?
In answering to this "know thyself" question, I am figuring out, when it comes to ASL, what I need versus what I want. When discussing what my language and culture, that is, ASL entails, it seems common for me to talk about my wants, but not my needs, and it is all too common for me to want ASL to be about everything in this vast universe. Unfortunately ASL is still not readily used or available in higher education.
Needs are hand shapes, palm orientations, and signing locations: the parts of signs that ASL possesses and that reality indicates. Wants are creativity (non-manual cues) and movements (theatre). Think hard about this issue when you’re using ASL. It’s something few of us take into account until it’s too late, and things are falling apart. Gallaudet University is a good example of how its mission of “diversity and inclusiveness” fell apart during the recent protests.
Here’s a “needs” list to help figure out what’s really crucial for our intellectual life:
Family background: Deaf parents, Deaf siblings, Deaf aunts or uncles, Deaf cousins
Deaf experience: Deaf friends, Deaf clubs, Deaf events
Educational background: University, Liberal Arts, Technologies, Graduate School
Present attitude: Success, Normal, Oppressed, Take it or Leave it
Future plans: Job, Real Estate, Retirement, Education
We the Deaf have one inalienable right not written in the Constitution: the right to think that ASL is our form of speech. Remember a wooden ruler? Wear hearing aids and you will be a hearing person when grown up. Use your voice and you’ll have a good job. Many Deaf children were even taught that just using ASL would make their English bad. Do you remember how shocked you were when you realized you were using ASL? Do you remember that none of your former professors ever wanted to master ASL in a million years? Do you remember that you wish your professor could use ASL?
If, after all this, you still find your wants and needs a mystery, one answer may be to keep visiting DeafRead.com.
A Voyage, Not a Harbor; A Movement, not a Center
Gallaudet University is a voyage and not a harbor, a movement and not a center. The university venture at JKF’s “diversity and inclusiveness” effort was the great threat to American Sign Language (ASL)—the maximum of linguistic oppression for the minimum of language ignorance.
JKF made a recent argument that there was an attempt by the protestors to turn Gallaudet University into a so called “deaf club,” which was totally irresponsible. Discussion promotes accommodation of knowledge and argumentation generates alienation of intelligence. As a former Watson Fellow from my alma mater—Gallaudet University—I would like to quote Thomas J. Watson, Jr., to discuss that JKF’s interpretation of the campus protests was anti-social:
“A person flattened by an opponent can get up again. A person flattened by conformity stays down for good.”
JKF's behavior was inexcusable. It also reflects the number of years of mentoring by the IKJ administration.
As Carl Sagan suggested, we have past history to understand our present. Today we are aware that JKF first discovered ASL in a Deaf club somewhere in Iowa, which was pure whitewash and fabrication. It was her university friend who studied ASL academically and then persuaded JKF to come with her to the clubhouse where Deaf people were. A good common sense informed us that ASL was offered at the University of Iowa but JKF simply had some attitude problems toward ASL by associating it not with her university, but with a Deaf club in Iowa.
At Gallaudet University, JKF had been rewarded for marginalizing ASL as well as disassociating herself from Deaf culture by the administration. Conceit is just as natural a thing to JKF as arrogance is to a loser.
JKF made a recent argument that there was an attempt by the protestors to turn Gallaudet University into a so called “deaf club,” which was totally irresponsible. Discussion promotes accommodation of knowledge and argumentation generates alienation of intelligence. As a former Watson Fellow from my alma mater—Gallaudet University—I would like to quote Thomas J. Watson, Jr., to discuss that JKF’s interpretation of the campus protests was anti-social:
“A person flattened by an opponent can get up again. A person flattened by conformity stays down for good.”
JKF's behavior was inexcusable. It also reflects the number of years of mentoring by the IKJ administration.
As Carl Sagan suggested, we have past history to understand our present. Today we are aware that JKF first discovered ASL in a Deaf club somewhere in Iowa, which was pure whitewash and fabrication. It was her university friend who studied ASL academically and then persuaded JKF to come with her to the clubhouse where Deaf people were. A good common sense informed us that ASL was offered at the University of Iowa but JKF simply had some attitude problems toward ASL by associating it not with her university, but with a Deaf club in Iowa.
At Gallaudet University, JKF had been rewarded for marginalizing ASL as well as disassociating herself from Deaf culture by the administration. Conceit is just as natural a thing to JKF as arrogance is to a loser.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Language Transfer & Language Transfer Error
| Carl Schroeder discusses Wendy Jenson's statement in the article, NCLB: What will it take? "Put out the fire" in English means to extinguish the fire, but to a deaf child the sentence may be misunderstood as "carry the fire outside." (http://www.ceasd.org/conferences/downloads/2003Conference.pdf) | |
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
No Reprisal at Gallaudet, Period
As the father of Vivienne Schroeder who got arrested on Black Friday, I have always disliked the word reprisal for Gallaudet protest. It is a makeshift word, closely resembling the terms George Orwell created in 1984 which reminds me of ultrapractical, dehumanized "Newspeak" vocabulary. It's pretty intimidating.
I can't understand why reprisal is necessary. It is evocative of oppression the Deaf community could easily and readily identify. Perhaps it could not evolve in the university mission for that matter because of its hidden agenda that defines JKF leadership of a so called "new order of Deaf people." The "telling" part of the reprisal at Gallaudet touches on its most manifest aspect, namely, IKJ's symbolic 19-inch wooden ruler, but it also includes grieving and objecting and denouncing and protesting and threatening and rejecting and refusing from the Deaf community and the National Association of the Deaf--Deaf people's consumer organization.
Even more significant, however, is the fact that reprisal for each of over 130 arrested students has no clear parameters. It is not, strictly speaking, a part of healing that Gallaudet University needs. It constitutes a potential element in a new form of oppression and can be incorporated into any encounter between the oppressor and the oppressed.
What I have observed so far about reprisals at Gallaudet University is creating a new type of oppressing Deaf people in its purest sense: passing the tradition of inmitading Deaf people and their language from one generation to the next. Very intimitading, indeed.
I have been receiving several emails praising the arrest of my daughter as well as those other people and insulting me as the failure. Gallaudet University continues to develop the community of hostility--the aversion of Deaf people whose inevitable end of their intellectual challenge is exclusive American Sign Language. Although both IKJ and JKF insisted that they were completely platonic in their admiration for Deaf people, they chose to destroy the circle of trust within the Deaf world.
Higher learning and teaching at Gallaudet University is what the circle of trust is about. I am not interested in this "diversity and inclusiveness" farce. I am interested in supporting all students as leaders of the future. If Gallaudet University is about racing to be the “best” on campus, to be greedy and disrespectful of other’s abilities, to even punish the protestors, these people should look elsewhere.
This is Gallaudet University, not an Orwellian utopia where Big Brothers (Carl Pramuk, Hillel Goldberg and Paul Kelly) are watching and "Newspeak" (an ability to sign and speak at the same time) is very much a part of the "diversity and inclusiveness" hoax.
I can't understand why reprisal is necessary. It is evocative of oppression the Deaf community could easily and readily identify. Perhaps it could not evolve in the university mission for that matter because of its hidden agenda that defines JKF leadership of a so called "new order of Deaf people." The "telling" part of the reprisal at Gallaudet touches on its most manifest aspect, namely, IKJ's symbolic 19-inch wooden ruler, but it also includes grieving and objecting and denouncing and protesting and threatening and rejecting and refusing from the Deaf community and the National Association of the Deaf--Deaf people's consumer organization.
Even more significant, however, is the fact that reprisal for each of over 130 arrested students has no clear parameters. It is not, strictly speaking, a part of healing that Gallaudet University needs. It constitutes a potential element in a new form of oppression and can be incorporated into any encounter between the oppressor and the oppressed.
What I have observed so far about reprisals at Gallaudet University is creating a new type of oppressing Deaf people in its purest sense: passing the tradition of inmitading Deaf people and their language from one generation to the next. Very intimitading, indeed.
I have been receiving several emails praising the arrest of my daughter as well as those other people and insulting me as the failure. Gallaudet University continues to develop the community of hostility--the aversion of Deaf people whose inevitable end of their intellectual challenge is exclusive American Sign Language. Although both IKJ and JKF insisted that they were completely platonic in their admiration for Deaf people, they chose to destroy the circle of trust within the Deaf world.
Higher learning and teaching at Gallaudet University is what the circle of trust is about. I am not interested in this "diversity and inclusiveness" farce. I am interested in supporting all students as leaders of the future. If Gallaudet University is about racing to be the “best” on campus, to be greedy and disrespectful of other’s abilities, to even punish the protestors, these people should look elsewhere.
This is Gallaudet University, not an Orwellian utopia where Big Brothers (Carl Pramuk, Hillel Goldberg and Paul Kelly) are watching and "Newspeak" (an ability to sign and speak at the same time) is very much a part of the "diversity and inclusiveness" hoax.
ASL Dragon: Manuscripts 96.01, 96.02, and 96.03
I would like to introduce myself first. I'm Bassee O’Wonfive, and I am a fellow in the Veditz School of Linguistic Anthropology at Clerc University. I am working with Professor Gisbatzed in deciphering three manuscripts that were discovered in the basement of the university lighthouse a decade ago. These manuscripts were identified and stamped as following 96.01, 96.02 and 96.03 by the Office of Archives in Clerc University Library. We had deciphered them as much as we could.
Manuscript 96.01
Deep in the forest, the egg hatched and out came ASL Dragon. It began our (unintelligibly deciphered) legend.
Manuscript 96.02
We are ASL Dragon warriors. We are caring, creative and compassionate (unintelligibly deciphered) inhabiting the sphere of ASL Dragon. (unintelligibly deciphered) is invisible, but we are visible. Through our language, we (unintelligibly deciphered) the world see ASL Dragon is within (unintelligibly deciphered).
Manuscript 96.03
ASL Dragon (unintelligibly deciphered) our eyes and our mind. Deep in the forest are many trees that ASL Dragon (unintelligibly deciphered). Each warrior (unintelligibly deciphered) a tree with its roots in the forest of ASL Dragon.
I found these manuscripts to serve as the great argument of our time, the cultural, intellectual, and social debate pitting language against folklore, deafness against science. But Professor Gisbatzed suggested that the many conclusions coming out of these deciphered manuscripts might indicate that none can ultimately claim to find the "real" dragon. Our conclusion therefore is that the elusiveness of ASL Dragon, its existence and its meaning, is part of its enduring power. In the other words, to paraphrase George Veditz, as long as we have Deaf people, we have the power of ASL Dragon.
Bassee O’Wonfive
Manuscript 96.01
Deep in the forest, the egg hatched and out came ASL Dragon. It began our (unintelligibly deciphered) legend.
Manuscript 96.02
We are ASL Dragon warriors. We are caring, creative and compassionate (unintelligibly deciphered) inhabiting the sphere of ASL Dragon. (unintelligibly deciphered) is invisible, but we are visible. Through our language, we (unintelligibly deciphered) the world see ASL Dragon is within (unintelligibly deciphered).
Manuscript 96.03
ASL Dragon (unintelligibly deciphered) our eyes and our mind. Deep in the forest are many trees that ASL Dragon (unintelligibly deciphered). Each warrior (unintelligibly deciphered) a tree with its roots in the forest of ASL Dragon.
I found these manuscripts to serve as the great argument of our time, the cultural, intellectual, and social debate pitting language against folklore, deafness against science. But Professor Gisbatzed suggested that the many conclusions coming out of these deciphered manuscripts might indicate that none can ultimately claim to find the "real" dragon. Our conclusion therefore is that the elusiveness of ASL Dragon, its existence and its meaning, is part of its enduring power. In the other words, to paraphrase George Veditz, as long as we have Deaf people, we have the power of ASL Dragon.
Bassee O’Wonfive
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
No Child Left Behind Discussed (1 of 4)
Per request by Tim Conley of Rochester, NY, Carl Schroeder summarizes and discusses the article: NCLB: What will it take?
http://www.ceasd.org/conferences/downloads/2003Conference.pdf
No Child Left Behind Discussed (2 of 4)
Per request by Tim Conley of Rochester, NY, Carl Schroeder summarizes and discusses the article: NCLB: What will it take?
http://www.ceasd.org/conferences/downloads/2003Conference.pdf
No Child Left Behind Discussed (3 of 4)
Per request by Tim Conley of Rochester, NY, Carl Schroeder summarizes and discusses the article: NCLB: What will it take?
http://www.ceasd.org/conferences/downloads/2003Conference.pdf
No Child Left Behind Discussed (4 of 4)
Per request by Tom Conley of Rochester, NY, Carl Schroeder summarizes and discusses the article: NCLB: What will it take?
http://www.ceasd.org/conferences/downloads/2003Conference.pdf
What the Library Tells Me about Gallaudet
"Against the rabbis, the preachers, the imams, ayatollahs
and mullahs, I persist in preferring the philosopher."
—Michel Onfray, France’s best selling philosopher
—Michel Onfray, France’s best selling philosopher
Right now I am in the university library to take advantage of using one of its numerous PCs. The library is a place where I am usually happy. Each trip to the library is always an adventure for me. There is always something new to learn, to discover, to know. On my way to the library, I always think about what book to read by brainstorming things and ideas. I really like to think about my own interests, or about a subject I would like to know better.
Contemporary philosophy is what interests me very much. I like to think—contemplate—about everything around me. The library has a vast collection of periodicals, articles and books on philosophy which intrigue me to also think about what to write next. I do have an urgent desire to write because I wish to spread my thoughts far beyond my circle of families, friends and acquaintances.
My current contemplation involves both philosophy and my alma mater, Gallaudet University. Like many of my readers in DeafRead.com, I care a lot about higher learning and teaching. Gallaudet University needs to heal. Moving on is different from healing; moving on is a command whereas healing is a process.
I have a thought about why it all happens at Gallaudet University, the world’s only university that addresses Deaf people. Now I would like to share it here.
When administration and board members fail to take an interest in promoting American Sign Language (ASL) at Gallaudet University, transformation efforts are haphazard and fail to stick. The world is watching us because believing in Gallaudet’s “diversity and inclusiveness” deflects from the real problems of oppressing ASL and Deaf Culture and thus exacerbates them. As a Deaf scholar, I aim my ire at those impose and organize influence and practice of the language and culture oppression.
Reprisals are a good example of how Gallaudet University leads earnest and deceptive discourse. For example, the Board of Trustees chair Pamela Holmes wrote to petition Ryan Commerson to help stop widespread speculations of draconian reprisals including losing internship and employment opportunities among the arrested students. Ryan responded he was disappointed by her “move on” command.
I’d best be done with my writing in the library because I could see someone waiting for this PC. Let’s go and get healed.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Reprisals and Philosophy Is a Waste of Time?
Jane K. Fernandes was a “university administrator.” But she rarely led anything! All she did was coordinating everything into a “diversity and inclusiveness” catchword, and hardly ever offered resolutions. Hence, would we really describe her as a “leader”?
Diversity, inclusiveness, “ sink-or-swim mentality”—these are all blatant lies told to our general society by JKF. Isn’t she setting a bad example by creating such enormous falsehoods? Yes! Diversity and inclusiveness at Gallaudet University began in 1864. Higher learning and teaching in American Sign Language (ASL) is always challenging.
How can we describe in one way which we feel punished and one way in which we feel we punish? I will explore the feelings I have to both of these forms of punishment.
Throughout my school years, I was made to wear amplification so I could hear some loud noises in my ears. I had absolutely no comprehension of any sound put forcefully through my ears. I made several hundreds of guesses listening to my teacher and classmates talking on the microphone. When they were over, my ears hurt, my head hurt, my mind confounded. I was punished for being Deaf. The underlying message for my experience with amplification in school was that it was terribly wrong to be Deaf, and I must be right in the ways of hearing people. I felt awful!
I quickly discovered one way to punish others. ASL is my way to make new meanings and inquiries. The power of ASL lies in the ability of language borrowing. In ASL, I am even able to sign in the English word order when I read aloud or quote someone’s work. When I got into trouble at school, for example, I quickly learned that by repeating my school principal’s statement verbatim silenced him into dismissing me or punishing me lightly. I felt good!
Why Gallaudet University thinks ASL should be oppressed was beyond my comprehension. Recent protests at Gallaudet brought a new light in my ways of thinking about reprisals as a part of the language and cultural oppression. Once someone is oppressed, he or she learns to become the oppressor. In 1978, JKF was oppressed into nonexistence— the greatest punishment of all—in a family gathering for her father’s inauguration as the judge. It must be awful! In my final analysis, in 1978, JKF was punished so severely and senselessly she needed to punish something greater—punish the university students, punish Gallaudet University, punish the Deaf world. She needs to feel good!
Diversity, inclusiveness, “ sink-or-swim mentality”—these are all blatant lies told to our general society by JKF. Isn’t she setting a bad example by creating such enormous falsehoods? Yes! Diversity and inclusiveness at Gallaudet University began in 1864. Higher learning and teaching in American Sign Language (ASL) is always challenging.
How can we describe in one way which we feel punished and one way in which we feel we punish? I will explore the feelings I have to both of these forms of punishment.
Throughout my school years, I was made to wear amplification so I could hear some loud noises in my ears. I had absolutely no comprehension of any sound put forcefully through my ears. I made several hundreds of guesses listening to my teacher and classmates talking on the microphone. When they were over, my ears hurt, my head hurt, my mind confounded. I was punished for being Deaf. The underlying message for my experience with amplification in school was that it was terribly wrong to be Deaf, and I must be right in the ways of hearing people. I felt awful!
I quickly discovered one way to punish others. ASL is my way to make new meanings and inquiries. The power of ASL lies in the ability of language borrowing. In ASL, I am even able to sign in the English word order when I read aloud or quote someone’s work. When I got into trouble at school, for example, I quickly learned that by repeating my school principal’s statement verbatim silenced him into dismissing me or punishing me lightly. I felt good!
Why Gallaudet University thinks ASL should be oppressed was beyond my comprehension. Recent protests at Gallaudet brought a new light in my ways of thinking about reprisals as a part of the language and cultural oppression. Once someone is oppressed, he or she learns to become the oppressor. In 1978, JKF was oppressed into nonexistence— the greatest punishment of all—in a family gathering for her father’s inauguration as the judge. It must be awful! In my final analysis, in 1978, JKF was punished so severely and senselessly she needed to punish something greater—punish the university students, punish Gallaudet University, punish the Deaf world. She needs to feel good!
Learn How to Be Hearing
The first and foremost task human beings have is to give names to all things, from concrete to abstract. It is just important to me as a Deaf individual to be completely aware of the fact that we the Deaf name a very difficult adjective for people who are not Deaf—hearing. For this blog, I am going to assert that it is important that hearing people learn how to be hearing, which is probably the most difficult skill yet to be examined.
People do not really realize that they are hearing until they meet Deaf people who tell them about it. Once they discover that they are hearing, they become completely different from Deaf people. It could prove to be very confusing because learning how to be hearing is an ego-threatening task. They are not "in the know" about what deafness entails.
A few weeks ago the Deaf community everywhere got very upset by brutal beatings on a well-respected Deaf community leader by the police force in the state of Minnesota. We began to read numerous blogs about not trusting not only the police officers, but also many hearing people. The term audism (the hegemony of the ability to hear over the deafness) began to spread like wildfire. Hearing people need to become aware of ASL and Deaf Culture but I think that it is equally important that they need to learn how to be hearing. Like being Deaf, there’s nothing wrong with being hearing; it’s just a cultural factor that distinguishes our community.
Hearing people rely on the sounds—how an individual sounds…pleasant? Nervous? Professional? Polite? Funny? Fluent? They need to realize that we the Deaf rely on how an individual looks…pleasant? Nervous? Professional? Polite? Funny? Fluent? Hearing and Deaf people do not perceive others in the same manner.
I was once dumbstruck by the fact that I did not know how my next door childhood neighbor Jerry sounded. While a graduate student in linguistics at Gallaudet University, I ran into Jerry in a bar one night. I introduced him to my fellow graduate classmates, and I was very thrilled because I was explaining to them that I did have a hearing friend from my childhood who lived behind our house. We were Boy Scouts together and went to different places scouting. We sold Christmas trees, too. He was my hearing best friend but we went our ways after graduating from high school. After we left the bar, I was asked if I knew how he sounded. No! It was not good! I began to realize that Jerry did not really have friends other than me in our childhood.
We the Deaf do not depend on how others sound. We depend on how others look and act, which is extremely important. It does not matter if a woman looks occupied with her work or a man looks like a clown, we are extremely sensitive to non-manual parts of ASL, the language we use for information, knowledge and communication.
I once got mad at a hearing colleague of mine who told me she could pass for a CODA—Child of Deaf Adults. I was puzzled so I asked for her reasons. She explained that she could use ASL like a Deaf person. I simply lost my cool and told her off. It was the worst thing I’ve ever known. She must be either lying to me or fooling herself into thinking that way. I asked if she knew how to be hearing. She was like no! Her ASL teachers were always "polite" toward her. What a disservice!
It is silly to teach Deaf people how to be hearing; it is not a good common sense to teach hearing people how to be Deaf.
People do not really realize that they are hearing until they meet Deaf people who tell them about it. Once they discover that they are hearing, they become completely different from Deaf people. It could prove to be very confusing because learning how to be hearing is an ego-threatening task. They are not "in the know" about what deafness entails.
A few weeks ago the Deaf community everywhere got very upset by brutal beatings on a well-respected Deaf community leader by the police force in the state of Minnesota. We began to read numerous blogs about not trusting not only the police officers, but also many hearing people. The term audism (the hegemony of the ability to hear over the deafness) began to spread like wildfire. Hearing people need to become aware of ASL and Deaf Culture but I think that it is equally important that they need to learn how to be hearing. Like being Deaf, there’s nothing wrong with being hearing; it’s just a cultural factor that distinguishes our community.
Hearing people rely on the sounds—how an individual sounds…pleasant? Nervous? Professional? Polite? Funny? Fluent? They need to realize that we the Deaf rely on how an individual looks…pleasant? Nervous? Professional? Polite? Funny? Fluent? Hearing and Deaf people do not perceive others in the same manner.
I was once dumbstruck by the fact that I did not know how my next door childhood neighbor Jerry sounded. While a graduate student in linguistics at Gallaudet University, I ran into Jerry in a bar one night. I introduced him to my fellow graduate classmates, and I was very thrilled because I was explaining to them that I did have a hearing friend from my childhood who lived behind our house. We were Boy Scouts together and went to different places scouting. We sold Christmas trees, too. He was my hearing best friend but we went our ways after graduating from high school. After we left the bar, I was asked if I knew how he sounded. No! It was not good! I began to realize that Jerry did not really have friends other than me in our childhood.
We the Deaf do not depend on how others sound. We depend on how others look and act, which is extremely important. It does not matter if a woman looks occupied with her work or a man looks like a clown, we are extremely sensitive to non-manual parts of ASL, the language we use for information, knowledge and communication.
I once got mad at a hearing colleague of mine who told me she could pass for a CODA—Child of Deaf Adults. I was puzzled so I asked for her reasons. She explained that she could use ASL like a Deaf person. I simply lost my cool and told her off. It was the worst thing I’ve ever known. She must be either lying to me or fooling herself into thinking that way. I asked if she knew how to be hearing. She was like no! Her ASL teachers were always "polite" toward her. What a disservice!
It is silly to teach Deaf people how to be hearing; it is not a good common sense to teach hearing people how to be Deaf.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Education without ASL = Taxation without Representation
I got enraged when I read a recent article about JKF accusing that “the protesters treat Gallaudet as if it is a deaf club, rather than a deaf university.” This statement, coming from such an individual who was selected as the next president of Gallaudet University, is not acceptable, appropriate and accommodating! JKF presented an erratic philosophy of what Gallaudet University really is—an institution of higher education where American Sign Language is inevitable.
I am also angered by the other things JKF said in this article especially this statement: “This raises questions about the role and purpose of a private university receiving a large amount of support from the federal government.” Brian Riley of the Gally Protest web site wrote me asking whether it is now evident that she is campaigning against Gallaudet University by cutting off its federal funding or, as he suggested: “she is hinting that she will do that.” Recent protests at Gallaudet University were long overdue, and JKF, if still university president, would have put Gallaudet University out of business within 10 years.
JKF is clearly ignorant about American Sign Language and its embedded culture. We cannot have a language without its culture. The process of using ASL can be profoundly affected by differing cultural conventions, norms, meanings, assumptions, ideals and perceptions. Comprehending what the user of ASL meant versus what he or she said can be, and often is, two different worlds. I saw no evidence in this article JKF's scholarship in the language and culture of the Deaf as suggested by her tenure within the ASL Department at Gallaudet University.
Both JKF and the present administration of Gallaudet University need to realize that if they do not communicate openly with exclusive ASL, then ASL could not be learned, and it could not be used for anything else. Education without ASL is therefore as anti-American as taxation without representation. Gallaudet University needed this type of revolution so that ASL can be addressed directly.
Deaf people have been around since the dawn of the humankind, and their language and culture has yet to be articulated and facilitated properly and respectfully. For example, the majority of educators of the Deaf across the nation and around the world are generally inept of the language and culture of the Deaf.
Gallaudet University is not a Deaf club. It is the world’s only place where Deaf people gather together to appreciate their scholarship in the language and culture they know best--American Sign Language.
JKF’s apparent threat does reflect the ongoing language and culture oppression practiced by the present administration of Gallaudet University. This MUST stop!
I am also angered by the other things JKF said in this article especially this statement: “This raises questions about the role and purpose of a private university receiving a large amount of support from the federal government.” Brian Riley of the Gally Protest web site wrote me asking whether it is now evident that she is campaigning against Gallaudet University by cutting off its federal funding or, as he suggested: “she is hinting that she will do that.” Recent protests at Gallaudet University were long overdue, and JKF, if still university president, would have put Gallaudet University out of business within 10 years.
JKF is clearly ignorant about American Sign Language and its embedded culture. We cannot have a language without its culture. The process of using ASL can be profoundly affected by differing cultural conventions, norms, meanings, assumptions, ideals and perceptions. Comprehending what the user of ASL meant versus what he or she said can be, and often is, two different worlds. I saw no evidence in this article JKF's scholarship in the language and culture of the Deaf as suggested by her tenure within the ASL Department at Gallaudet University.
Both JKF and the present administration of Gallaudet University need to realize that if they do not communicate openly with exclusive ASL, then ASL could not be learned, and it could not be used for anything else. Education without ASL is therefore as anti-American as taxation without representation. Gallaudet University needed this type of revolution so that ASL can be addressed directly.
Deaf people have been around since the dawn of the humankind, and their language and culture has yet to be articulated and facilitated properly and respectfully. For example, the majority of educators of the Deaf across the nation and around the world are generally inept of the language and culture of the Deaf.
Gallaudet University is not a Deaf club. It is the world’s only place where Deaf people gather together to appreciate their scholarship in the language and culture they know best--American Sign Language.
JKF’s apparent threat does reflect the ongoing language and culture oppression practiced by the present administration of Gallaudet University. This MUST stop!
Koko the Gorilla Wants More Bananas
I recently spoke with Koko the gorilla about Gallaudet University.You know Koko. She's the gorilla who can sign. I believe that scientists think she uses ASL to form sentences, to communicate her ideas, and they can translate her far better than they can do my vlogs. In fact, let's face it. Koko is a beloved celebrity. And why? Because she signs.
In my chosen profession, Koko is just about at the top of Abraham Maslow's self-fulfillment hierarchy. She's highly paid and has a number of human caretakers. She has numerous foundations to finance her living accommodation. Koko is overall comfortable and satisfied in life.
I know I'm a little jealous of Koko the signing gorilla. I know, I know--there is no foundation hard at work to finance my stories in ASL. And, I must admit, I just can't help but wonder how it would feel to have my vlogs appreciated in DeafRead but people would become suddenly more enthusiastic when Koko makes a vlog.
Anyway, I had an opportunity to ask Koko three questions. One--what is good about Gallaudet University? Two--if recent Gallaudet protests were worth any good, what was that? Three--what would you do if you were at Gallaudet University?
Koko's reply was quick, blunt and confident: One--banana. Two--more bananas. Three--eat plenty bananas.
Well, of course, I was kind of thrilled about Koko's straightforward answers because I knew scientists would elaborate them to be more symbolic and meaningful than her answers seemed to be. If they think Koko uses ASL, then I'd go bananas!
Reprisals: Be Damned if They Do and Be Damned if They Don't
There is an old Jewish joke about two Yeshiva students who go to the rabbi to settle a heated legal dispute over which they have been arguing all day. Max, the first student, offers cogent theoretical and pragmatic arguments that forcefully make his point. The rabbi listens carefully and declares, 'Max you are surely right!' Next the second student, Joshua, presents his side with vigor. He makes clear and concise counter-arguments and demonstrates how his position is supported by precedent. He argues with such passion and persuasion that the Rabbi, after listening closely, says, 'Brilliant arguments Joshua - you are clearly correct!' After the students leave, the rabbi's wife, who was listening in on the exchange, says to her husband, 'Are you crazy? Max and Joshua had conflicting arguments, how can you say both of them are right? When one is right the other must be wrong!' The rabbi thinks long and hard on this and finally says to his wife, 'You know what? You too are right!'
In a nutshell, this Jewish joke sums up how I'm responding to Gallaudet University’s reprisals for the recent peaceful campus protests. I have been following letters, emails, blogs and vlogs relating to the healing debate on whether it is possible, necessary or desirable to morally justify Gallaudet University’s use of amnesty for the students' arrest on Friday, October 13, 2006. I have read the draft letter from PUG, Ryan Commerson’s response to Pamela Homes’ letter, and I also read some other blogs about making scapegoats out of the students arrested for their speech freedom. Healing is once again detoured. You know what? I too am right!
To insist on one view at the expense of the other is necessarily to violate deeply held cultural intuition and to take refuge in either a form of cultural callousness or one of cultural vanity, both of which do no justice to our difficult cultural reality—Deaf Culture. When debating the punishment, any proper decision is bound to leave those who decide, whichever way they do, with dirty hands. Be damned if they do and be damned if they don’t. Both sides of the argument are right and both sides are wrong. What is more, pointing out that this is a situation of cross-linguistic/cross-cultural ambiguity, language and cultural oppression is also right.
I think any form of punishment at Gallaudet University is unjustifiable for any reason and I hope that this collection of letters, emails, blogs and vlogs will play a small but important part in addressing reasoning to nip in the bud any administration of punishment. Let me point out that the legal process would make the punishment unnecessary. There is a widespread realization that the proper gathering of evidence would enable a reasonable judgment on the guilt or innocence of those arrested, and would allow the punishment, small or great. Punishment would be seen as not only cruel, but also as a hindrance to healing that Gallaudet University needs for a long time.
I am deeply skeptical that this collection of letters, emails, blogs and vlogs can actually achieve such a goal in the way that I contend the process happened in the past at Gallaudet. The reason is simply that we face a very different problem. While Gallaudet University may have contributed to the education of the Deaf, it did so within a context of language and culture oppression.
This brings us full circle, back to the Jewish joke at the start of this blog. All the claims are right, but this is impossible since they are also incompatible with the language and culture of the Deaf. My guess is that most readers will agree that Jamie Berke’s post Some Punishment Is Appropriate is probably the worst of all arguments, right or wrong.
In a nutshell, this Jewish joke sums up how I'm responding to Gallaudet University’s reprisals for the recent peaceful campus protests. I have been following letters, emails, blogs and vlogs relating to the healing debate on whether it is possible, necessary or desirable to morally justify Gallaudet University’s use of amnesty for the students' arrest on Friday, October 13, 2006. I have read the draft letter from PUG, Ryan Commerson’s response to Pamela Homes’ letter, and I also read some other blogs about making scapegoats out of the students arrested for their speech freedom. Healing is once again detoured. You know what? I too am right!
To insist on one view at the expense of the other is necessarily to violate deeply held cultural intuition and to take refuge in either a form of cultural callousness or one of cultural vanity, both of which do no justice to our difficult cultural reality—Deaf Culture. When debating the punishment, any proper decision is bound to leave those who decide, whichever way they do, with dirty hands. Be damned if they do and be damned if they don’t. Both sides of the argument are right and both sides are wrong. What is more, pointing out that this is a situation of cross-linguistic/cross-cultural ambiguity, language and cultural oppression is also right.
I think any form of punishment at Gallaudet University is unjustifiable for any reason and I hope that this collection of letters, emails, blogs and vlogs will play a small but important part in addressing reasoning to nip in the bud any administration of punishment. Let me point out that the legal process would make the punishment unnecessary. There is a widespread realization that the proper gathering of evidence would enable a reasonable judgment on the guilt or innocence of those arrested, and would allow the punishment, small or great. Punishment would be seen as not only cruel, but also as a hindrance to healing that Gallaudet University needs for a long time.
I am deeply skeptical that this collection of letters, emails, blogs and vlogs can actually achieve such a goal in the way that I contend the process happened in the past at Gallaudet. The reason is simply that we face a very different problem. While Gallaudet University may have contributed to the education of the Deaf, it did so within a context of language and culture oppression.
This brings us full circle, back to the Jewish joke at the start of this blog. All the claims are right, but this is impossible since they are also incompatible with the language and culture of the Deaf. My guess is that most readers will agree that Jamie Berke’s post Some Punishment Is Appropriate is probably the worst of all arguments, right or wrong.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Not All Deaf People Know ABC of Global Warming
A is for ants that teach about global warming.
B is for bats that know a lot about global warming.
C is for caterpillars that can destroy food crops.
D is for Deaf people who need to understand that not all of them know about global warming.
E is for elephants that remember global warming.
F is for flies that change themselves in global warming.
G is for gerbils that suffer from global warming.
H is for hippopotamus. Many of them!
I is for iguana t-shirts that are on sale.
J is for jellyfish that become overpopulated by global warming.
K is for kingfisher population that is now endangered by global warming.
L is for snow leopard that suffer a fragile ecosystem in Nepal.
M is for moose that need help with global warming.
N is for narwhals that need help, too!
O is for the ostrich president who needs to study global warming.
P is for penguins that can educate the ostrich president about global warming.
Q is for a quail that Vice President Cheney couldn’t see so he shot his lawyer in the face.
R is for all Republicans to realize that not all of them are agreed on global warming.
S is for snails that give lessons on global warming.
T is for trout that are endangered by global warming.
U is for a unicorn that is not at all affected by global warming.
V is for vultures that are in trouble by global warming.
W is for wolves to tell us about global warming, too!
X is for Xena, a dwarf planet that “is about to undergo the worst case of global warming of any planet in the solar system," said Mike Brown, the planetary scientist at California Institute of Technology.
Y is for yaks that don’t give any dung about global warming.
And Z is for inedible zebra mussels—have you ever heard of them?
B is for bats that know a lot about global warming.
C is for caterpillars that can destroy food crops.
D is for Deaf people who need to understand that not all of them know about global warming.
E is for elephants that remember global warming.
F is for flies that change themselves in global warming.
G is for gerbils that suffer from global warming.
H is for hippopotamus. Many of them!
I is for iguana t-shirts that are on sale.
J is for jellyfish that become overpopulated by global warming.
K is for kingfisher population that is now endangered by global warming.
L is for snow leopard that suffer a fragile ecosystem in Nepal.
M is for moose that need help with global warming.
N is for narwhals that need help, too!
O is for the ostrich president who needs to study global warming.
P is for penguins that can educate the ostrich president about global warming.
Q is for a quail that Vice President Cheney couldn’t see so he shot his lawyer in the face.
R is for all Republicans to realize that not all of them are agreed on global warming.
S is for snails that give lessons on global warming.
T is for trout that are endangered by global warming.
U is for a unicorn that is not at all affected by global warming.
V is for vultures that are in trouble by global warming.
W is for wolves to tell us about global warming, too!
X is for Xena, a dwarf planet that “is about to undergo the worst case of global warming of any planet in the solar system," said Mike Brown, the planetary scientist at California Institute of Technology.
Y is for yaks that don’t give any dung about global warming.
And Z is for inedible zebra mussels—have you ever heard of them?
vlog: Proof Pramuk Did NOT
| Carl Schroeder discusses that we have been once gullible too many times. Reprisals at Gallaudet University are for real! | |
Friday, December 15, 2006
Ignorance Is Bliss at Gallaudet University
There is only one good, knowledge,
and one evil, ignorance.
--Socrates
First and foremost, we the Deaf must never be ignorant in any way whatsoever. Be it American Sign Language or the present administration of Gallaudet University.
It is in my amateur opinion that Paul Kelly is very successful in dodging responsibilities in not only oppressing Deaf people, but also fumbling Gallaudet University in the accreditation question. As for reprisals, he even manipulated to get Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg, both Deaf, into being arrogant with Deaf youth and inhibiting them into fear and silence.
A recent attempt to appeal reprisals by Tina Jo Briendel, former Editor of The Buff and Blue newspaper, will not hold water for Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg. By dismissing those charges against the protestors would indicate their insubordination of the action or directive by the top administration. Both Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg are to submit to the administration that is neither ASL-friendly nor Deaf-friendly. Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg could have used the “4.41 Dispute Resolution Proceedures (sic)” in the Administration & Operations Manual to grieve the unreasonable action by the top administration in the spirit of academic and speech freedom.
Due to Paul Kelly's ignorance of Deaf people and their language and culture, American Sign Language, his office is unable to articulate and facilitate ASL through the academy. He's also unable to raise funds to promote and preserve ASL that Gallaudet University could have entertained during these past 19 years. Moreover, he was ultimately able to finance the office of President in distributing IKJ's last symbolic Christmas present to the campus and Deaf communities—a wooden ruler, a no-no in the Deaf world.
In conclusion, I seriously doubt that Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg would have enough guts to rebuke the administration or their hand would get slapped with the IKJ wooden ruler. For Carl Pramuk and Hillel Goldberg to be effective gofer-administrators in the IKJ administration, knowledge is pain, but, for the IKJ administration to be effective oppressors in the Deaf community, ignorance is bliss.
Subject: hmmm (emails about ASL Dragon)
"I have avoided allowing the translation of ASL Dragon stories, simply because, I am convinced, even interpreting these stories of ASL Dragon diminishes its meaning. No translation can be truly sufficient."
(Visit this link.)
So does this mean that ASL cannot be interpreted? or does it mean that just your ASL Dragon stories cannot be interpreted? What about hearing children who want to know what the stories are about but are not proficient in ASL yet?
While I don't "interpret" your stories for anyone other than myself, I do use them as my own practice pads for voicing ASL (thanks...smile).
How would I interpret that? Your sign choices and my voicing choices.
What concept is really behind those signs?
What is the signer really trying to convey?
I know I'm a good voicer for people who use ASL. It is my gift (if I have ONE, that's it, the ability to voice from ASL into English.).
So your comment: "No translation can be truly sufficient" is a bitter pill that I'm still trying to swallow.
Smile,
LL
________________________________
LL,
I know what you meant about the pill to swallow.
ASL Dragon stories are for discussion. They encourage everybody to pursue ASL fully because translating or interpreting these stories is in danger of this Italian phrase, "traduttore, traditore."
Let's look at this story about ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed: When Gisbatzed met ASL Dragon in the middle of the forest, four things happened between them if you examine the handshapes (handshape C versus handshape 3) and palm orientations (palm up versus palm out). These hand configurations are very important...poetic aspects of ASL that have many meanings, possibly lost during the cross-linguistic/cross-culture translation.
I always encourage people to discuss these stories, to examine nuances, to appreciate cultural aspects of ASL. ASL Dragon stories are allegorical.
Carl
P.S. In the story of ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed, the forest is an abstract language structure through which Gisbatzed discovers ASL Dragon.
(Visit this link.)
So does this mean that ASL cannot be interpreted? or does it mean that just your ASL Dragon stories cannot be interpreted? What about hearing children who want to know what the stories are about but are not proficient in ASL yet?
While I don't "interpret" your stories for anyone other than myself, I do use them as my own practice pads for voicing ASL (thanks...smile).
How would I interpret that? Your sign choices and my voicing choices.
What concept is really behind those signs?
What is the signer really trying to convey?
I know I'm a good voicer for people who use ASL. It is my gift (if I have ONE, that's it, the ability to voice from ASL into English.).
So your comment: "No translation can be truly sufficient" is a bitter pill that I'm still trying to swallow.
Smile,
LL
________________________________
LL,
I know what you meant about the pill to swallow.
ASL Dragon stories are for discussion. They encourage everybody to pursue ASL fully because translating or interpreting these stories is in danger of this Italian phrase, "traduttore, traditore."
Let's look at this story about ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed: When Gisbatzed met ASL Dragon in the middle of the forest, four things happened between them if you examine the handshapes (handshape C versus handshape 3) and palm orientations (palm up versus palm out). These hand configurations are very important...poetic aspects of ASL that have many meanings, possibly lost during the cross-linguistic/cross-culture translation.
I always encourage people to discuss these stories, to examine nuances, to appreciate cultural aspects of ASL. ASL Dragon stories are allegorical.
Carl
P.S. In the story of ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed, the forest is an abstract language structure through which Gisbatzed discovers ASL Dragon.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
A New Lesson of ASL Dragon ... and Gisbatzed
In ASL, we tell stories. We talk about our kids and our events in sports, recreational activities and Deaf schools. But we also talk about our vision for the future, those Deaf children—ours and theirs alike—are first-class citizens. ASL Dragon stories are about their future.
Why would I change when I tell about ASL Dragon stories again? Because that's what happens to stories; they change over time, as the people who tell them change. So do I by adding a pinch of salt here, a dash of pepper there. ASL Dragon stories are ever-changing.
I have avoided allowing the translation of ASL Dragon stories, simply because, I am convinced, even interpreting these stories of ASL Dragon diminishes its meaning. No translation can be truly sufficient.
One of the problems, of course, is that ASL Dragon means so many things to so many different people. Some told me that ASL Dragon is empathy and wisdom, simplicity and clarity, self-reliance and discipline, sharing without expectation of reward. ASL Dragon also means always seeking what is true. ASL Dragon is allegorical.
But there I go again—too many words! Maybe you would still realize that ASL Dragon is not what you sign, but how you sign it. Not just what you explain, but how you explain it. To me, ASL Dragon is an expression of who we are, what we use, why we do, when we come, where we go, and how we know. It is inspiring and--even more important--empowering.
The real magic of ASL Dragon is not in knowing ASL, but in using ASL. I have been in awe of what these emails and comments I received about ASL Dragon...and now a new character, Gisbatzed the ASL Bard, who recently befriended ASL Dragon.
After all, why should I let you have all the fun? Because Gisbatzed tells us that ASL Dragon is fun! It is good for Deaf children, too!
Why would I change when I tell about ASL Dragon stories again? Because that's what happens to stories; they change over time, as the people who tell them change. So do I by adding a pinch of salt here, a dash of pepper there. ASL Dragon stories are ever-changing.
I have avoided allowing the translation of ASL Dragon stories, simply because, I am convinced, even interpreting these stories of ASL Dragon diminishes its meaning. No translation can be truly sufficient.
One of the problems, of course, is that ASL Dragon means so many things to so many different people. Some told me that ASL Dragon is empathy and wisdom, simplicity and clarity, self-reliance and discipline, sharing without expectation of reward. ASL Dragon also means always seeking what is true. ASL Dragon is allegorical.
But there I go again—too many words! Maybe you would still realize that ASL Dragon is not what you sign, but how you sign it. Not just what you explain, but how you explain it. To me, ASL Dragon is an expression of who we are, what we use, why we do, when we come, where we go, and how we know. It is inspiring and--even more important--empowering.
The real magic of ASL Dragon is not in knowing ASL, but in using ASL. I have been in awe of what these emails and comments I received about ASL Dragon...and now a new character, Gisbatzed the ASL Bard, who recently befriended ASL Dragon.
After all, why should I let you have all the fun? Because Gisbatzed tells us that ASL Dragon is fun! It is good for Deaf children, too!
Ekolu's Report on his Library Book (2 of 2)
Ekolu made another report of his library book, It was taped after the discussion of what a book review entails: title, author, brief statement and brief opinion.
Ekolu's Report on his Library Book (1 of 2)
Ekolu made a report on his library book. It was taped before the discussion of what a book review entails.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
ASL Dragon and Gisbatzed, the ASL Bard
When Gisbatzed is in town, please let me know! I want to meet ASL Dragon!
"Traduttore, Traditore" in Dr. Davila's Speech
At Gallaudet University, we exist in a language pluralism. While English is the predominant language of academy, many of us Deaf people need to use American Sign Language (ASL) because it is always best for us. Translating between these languages is necessary and challenging, and it is going to suffer a well known Italian phrase, traduttore, traditore, meaning something that is not right during the process of cross-linguistic/cross-cultural translation and interpretation.
Let me now share a partly excerpt from a comment by Joseph Pietro Riolo in my blog, Renewing Gallaudet University, that hit right home:
I want to make a comment on translation. I think that the translator was wrong to translate "pluralism" into "pluralistic environment". I checked the video of the announcement of the interim president and it was very clear that Dr. Davila spelled out "pluralism". The word stands on its own and it was not necessary to translate it to a phrase.
While I agreed with the critic that Dr. Davila spelled out P-L-U-R-A-L-I-S-M as it appeared on the video, I need also to argue that fingerspelling follows the phonological procedure in ASL, not English. The way Davila spelled out did not exactly follow the pronunciation of the English word pluralism which spells something like /ˈplÊŠr əˌlɪz É™m/. Davila did it in 100% ASL. Having said this, I think the translator did his job but we the Deaf undergo the tradition of “traduttore, traditore” between signed and spoken languages.
Moreover, as professor of ASL for 15 years or so, I’ve always reminded my ASL students of two important points: “Signs are not words; words are not signs” and “English is many words; ASL is many signs.” ASL and English have their own language entity and they must be translated into each other.
“Traduttore, traditore” reminds that something is always lost during the process of language translation and interpretation. By culture, we the Deaf are always in danger of being defined in somebody else’s language.
Let me now share a partly excerpt from a comment by Joseph Pietro Riolo in my blog, Renewing Gallaudet University, that hit right home:
I want to make a comment on translation. I think that the translator was wrong to translate "pluralism" into "pluralistic environment". I checked the video of the announcement of the interim president and it was very clear that Dr. Davila spelled out "pluralism". The word stands on its own and it was not necessary to translate it to a phrase.
While I agreed with the critic that Dr. Davila spelled out P-L-U-R-A-L-I-S-M as it appeared on the video, I need also to argue that fingerspelling follows the phonological procedure in ASL, not English. The way Davila spelled out did not exactly follow the pronunciation of the English word pluralism which spells something like /ˈplÊŠr əˌlɪz É™m/. Davila did it in 100% ASL. Having said this, I think the translator did his job but we the Deaf undergo the tradition of “traduttore, traditore” between signed and spoken languages.
Moreover, as professor of ASL for 15 years or so, I’ve always reminded my ASL students of two important points: “Signs are not words; words are not signs” and “English is many words; ASL is many signs.” ASL and English have their own language entity and they must be translated into each other.
“Traduttore, traditore” reminds that something is always lost during the process of language translation and interpretation. By culture, we the Deaf are always in danger of being defined in somebody else’s language.
A Significant Change at Gallaudet
Carl got really excited by Interim President Davila's acceptance speech at Gallaudet.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
A New Era, Not "A New Order": A New Philosophy
It is now evident that the new chapter of Gallaudet University with the appointment of Dr. Robert Davila as an interim president for next eighteen months demands new perspectives for ways of thinking, especially about American Sign Language (ASL) in higher education.
In his acceptance speech as an interim president at Gallaudet University, Dr. Robert Davila made probably the most significant trend. I couldn’t help but noticed that he was not a script speaker. He did not sign from his notes; he was mostly natural in his speech—for which I had longed. He did in clear ASL. Davila’s proficiency in ASL was so remarkable fluent and amazingly sophisticated that one of our fellow bloggers watched the video of his speech with a mug of coffee in his hand, critiquing. That’s a new era—a new opportunity for all the Deaf to achieve ASL to the highest level of language potential.
I also watched Davila’s interaction with his wife Donna, BOT Chair Pamela Holmes and the audience. His body language was just right. Just right! Just right! I appreciated warmth, naturalness and confidence he demonstrated in his acceptance speech. He’s home at Gallaudet University, our home.
Davila told us that he was both happy and sad that Gallaudet University was coming back from many detours generated by recent campus upheavals. These protests were long overdue, and there seemed a university mission with strategic plans lacking relevance as well as revealing something not previously known or realized. I think we’ve merged from a previously frightful speculation called "a new order" to a new era in the future of Gallaudet University.
As it is obvious, the essential and radical realization of all these items, discussed above, was very pleasant news. And this was not because of the foresight, but because all these recent protests were incorporated in a new philosophical system, while it is not an often phenomenon for a philosophical theory to make foresights. Davila’s 18 months assignment means that philosophy reserves the right to examine reality of ASL at Gallaudet University and beyond.
Anyway, there are many other reasons which now demand the Deaf community cooperation more than ever before. The most important among them—as far as the future of humanity is concerned—is the philosophy of ASL which lies away from the false dilemmas of “all modes of communication,” “oral education,” and “systematic signing” (PSE, Signed English, etc.) and is closely connected to many linguistic researches.
Happy thinking! Happy Birthday, The Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet! Happy Season for all the Deaf!
In his acceptance speech as an interim president at Gallaudet University, Dr. Robert Davila made probably the most significant trend. I couldn’t help but noticed that he was not a script speaker. He did not sign from his notes; he was mostly natural in his speech—for which I had longed. He did in clear ASL. Davila’s proficiency in ASL was so remarkable fluent and amazingly sophisticated that one of our fellow bloggers watched the video of his speech with a mug of coffee in his hand, critiquing. That’s a new era—a new opportunity for all the Deaf to achieve ASL to the highest level of language potential.
I also watched Davila’s interaction with his wife Donna, BOT Chair Pamela Holmes and the audience. His body language was just right. Just right! Just right! I appreciated warmth, naturalness and confidence he demonstrated in his acceptance speech. He’s home at Gallaudet University, our home.
Davila told us that he was both happy and sad that Gallaudet University was coming back from many detours generated by recent campus upheavals. These protests were long overdue, and there seemed a university mission with strategic plans lacking relevance as well as revealing something not previously known or realized. I think we’ve merged from a previously frightful speculation called "a new order" to a new era in the future of Gallaudet University.
As it is obvious, the essential and radical realization of all these items, discussed above, was very pleasant news. And this was not because of the foresight, but because all these recent protests were incorporated in a new philosophical system, while it is not an often phenomenon for a philosophical theory to make foresights. Davila’s 18 months assignment means that philosophy reserves the right to examine reality of ASL at Gallaudet University and beyond.
Anyway, there are many other reasons which now demand the Deaf community cooperation more than ever before. The most important among them—as far as the future of humanity is concerned—is the philosophy of ASL which lies away from the false dilemmas of “all modes of communication,” “oral education,” and “systematic signing” (PSE, Signed English, etc.) and is closely connected to many linguistic researches.
Happy thinking! Happy Birthday, The Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet! Happy Season for all the Deaf!
Renewing Gallaudet University
Data of varying quality are plentiful.
Understanding is rare.
(Alvin Toffler, Powershift, 1990)
Understanding is rare.
(Alvin Toffler, Powershift, 1990)
Renewing Gallaudet University is a fancy way of saying: Let’s study what’s happening at Gallaudet University, decide if we can make it a better place by incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) as the language of instruction in the Administration & Operations Manual and how it relates to Deaf students and the world of the Deaf; study the effects; and then begin again.
What Interim President Robert Davila said about ASL and diversity and renewing Gallaudet University was so very convincing that I knew he was not talking about a “lock step” model for campus renewal.
President Davila on ASL and Diversity:
“We [at Gallaudet] lead the world in linguistics research, in curriculum. We have put efforts over the years to provide the support for new knowledge that will benefit many people, not only in this country, but throughout the world. And we will continue to do those kinds of things–developing research endeavors–to help other languages also to have the same status and recognition. We are in a position where the world looks to us. Gallaudet is sacred, and our acknowledgment of the importance of American Sign Language and diversity are two key issues for us. We’re a diverse group of people here. That has a very broad meaning. We all come from very different backgrounds. We have different thoughts, different opinions and a variety of different aspects that we bring to this campus.”
President Davila on Gallaudet University:
“We want to create a positive, supportive, pluralistic environment. And that environment can continue to grow and be expanded upon. This needs to be a campus where we can speak openly and involve ourselves in discourse and debate of these issues, because there is no better place to do that than the academy. And that’s what leads to creativity–creative thoughts. It leads to the formulation of ideas, the establishment of programs through changes and improvements being made and therefore, better preparing graduates who are ready to face the world of work and the world beyond, with the knowledge, skills and ability that they need to function. And that’s what we do as a university and need to continue to do.”
My primary purpose of this blog, Renewing Gallaudet University, is about reviewing the who, what, why, when, where, and how of conducting campus wide research in the self-renewing institution. My primary goals as an alumnus of both Model Secondary School for the Deaf (class valedictorian) and Gallaudet University (Thomas J. Watson Fellow) are to enhance the education of Deaf students and to develop healthier use of ASL on campus.
I think it is always good to look at other colleges and universities for academic discourse scenarios. President Davila spoke about creating a new office of ombudsman and said, “I know this system worked very well at RIT [Rochester Institute of Technology] and I really liked the idea.” Gallaudet University can learn from other colleges and universities to make a significant difference to benefit intellectual life of all the Deaf across the nation and around the world.
Scenario for Gallaudet 1
St. John’s College is a small private, four year liberal arts college in Annapolis, Maryland. It is well known for its distinctive “great books” curriculum in which all classes are discussion-based where the students and faculty meet together in the form of seminar to explore the books being read. From the college catalog: “Seminars begin with a question meant to invite and provoke inquisitive conversation, with one's self and with others, that may continue long after the two-hour period is over. The seminar draws on the students’ wonder, attentiveness, judgment, imagination, openness to new ideas, willingness to be refuted, patience, courage, collegiality, leadership, and general resourcefulness. Seminar is intended to develop attentive reading habits, elicit clarity of thought and generosity of spirit, and encourage a willingness to embrace unfamiliar territory. As the part of the Program in which students most take responsibility for their own learning, seminar embodies the college’s mission in its purest form.”
Scenario for Gallaudet 2
James Madison University (JMU) is a public university located in the center of the Shenandoah Valley in beautiful Virginia. It was founded in 1908 in the honor of the fourth U.S. President James Madison known as the Father of the Constitution, and they are preparing to celebrate its 100th birthday in 2008. From the JMU’s “ Be the Change” web site: “As the university prepares to cross into the next Madison Century, the rest of the world is beginning to take notice. It happens through the individual achievements and service that put the power of knowledge to work, embodying President James Madison's belief that a self-governing people "must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." In helping to create and establish a new kind of government, Madison himself changed the world.”
Comparison of Scenario 1 and Scenario 2
St. John’s College succeeds in capturing the collective energy of higher learning and teaching and increases its efficacy as a higher education institution. Its students become more engaged in academic reading, and its faculty becomes more professional as they became more successful. JMU invests energy and resources in educational innovations by investigating its history. JMU President Linwood Rose states: “The University has a history of placing a priority on the student and creating opportunities and experiences that allow students to explore, question, be challenged, grow and become ‘educated and enlightened citizens who will lead productive and meaningful lives.’”
The future of Gallaudet University begain in 1864, and it was founded to promote higher learning and teaching for all the Deaf. Although there are many articles, many conferences, and a great deal of new interest in using ASL academically, too often in education, they are ignored. When is a good time for Gallaudet University to recall the linguistic/theoretical research and history supporting ASL in higher education? Now!
I am very mindful that by renewing Gallaudet University two possible things will merge among the faculty: there will be a great amount of good-will, of readiness to face ASL squarely, and really use ASL. Faculty involved in renewal Gallaudet University may feel themselves to be in the fog on three counts:
1. What is the present situation of ASL at Gallaudet University?
2. What are the dangers of not using ASL?
3. And most important of all, what shall they do about ASL?
The lack of clarity about what ought to be done may create one of the greatest obstacles the faculty (most are hearing) could create to renewing Gallaudet University. It would take a complete courage to incorporate ASL into the Administration & Operations Manual at Gallaudet University.
Here is my final reminder for faculty on renewing Gallaudet University: Make your action a fun and productive experience. Learn, and enjoy the learning and collegiality of professionals working together and empowering students in ASL.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Speech Education: I Was Naughty
| What a speech education! Yes, I was naughty! I took a wire out from the amplification control center. | |
Begin Where Deaf People Are at Gally
While a graduate student at American University, I listened to a story told by Professor Lee Knefelkamp who was my advisor/mentor. When Lee was a college student, she went to Amsterdam to train horses for equestrian. She was given a horse to walk in circle. She began to command “walk” but the horse just stood there. She repeated it several times before her manager finally came to whisper in her ear that the horse was Dutch and understood only Dutch, lopen. Lee’s lesson: Begin where the horse is.
Speaking of Lee’s horse analogy, Gallaudet University has yet to begin where Deaf people are because they understand American Sign Language (ASL). To date, it has failed miserably. Mary Burgan writes in her article In Defense of Lecturing: “The emphasis on the "natural" intellectual abilities of college-age students has been bolstered by a number of pedagogical reformers who adhere to a model of cognitive psychology based on observations of children's learning that go back to Vygotsky and Piaget.” Gallaudet University needs to change its pedagogy but it remains a place where ASL and Deaf people are oppressed. Gallaudet University is also unable to address ASL fully in its federally mandatory demonstration elementary and secondary schools—now the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. In early 1990s, after thoroughly and professional research and deliberation, the precollege faculty voted on a resolution that no voice be used in instruction in these schools but President IKJ stepped on their toes and told them to sign with voice, period. ASL became marginalized in these demonstration schools.
With Dr. Robert Davila taking the helm of Gallaudet University, we can rekindle ourselves as the Deaf community to claim ASL in higher education. We the Deaf need to become highly sophisticated in our language and culture in the same manner as our hearing counterparts in their own language English. We can also learn from other colleges and universities where they celebrate higher learning among their students.
St. John’s College: We should abandon the language of the marketplace. We are not delivery systems; students are not consumers; and education is not a product that can be bought and sold.
Duke University: This University has to ask a lot of its faculty, and in doing so, we rely on a single great truth: that people only go into careers like ours because they love the work of inquiry and of enabling younger minds.
University of Hawai’i: An education at the University of Hawai‘i will transform your life, promote your success, and prepare you to change the world.
Although Gallaudet University has a distinct history and traditions to be performed within the Deaf community, it has yet to stop marketing itself and treating Deaf people as its consumers. It should develop and share much needed faculty characteristics including the following:
A commitment to exclusive and academic use of ASL;
A commitment to intellectual excellence and responsiveness in ASL;
A commitment to a teaching/learning environment in ASL*;
A commitment to scholarly and creative work and research in ASL; and
A commitment to ethnic, gender and ASL diversity.
Gallaudet University must be responsible for demonstrating accountability for ASL and effectively communicating the accomplishments, needs and value of Deaf people to the public and to the world. Deaf scholars have a full intention to change the world, to make it a better place, to have the world appreciate and celebrate ASL and its embedded culture. After all, Gallaudet University actually begins where Deaf people are.
*If English or Mathematics can be taught in any language, then it can be taught in ASL.
Speaking of Lee’s horse analogy, Gallaudet University has yet to begin where Deaf people are because they understand American Sign Language (ASL). To date, it has failed miserably. Mary Burgan writes in her article In Defense of Lecturing: “The emphasis on the "natural" intellectual abilities of college-age students has been bolstered by a number of pedagogical reformers who adhere to a model of cognitive psychology based on observations of children's learning that go back to Vygotsky and Piaget.” Gallaudet University needs to change its pedagogy but it remains a place where ASL and Deaf people are oppressed. Gallaudet University is also unable to address ASL fully in its federally mandatory demonstration elementary and secondary schools—now the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. In early 1990s, after thoroughly and professional research and deliberation, the precollege faculty voted on a resolution that no voice be used in instruction in these schools but President IKJ stepped on their toes and told them to sign with voice, period. ASL became marginalized in these demonstration schools.
With Dr. Robert Davila taking the helm of Gallaudet University, we can rekindle ourselves as the Deaf community to claim ASL in higher education. We the Deaf need to become highly sophisticated in our language and culture in the same manner as our hearing counterparts in their own language English. We can also learn from other colleges and universities where they celebrate higher learning among their students.
St. John’s College: We should abandon the language of the marketplace. We are not delivery systems; students are not consumers; and education is not a product that can be bought and sold.
Duke University: This University has to ask a lot of its faculty, and in doing so, we rely on a single great truth: that people only go into careers like ours because they love the work of inquiry and of enabling younger minds.
University of Hawai’i: An education at the University of Hawai‘i will transform your life, promote your success, and prepare you to change the world.
Although Gallaudet University has a distinct history and traditions to be performed within the Deaf community, it has yet to stop marketing itself and treating Deaf people as its consumers. It should develop and share much needed faculty characteristics including the following:
A commitment to exclusive and academic use of ASL;
A commitment to intellectual excellence and responsiveness in ASL;
A commitment to a teaching/learning environment in ASL*;
A commitment to scholarly and creative work and research in ASL; and
A commitment to ethnic, gender and ASL diversity.
Gallaudet University must be responsible for demonstrating accountability for ASL and effectively communicating the accomplishments, needs and value of Deaf people to the public and to the world. Deaf scholars have a full intention to change the world, to make it a better place, to have the world appreciate and celebrate ASL and its embedded culture. After all, Gallaudet University actually begins where Deaf people are.
*If English or Mathematics can be taught in any language, then it can be taught in ASL.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Dear Interim President Robert Davila
Dear Interim President Robert Davila:
This is an open letter to you and the Gallaudet University community. I would like first to extend heartfelt congratulations upon your appointment as Interim President of Gallaudet University. I would never envy you, and I hereby offer an unconditional support for you.
For these past four decades beginning in 1960s when Professor William C. Stokoe cracked American Sign Language (ASL), Gallaudet University underwent probably the most difficult changes. We have yet to understand a highly complex process of healing from the decades of agonizing and suffering from oppression that the administration of Gallaudet University has inflicted on the language and culture of the Deaf. Healing is much different from getting recovered because it requires a new understanding of who we the Deaf are and why we are here.
Deafness, whether total or only partial, is a biological condition that makes our life human, our language human, and our leisure human. As long as deafness is inevitable, so is ASL. Gallaudet University has prided in the fact that Professor Stokoe published the first dictionary of ASL based on linguistic principles. Through Stokoe’s dictionary, Gallaudet University began a slow but painful process of empowering the language and culture of the Deaf. Stokoe cracked Gallaudet University in a very unique way, to quote Oliver Stacks, “intellectually equivalent to cracking the Rosetta Stone, and emotionally, morally, infinitely more difficult because no one, least of all the deaf, thought of Sign as a real language until he did this.“ ASL is now home at Gallaudet University, the home away from home.
In your letter of intent for Interim President, you told us some anecdote: “My communication skills in English, ASL and my native Spanish are excellent. I lost my hearing as a boy and learned ASL at the California School for the Deaf before learning English as a third language. I am very comfortable with all three languages and consider myself a sociable individual with many contacts and involvements in the ASL-signing and English and Spanish-speaking communities.” Your story is very important because it has now become our claim for many generations to come. Gallaudet University is going to benefit from your anecdote.
Healing at Gallaudet University is a path that can be embraced. Yes, it is a process quite foreign to many of us. Western medical and technological science has pursued a path of restoration of hearing through amplification and cochlear implants but they do not produce healing. Healing involves bringing ASL and Deaf people together.
On a personal note, I am coming to Gallaudet University for a blogging/vlogging conference to discuss the future of Gallaudet University in February, and I would love to meet and talk with you. I am still very fond of the moments we had together during the meeting of Gallaudet University Board of Trustees when I was Student Body Government President back in 1979. I was very impressed by your diplomacy and sense of humor during that time.
With aloha always from Hawaii,
Carl Schroeder
This is an open letter to you and the Gallaudet University community. I would like first to extend heartfelt congratulations upon your appointment as Interim President of Gallaudet University. I would never envy you, and I hereby offer an unconditional support for you.
For these past four decades beginning in 1960s when Professor William C. Stokoe cracked American Sign Language (ASL), Gallaudet University underwent probably the most difficult changes. We have yet to understand a highly complex process of healing from the decades of agonizing and suffering from oppression that the administration of Gallaudet University has inflicted on the language and culture of the Deaf. Healing is much different from getting recovered because it requires a new understanding of who we the Deaf are and why we are here.
Deafness, whether total or only partial, is a biological condition that makes our life human, our language human, and our leisure human. As long as deafness is inevitable, so is ASL. Gallaudet University has prided in the fact that Professor Stokoe published the first dictionary of ASL based on linguistic principles. Through Stokoe’s dictionary, Gallaudet University began a slow but painful process of empowering the language and culture of the Deaf. Stokoe cracked Gallaudet University in a very unique way, to quote Oliver Stacks, “intellectually equivalent to cracking the Rosetta Stone, and emotionally, morally, infinitely more difficult because no one, least of all the deaf, thought of Sign as a real language until he did this.“ ASL is now home at Gallaudet University, the home away from home.
In your letter of intent for Interim President, you told us some anecdote: “My communication skills in English, ASL and my native Spanish are excellent. I lost my hearing as a boy and learned ASL at the California School for the Deaf before learning English as a third language. I am very comfortable with all three languages and consider myself a sociable individual with many contacts and involvements in the ASL-signing and English and Spanish-speaking communities.” Your story is very important because it has now become our claim for many generations to come. Gallaudet University is going to benefit from your anecdote.
Healing at Gallaudet University is a path that can be embraced. Yes, it is a process quite foreign to many of us. Western medical and technological science has pursued a path of restoration of hearing through amplification and cochlear implants but they do not produce healing. Healing involves bringing ASL and Deaf people together.
On a personal note, I am coming to Gallaudet University for a blogging/vlogging conference to discuss the future of Gallaudet University in February, and I would love to meet and talk with you. I am still very fond of the moments we had together during the meeting of Gallaudet University Board of Trustees when I was Student Body Government President back in 1979. I was very impressed by your diplomacy and sense of humor during that time.
With aloha always from Hawaii,
Carl Schroeder
Saturday, December 09, 2006
What Is Philosophy of ASL?
What is the philosophy of American Sign Language? How does the philosophy of ASL differ from ASL linguistics, or from other branches of philosophy? Why should we study ASL? What is the purpose of ASL? How does ASL relate to the mind, both of the user and the interpreter? How does ASL relate to the world? What is the nature of meaning in ASL? What is the relation between meaning and reference in ASL? How are signs composed into a meaningful whole, and what are the meanings of the parts of signs? Why do ASL expressions have the meanings they have? How do signs acquire meanings?
Philosophy of ASL, in the sense I am discussing it here, is the sustained, systematic, reflective thinking about the language and culture of the Deaf. It includes concepts and beliefs in any subject to see what is good and reasonable to believe about it, and why. It differs from linguistics in that it includes the study of more than what language is empirical and observable, and in that it 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.
Philosophy of ASL may be equated with the kind of pointless thinking about how many parts of signs can be used at once; it is considered to be a waste of mental energy, for no useful purpose. Loosely associated with this view may be the one who thinks philosophers are at best merely "book-smart" people who have no common sense because they come up with crackpot beliefs and ideas about ASL.
This may be true, but more often it is believed because it is not the reasoning about ASL but only the conclusion that is looked at about ASL. However, it is also true that many conclusions philosophers may reach are counter-intuitive or odd, or contrary to conventional belief about ASL.
In a time of great economic, scientific, and technological advancement, one might mistakenly believe that there is no particular use for philosophy of ASL, because it deals with some seemingly crazy ideas, which cannot be proved scientifically or verified objectively. So what is the use of philosophy of ASL?
However, the tools of philosophy of ASL can be important to everyone because it helps one think better, more clearly, and with greater perspective about the language and culture of the Deaf. The better one understands ASL, the better one will be able to act on that understanding. Philosophy of ASL is about the intelligent and rational uses of knowledge, and it is about seeing how clear and how reasonable ASL is in the light of knowledge we have.
In conclusion, philosophy of ASL is about careful, sustained, and systematic thinking in ASL. It is about a willingness to pursue the possible truth and value of ASL, no matter what conclusions might result or how strange it might initially seem. Philosophy of ASL does not necessarily lead to truth, but it can. It often has the potential.
Philosophy of ASL, in the sense I am discussing it here, is the sustained, systematic, reflective thinking about the language and culture of the Deaf. It includes concepts and beliefs in any subject to see what is good and reasonable to believe about it, and why. It differs from linguistics in that it includes the study of more than what language is empirical and observable, and in that it 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.
Philosophy of ASL may be equated with the kind of pointless thinking about how many parts of signs can be used at once; it is considered to be a waste of mental energy, for no useful purpose. Loosely associated with this view may be the one who thinks philosophers are at best merely "book-smart" people who have no common sense because they come up with crackpot beliefs and ideas about ASL.
This may be true, but more often it is believed because it is not the reasoning about ASL but only the conclusion that is looked at about ASL. However, it is also true that many conclusions philosophers may reach are counter-intuitive or odd, or contrary to conventional belief about ASL.
In a time of great economic, scientific, and technological advancement, one might mistakenly believe that there is no particular use for philosophy of ASL, because it deals with some seemingly crazy ideas, which cannot be proved scientifically or verified objectively. So what is the use of philosophy of ASL?
However, the tools of philosophy of ASL can be important to everyone because it helps one think better, more clearly, and with greater perspective about the language and culture of the Deaf. The better one understands ASL, the better one will be able to act on that understanding. Philosophy of ASL is about the intelligent and rational uses of knowledge, and it is about seeing how clear and how reasonable ASL is in the light of knowledge we have.
In conclusion, philosophy of ASL is about careful, sustained, and systematic thinking in ASL. It is about a willingness to pursue the possible truth and value of ASL, no matter what conclusions might result or how strange it might initially seem. Philosophy of ASL does not necessarily lead to truth, but it can. It often has the potential.
Amendment to ASL Centered University
| I, Carl Schroeder, seconded Ron Fenicle's proposal that Gallaudet University be ASL-centered with an amendment that it be ASL-oriented and ASL-predestined, too. | |
Which Came First: ASL Dragon or Egg?
| This is my another attempt to upload a video from my camcorder. I hope it works. If so, then enjoy this traditional "chicken or egg" debate. | |
Capture and Change Gally's A&O Manual: Elementary, Mr. Watson
Rome was not built overnight, and it did not decline overnight, either. So didn't accreditation of Gallaudet University both ways.
If Gallaudet University is on a shaky ground for losing accreditation, then it's a good time to know what business plan, the Administration & Operations (A&O) Manual, entails. The A&O Manual is about campus policies ranging from hiring to firing employees, from educating to expulsing students, from inspecting to neglecting facilities. In this blog, I will discuss how JKF, the ousted president designate, who made outstanding changes in the A&O Manual in the past, would have manipulated to turn Gallaudet University upside down.
Gallaudet University is scheduled for review and appraisal by Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE). With recent campus upheavals that dismantled not only JKF's designated presidency but also strategic plans that supported her presidential candidacy. Gallaudet University had also laundered monies in promoting her "diversity and inclusiveness" farce (the $750K purse), that would have to be reviewed and appraised by MCHE, which could be very embarrassing to the Gallaudet University community.
Upon JKF's appointment to oversee Gallaudet University's pre-college programs, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf, she articulated and facilitated these schools into the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, which required major changes in the A&O Manual which had to be approved by the Board of Trustees. By centralizing these two demonstration schools into the Clerc Center, JKF managed to remove tenure from the teachers and therefore watered down their career prestige by insisting that they be treated just like all teachers in public schools in Washington, DC. JKF failed to realize that both KDES and MSSD are federally funded, private schools, and teachers in private schools in the D.C. Metropolitan are well respected and well regarded.
Due to his personal and professional obsession with JKF's ability to modify the A&O Manual, IKJ managed to bypass the collective governance at Gallaudet University by promoting JKF as provost to join the top three administrators including IKJ himself and Paul Kelly, Vice President for Administration and Finance. They began the process in developing strategic plans by transferring from IKJ's mission of "academic excellence" to JKF's farce of "diversity and inclusiveness"--full of oversights.
Unbeknown to both Gallaudet University's Board of Trustees and the university community, the IKJ-JKF administration used the Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) to hint at the carrot of the tenure embezzlement from the ASL Department for JKF, a necessary move to surpass all other presidential candidates. Elementary, Mr Watson. If JKF still had her way into the office of President at Gallaudet University, she would have written into the A&O Manual to respect all modes of communication speculated by major non-native users of ASL.
It’s the rise and decline not of Gallaudet University, but of the IKJ-JKF administration. The A&O Manual is yet to be captured and changed to incorporate the language and culture of the Deaf—American Sign Language—in higher learning and teaching.
If Gallaudet University is on a shaky ground for losing accreditation, then it's a good time to know what business plan, the Administration & Operations (A&O) Manual, entails. The A&O Manual is about campus policies ranging from hiring to firing employees, from educating to expulsing students, from inspecting to neglecting facilities. In this blog, I will discuss how JKF, the ousted president designate, who made outstanding changes in the A&O Manual in the past, would have manipulated to turn Gallaudet University upside down.
Gallaudet University is scheduled for review and appraisal by Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE). With recent campus upheavals that dismantled not only JKF's designated presidency but also strategic plans that supported her presidential candidacy. Gallaudet University had also laundered monies in promoting her "diversity and inclusiveness" farce (the $750K purse), that would have to be reviewed and appraised by MCHE, which could be very embarrassing to the Gallaudet University community.
Upon JKF's appointment to oversee Gallaudet University's pre-college programs, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf, she articulated and facilitated these schools into the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, which required major changes in the A&O Manual which had to be approved by the Board of Trustees. By centralizing these two demonstration schools into the Clerc Center, JKF managed to remove tenure from the teachers and therefore watered down their career prestige by insisting that they be treated just like all teachers in public schools in Washington, DC. JKF failed to realize that both KDES and MSSD are federally funded, private schools, and teachers in private schools in the D.C. Metropolitan are well respected and well regarded.
Due to his personal and professional obsession with JKF's ability to modify the A&O Manual, IKJ managed to bypass the collective governance at Gallaudet University by promoting JKF as provost to join the top three administrators including IKJ himself and Paul Kelly, Vice President for Administration and Finance. They began the process in developing strategic plans by transferring from IKJ's mission of "academic excellence" to JKF's farce of "diversity and inclusiveness"--full of oversights.
Unbeknown to both Gallaudet University's Board of Trustees and the university community, the IKJ-JKF administration used the Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) to hint at the carrot of the tenure embezzlement from the ASL Department for JKF, a necessary move to surpass all other presidential candidates. Elementary, Mr Watson. If JKF still had her way into the office of President at Gallaudet University, she would have written into the A&O Manual to respect all modes of communication speculated by major non-native users of ASL.
It’s the rise and decline not of Gallaudet University, but of the IKJ-JKF administration. The A&O Manual is yet to be captured and changed to incorporate the language and culture of the Deaf—American Sign Language—in higher learning and teaching.
Friday, December 08, 2006
How to Watch ASL Dragon Stories
ASL Dragon stories should be watched with certain questions in mind, and they almost always should be watched more than once, for a single watching seldom brings them into focus. The difficulties and disagreements about ASL Dragon are important because history is full of them.
Watching ASL Dragon stories, you are not expected to absorb and memorize large amounts of symbols. This deadens your capacity for reflection, and leaves no zest for it. And reflection here is of the essence. You should watch a selection of ASL Dragon carefully and thoroughly, several times, asking the following questions:
(1) What symbol is the storytelling artist trying to inform you?
(2) How did the symbol arise, i.e., why is the storytelling artist choose the symbol?
(3) What does the symbol mean to you?
(4) Why do you think the symbol means?
(5) What are your reason for the symbol?
Watching ASL Dragon intelligently is analogous to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. It is easier to put the puzzle pieces together if you have a picture. Watching ASL is also like reading which is often difficult. Lewis Carroll once said:
"When you come to any passage you don't understand, read it again; if you still don't understand it, read it again; if you fail, even after three reading, very likely your brain is getting tired. In that case, put the book away, and take to other occupations, and next day, when you come to it fresh, you will very likely find that it is quite easy."
Let's try it three times, and you will discover symbols that are fun!
Watching ASL Dragon stories, you are not expected to absorb and memorize large amounts of symbols. This deadens your capacity for reflection, and leaves no zest for it. And reflection here is of the essence. You should watch a selection of ASL Dragon carefully and thoroughly, several times, asking the following questions:
(1) What symbol is the storytelling artist trying to inform you?
(2) How did the symbol arise, i.e., why is the storytelling artist choose the symbol?
(3) What does the symbol mean to you?
(4) Why do you think the symbol means?
(5) What are your reason for the symbol?
Watching ASL Dragon intelligently is analogous to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. It is easier to put the puzzle pieces together if you have a picture. Watching ASL is also like reading which is often difficult. Lewis Carroll once said:
"When you come to any passage you don't understand, read it again; if you still don't understand it, read it again; if you fail, even after three reading, very likely your brain is getting tired. In that case, put the book away, and take to other occupations, and next day, when you come to it fresh, you will very likely find that it is quite easy."
Let's try it three times, and you will discover symbols that are fun!
NEED NOT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT ACCREDITATION AT GALLAUDET
| Carl Schroeder discusses what he knows about MSCHE and urges not to worry about loosing accreditation. | |
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE KENDALL GREEN
As is well known but quickly forgotten, the 1988 Deaf President Now demonstration at Gallaudet University made history. IKJ became the university’s first alumnus to serve as the university president. He became both iconic and historic, but he also made several human mistakes. One of his admitted mistakes was appointing JKF as provost without collective supports on Kendall Green, which cost his legend forever. In recent months, IKJ has been dismissed as a liar, censored as being a policy breaker, and left to circulate harmlessly in the confined spaces of the failures.
Bringing marginalized perspectives of recent FSSA protests over JKF’s selection as the next university president to light is therefore a revolutionary act of some importance. It can subvert dominant understandings, it might inspire us to raise our voice and support these protests, and it also forces us to rewrite old histories to include or at least respond to the vision of the IKJ-JKF collapse.
Gallaudet University PR had the effect of creating a series of false images, and the most important being that the dismissal of JKF as the 9th university president by the BOT meant the complete collapse of the “diversity and inclusiveness” strategic plans. Gallaudet University PR needs to understand that the FSSA activists had triumphed against great odds of the administration and had succeeded in bringing about linguistic and cultural claims that ASL belongs in higher education of all the Deaf. Gallaudet University PR must now press forth ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf in the United States (and some Canada).
With probing intelligence, scholarly rigor, and humanist concern, we the Deaf continue to be at the forefront of the struggle to bring the voices of past and present users of ASL within listening distance of the rest of the world. Thanks to these FSSA protests, today we the Deaf are at last beginning to understand the intricacies of our language and culture, which is the equal of any throughout the world in moral refinement, artistic sensibility, social complexity, and political agenda.
As an intellectual (a 1983 Thomas J. Watson Fellow), a humanist, and lifelong student of ASL, I have urged responsible debate and rational reflection on this emblematic and problematic moment at Gallaudet University that can lead us to more authentic, empathetic, and just understanding of the past of all the Deaf ... inside and outside Kendall Green.
Bringing marginalized perspectives of recent FSSA protests over JKF’s selection as the next university president to light is therefore a revolutionary act of some importance. It can subvert dominant understandings, it might inspire us to raise our voice and support these protests, and it also forces us to rewrite old histories to include or at least respond to the vision of the IKJ-JKF collapse.
Gallaudet University PR had the effect of creating a series of false images, and the most important being that the dismissal of JKF as the 9th university president by the BOT meant the complete collapse of the “diversity and inclusiveness” strategic plans. Gallaudet University PR needs to understand that the FSSA activists had triumphed against great odds of the administration and had succeeded in bringing about linguistic and cultural claims that ASL belongs in higher education of all the Deaf. Gallaudet University PR must now press forth ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf in the United States (and some Canada).
With probing intelligence, scholarly rigor, and humanist concern, we the Deaf continue to be at the forefront of the struggle to bring the voices of past and present users of ASL within listening distance of the rest of the world. Thanks to these FSSA protests, today we the Deaf are at last beginning to understand the intricacies of our language and culture, which is the equal of any throughout the world in moral refinement, artistic sensibility, social complexity, and political agenda.
As an intellectual (a 1983 Thomas J. Watson Fellow), a humanist, and lifelong student of ASL, I have urged responsible debate and rational reflection on this emblematic and problematic moment at Gallaudet University that can lead us to more authentic, empathetic, and just understanding of the past of all the Deaf ... inside and outside Kendall Green.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
DR. MARSHALL'S BURLESQUE OF ASL: A LANGUAGE MOCKERY
In a time of universal deceit,
telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
--George Orwell
telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
--George Orwell
I found that Dr. William Marshall’s presentation during the 2003 commencement at Gallaudet University simply did not have any place on academy. Specifically, signs that were intended to denigrate or demean ASL should not be permitted. As seen in SignCasts blog site, many of these signs produced by Dr. Marshall had insulting usages; we must not tolerate and we must be sensitive to ASL.
Additionally, there were excessive use of inventive signs such as “SISTER + AGENT”, “BROTHER + AGENT”, “2 (right hand) + 0 (left hand) + 0 (right hand) + 3 (left hand)” and so forth. These bastardized signs could never be relevant and appropriate under any circumstance whatsoever, so they must be outright corrected. Dr. Marshall’s behavior was totally unprofessional. It was a language mockery in the face of the Deaf. It was an act of making fun of ASL and Deaf people, their parents, families, friends, and colleagues.
There was really no excuse for Dr. Marshall’s unprofessional behavior—a travesty of social injustice. Gallaudet University should not be the community that turns ASL into a burlesque—a provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor involving mocking treatment of ASL.
I am getting really tired sick of the amount of language bigotry in regards to ASL. Let me first admit that I am certainly guilty of silence about language mockery over years but I'm at least aware of it and willing to admit it. When it comes to selecting an interim president to help heal Gallaudet University, it’s inevitable that we need to do something or we’ll miss something sooner or later.
We need to stop Dr. Marshall. We need to stop burlesque of ASL. We need to stop language mockery.
NO PHILOSOPHICAL POSITION ON AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AT GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
I shall begin this blog with philosophy—love of wisdom—for American Sign Language that Gallaudet University needs. For the next two years, it will search for a new university president who will lead and nurture intellectual life of the Deaf into the 21st century.
If I wish to pursue philosophy, I need to begin with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the trinity of philosophy. We learned that Socrates incessantly questioned what is good just about everything there is. Plato translated Socrates into a written form with some of his own goodness—banquet-style playfulness. Aristotle dissected and dismantled just everything else for good. Philosophy has since been in ruin.
Let's ask a Socratic question here: what is good about ASL? ASL is how we the Deaf look at each other: with our eyes, curious eyes, knowing eyes, and eyes that seek information and knowledge. Our eyes are saying many things at once, much of it contradictory. They are saying we want to know and we don't want to know, tell us to think and don't dare to tell us to think. That's how we know and think in ASL, which is good.
A Platonic approach to ASL is like marveling at the construction of cells under a microscope--seeing how the world is put together, making sense of that world through ASL. It can be too disorienting to be fun to look at the world and not to look at it. In the Platonic view, information and knowledge generate acquisition and development. Who says ASL has to be fun? Who says ASL has to be tough?
An Aristotelian discourse is like an imaginary group of Deaf scholars once sat around a table and tried to devise a way to teach that ran contrary to every principle of the acquisition of information and knowledge they could not have found a truer embodiment of that desire that the way ASL is. This method is alien to the way the human species learn about ASL and to the way the human species gets excited about ASL. Different users of ASL think differently.
Mastery in ASL is not just a translation done out of the encyclopedia. Though it can be measured in proficiency interview, or in a presentation, mastery in ASL seeks imagination requiring the capacity to draw inferences from information, to demonstrate the depth of knowledge, and ultimately to articulate them in ASL. Through our language and culture, we have gained mastery over the deafness.
All in all, to me, it makes no sense that Gallaudet University should proceed to search a new university president because it has shaky, or, worse yet, no philosophical positions on ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf, in higher education.
If I wish to pursue philosophy, I need to begin with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the trinity of philosophy. We learned that Socrates incessantly questioned what is good just about everything there is. Plato translated Socrates into a written form with some of his own goodness—banquet-style playfulness. Aristotle dissected and dismantled just everything else for good. Philosophy has since been in ruin.
Let's ask a Socratic question here: what is good about ASL? ASL is how we the Deaf look at each other: with our eyes, curious eyes, knowing eyes, and eyes that seek information and knowledge. Our eyes are saying many things at once, much of it contradictory. They are saying we want to know and we don't want to know, tell us to think and don't dare to tell us to think. That's how we know and think in ASL, which is good.
A Platonic approach to ASL is like marveling at the construction of cells under a microscope--seeing how the world is put together, making sense of that world through ASL. It can be too disorienting to be fun to look at the world and not to look at it. In the Platonic view, information and knowledge generate acquisition and development. Who says ASL has to be fun? Who says ASL has to be tough?
An Aristotelian discourse is like an imaginary group of Deaf scholars once sat around a table and tried to devise a way to teach that ran contrary to every principle of the acquisition of information and knowledge they could not have found a truer embodiment of that desire that the way ASL is. This method is alien to the way the human species learn about ASL and to the way the human species gets excited about ASL. Different users of ASL think differently.
Mastery in ASL is not just a translation done out of the encyclopedia. Though it can be measured in proficiency interview, or in a presentation, mastery in ASL seeks imagination requiring the capacity to draw inferences from information, to demonstrate the depth of knowledge, and ultimately to articulate them in ASL. Through our language and culture, we have gained mastery over the deafness.
All in all, to me, it makes no sense that Gallaudet University should proceed to search a new university president because it has shaky, or, worse yet, no philosophical positions on ASL, the language and culture of the Deaf, in higher education.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
A SMALL REACTION TO THE ESSENCE OF GALLAUDET
| A video letter to react to "Reflection on the Essence of Gallaudet to its Members" | |
POLICE ACADEMY NEEDS ASL AWARENESS
Recent police brutalities and assaults on Deaf people prompted me to contact a former American Sign Language student of mine who was a police officer who eventually became promoted as a detective while taking my courses. For this blog, I will call him Mike, and I wanted to learn a few things from him.
Mike explained that all police recruits, officers and detectives undergo Police Training Academy. It is a law enforcement agency—training including classroom instruction in constitutional law and civil rights, state laws and local ordinances, and accident investigation. Police officers and detectives also receive training in patrol, traffic control, firearms usage, self-defense, first aid, and emergency response. The academy also pays interested officers to attend classes in American Sign Language as electives, which are not required, just like Mike did.
Numerous Police Departments across the country had sponsored Deaf Awareness programs and workshops for the police force which are often about the onset of deafness. Hearing tests help identify deafness and remedies are discussed in this awareness. Amplification, speech communication and Deaf Education are introduced with an emphasis that deaf people can hear and speak, which is generally favorable. Deaf awareness is also about communication device and interpreting services, ranging from ASL to Cued Speech, and the goal of Deaf Awareness is to encourage better understanding of deafness per se and minimizing communication gap in any possible way.
Mike and I agreed that awareness about ASL is not, let me repeat not, overly emphasized in these Deaf Awareness programs. The nuts and bolts of ASL and its embedded culture are not very much part of police science either. ASL awareness should be about the language and culture of the Deaf, which encourages and disseminates the role of explicit knowledge in the processes of language acquisition in ASL, language teaching in ASL, language use in ASL, literary use of ASL, and manipulative aspects of ASL in communication. ASL awareness is a goal of language and culture awareness to encourage the establishment of bridges between ASL and other disciplines within educational context. It is also a goal to recognize ASL as a tool for communication.
Mike suggested that I use this blogsphere to encourage Deaf readers to contact their local police department about conducting ASL Awareness workshop and help them find funds for it. The police force needs to be aware of ASL, which is completely different from deafness and its implications for amplification and speech communication. Police recruits, officers and detectives can benefit from learning about ASL, especially that hand configurations are very much part of signs.
Mike explains that the police science emphasizes the danger of hands because they kill. We the Deaf have yet to teach the police academy that we need our hands because they communicate.
Mike explained that all police recruits, officers and detectives undergo Police Training Academy. It is a law enforcement agency—training including classroom instruction in constitutional law and civil rights, state laws and local ordinances, and accident investigation. Police officers and detectives also receive training in patrol, traffic control, firearms usage, self-defense, first aid, and emergency response. The academy also pays interested officers to attend classes in American Sign Language as electives, which are not required, just like Mike did.
Numerous Police Departments across the country had sponsored Deaf Awareness programs and workshops for the police force which are often about the onset of deafness. Hearing tests help identify deafness and remedies are discussed in this awareness. Amplification, speech communication and Deaf Education are introduced with an emphasis that deaf people can hear and speak, which is generally favorable. Deaf awareness is also about communication device and interpreting services, ranging from ASL to Cued Speech, and the goal of Deaf Awareness is to encourage better understanding of deafness per se and minimizing communication gap in any possible way.
Mike and I agreed that awareness about ASL is not, let me repeat not, overly emphasized in these Deaf Awareness programs. The nuts and bolts of ASL and its embedded culture are not very much part of police science either. ASL awareness should be about the language and culture of the Deaf, which encourages and disseminates the role of explicit knowledge in the processes of language acquisition in ASL, language teaching in ASL, language use in ASL, literary use of ASL, and manipulative aspects of ASL in communication. ASL awareness is a goal of language and culture awareness to encourage the establishment of bridges between ASL and other disciplines within educational context. It is also a goal to recognize ASL as a tool for communication.
Mike suggested that I use this blogsphere to encourage Deaf readers to contact their local police department about conducting ASL Awareness workshop and help them find funds for it. The police force needs to be aware of ASL, which is completely different from deafness and its implications for amplification and speech communication. Police recruits, officers and detectives can benefit from learning about ASL, especially that hand configurations are very much part of signs.
Mike explains that the police science emphasizes the danger of hands because they kill. We the Deaf have yet to teach the police academy that we need our hands because they communicate.
Monday, December 04, 2006
ASL DRAGON: DISCUSSION, YES ... TRANSLATION, NO
In almost every vlog about ASL Dragon, I would post a brief statement to discourage translation. I’ve received some emails and comments dismissing it as a crap, some worsening themselves to nasty name-calling.
What a sad state our society is in to cause a Deaf person to want to be defined in somebody else’s language. Isn’t that what ASL is all about? Being translated, being lost in the translation? On the other hand, it’s going to be a great way to explain my reason into the fresh air of truth. It really makes many people want to learn how to discuss ASL. Discussion about ASL Dragon can be a wonderful step toward dispelling myth, ignorance, stereotype, misinterpretation, misconception, misrepresentation.
A childhood friend of mine recently emailed me: “WOW WOW!!!!! FAR OUT! I watched your story about ASL Dragon is Alive. I have not seen all of them but will do soon. I would like to use this for my ASL class next semester.” I’m honored that she believes it can help to turn a lot of people around in their thinking about ASL.
Yes, yes, yes! Discussing ASL Dragon involves studying style. Everyone needs to participate freely and comfortably in this discussion process which varies in its usefulness depending on three factors: (1) the kind of classroom situation (e.g., no voicing), (2) the kind of discussion (e.g., small group, whole class, etc.), and (3) educational goals (outcomes, results, etc.). It shouldn’t be a surprise if such discussions are harder to achieve, or that when they are achieved, the topics do sometimes drift just as aimlessly as they may, and drift in ways that don’t accomplish educational goals. Talking about ASL Dragon is not easy; it’s allegorical.
Discussion, yes … translation, no! This might be an appropriate reply to these negative emails and comments: Dogs don’t mew? Well, cats don’t talk. So ASL Dragon is not an English dragon.
What a sad state our society is in to cause a Deaf person to want to be defined in somebody else’s language. Isn’t that what ASL is all about? Being translated, being lost in the translation? On the other hand, it’s going to be a great way to explain my reason into the fresh air of truth. It really makes many people want to learn how to discuss ASL. Discussion about ASL Dragon can be a wonderful step toward dispelling myth, ignorance, stereotype, misinterpretation, misconception, misrepresentation.
A childhood friend of mine recently emailed me: “WOW WOW!!!!! FAR OUT! I watched your story about ASL Dragon is Alive. I have not seen all of them but will do soon. I would like to use this for my ASL class next semester.” I’m honored that she believes it can help to turn a lot of people around in their thinking about ASL.
Yes, yes, yes! Discussing ASL Dragon involves studying style. Everyone needs to participate freely and comfortably in this discussion process which varies in its usefulness depending on three factors: (1) the kind of classroom situation (e.g., no voicing), (2) the kind of discussion (e.g., small group, whole class, etc.), and (3) educational goals (outcomes, results, etc.). It shouldn’t be a surprise if such discussions are harder to achieve, or that when they are achieved, the topics do sometimes drift just as aimlessly as they may, and drift in ways that don’t accomplish educational goals. Talking about ASL Dragon is not easy; it’s allegorical.
Discussion, yes … translation, no! This might be an appropriate reply to these negative emails and comments: Dogs don’t mew? Well, cats don’t talk. So ASL Dragon is not an English dragon.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments II - The Domino Effect
| The guys from EepyBird are back, with 251 bottles of Diet Coke and over 1,500 Mentos mints. In Experiment #137, they did a mint-powered version of the Bellagio fountains. This time, it's one giant Coke & Mentos chain reaction that has to be seen to be believed. Keywords: eepybird eepy bird mentos coke diet coke mentos experiment fountain soda science geyser experiments fountains geysers | |
Saturday, December 02, 2006
DEAF MISSISSIPPI MADE US REALIZE '"JUS SANGUINIS"
In January of 2002, President Bush signed his pet project—the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Since then, Deaf children have scored tests miserably low. One of the little-known and best kept secret provisions of the NCLB bill is to dismiss ASL and Deaf Education from the list of subject matters. Despite efforts to hush the matter up, it soon transpired that Gallaudet University, the nation’s leading authority in educating the Deaf, had watered down its mission—from “academic excellence” to “diversity, inclusiveness and respect.”
In the Mississippi School for the Deaf, I see that five to six people were hired without prior knowledge of ASL or Deaf Education. I cannot blame them because NCLB is the real reason for this type of hiring. Deaf Education holds no water in this NCLB mandatory. Nor does ASL. In the other words, no graduate from Gallaudet University, undergraduate and graduate alike is qualified under NCLB, and Mississippi Department of Education is, and will always be, stuck by this NCLB farce. They can hire Deaf people if and only if they promise to redo their education, undergraduate or graduate, to meet the NCLB requirements or they would be LB (left behind). They would have to pay for their education.
A recent email conversation I had with one of my dearest intellectual colleagues might be worthwhile examined. The following is what I found alarming and frightening:
“This spells the end of transferring deaf teachers from school to school. And end of the value of Gallaudet education for the deaf. It’s pretty much similar to paralegal training, as one must stay in that state to qualify. All college studies remain in that state. And in that state, you are to stay, work, and die. I find that more interesting because 10 yrs. ago, my friend's son, an engineer at Disney World, who was a former navy submariner warned his father that one day soon, America won't let people move from state to state. Jobs stay where they are & etc. Sure enough, another friend in Illinois could not move to Pensacola because his health coverage won't be effective anywhere out of central Illinois! (never mind, Chicago!)There is time enough now to move around, if one is able to. But soon, not so. Wonder if you are seeing the same signs as I do.”
Yes, I do see the same signs. They can be derived from the 1803 Napoleon’s Civic Code which gave official sanction to the right according to “jus sanguinis” (in French meaning a child born to a French father is French). I see in this the ethnic connotation for the danger of NCLB which gives state government access to information about not only Deaf children, but also their parents or guardians. For example, a Deaf child born in, let’s say Mississippi, belongs to the state of Mississippi. Although the NCLB Act requires that school authorities notify parents about that information, but many schools do not do this. I have a Deaf friend who explained to me that she got threatened by her state to place her Deaf child in a foster home because she decided against a following up hearing test. She thought that it was unnecessary to reconfirm the child's deafness since it runs in her family (three generation on her father's side and four generation on her mother's side). She did not have any choice but submitted her home state, which was very sad.
In Mississippi, NCLB is particularly troubling given Deaf students' powerlessness. And their parents do not matter; they are to submit to Mississippi Department of Education. If the parents wish to challenge, then they could through the IEP due process. They would have to retain an attorney. Deaf Mississippi is a wake-up call.
In the Mississippi School for the Deaf, I see that five to six people were hired without prior knowledge of ASL or Deaf Education. I cannot blame them because NCLB is the real reason for this type of hiring. Deaf Education holds no water in this NCLB mandatory. Nor does ASL. In the other words, no graduate from Gallaudet University, undergraduate and graduate alike is qualified under NCLB, and Mississippi Department of Education is, and will always be, stuck by this NCLB farce. They can hire Deaf people if and only if they promise to redo their education, undergraduate or graduate, to meet the NCLB requirements or they would be LB (left behind). They would have to pay for their education.
A recent email conversation I had with one of my dearest intellectual colleagues might be worthwhile examined. The following is what I found alarming and frightening:
“This spells the end of transferring deaf teachers from school to school. And end of the value of Gallaudet education for the deaf. It’s pretty much similar to paralegal training, as one must stay in that state to qualify. All college studies remain in that state. And in that state, you are to stay, work, and die. I find that more interesting because 10 yrs. ago, my friend's son, an engineer at Disney World, who was a former navy submariner warned his father that one day soon, America won't let people move from state to state. Jobs stay where they are & etc. Sure enough, another friend in Illinois could not move to Pensacola because his health coverage won't be effective anywhere out of central Illinois! (never mind, Chicago!)There is time enough now to move around, if one is able to. But soon, not so. Wonder if you are seeing the same signs as I do.”
Yes, I do see the same signs. They can be derived from the 1803 Napoleon’s Civic Code which gave official sanction to the right according to “jus sanguinis” (in French meaning a child born to a French father is French). I see in this the ethnic connotation for the danger of NCLB which gives state government access to information about not only Deaf children, but also their parents or guardians. For example, a Deaf child born in, let’s say Mississippi, belongs to the state of Mississippi. Although the NCLB Act requires that school authorities notify parents about that information, but many schools do not do this. I have a Deaf friend who explained to me that she got threatened by her state to place her Deaf child in a foster home because she decided against a following up hearing test. She thought that it was unnecessary to reconfirm the child's deafness since it runs in her family (three generation on her father's side and four generation on her mother's side). She did not have any choice but submitted her home state, which was very sad.
In Mississippi, NCLB is particularly troubling given Deaf students' powerlessness. And their parents do not matter; they are to submit to Mississippi Department of Education. If the parents wish to challenge, then they could through the IEP due process. They would have to retain an attorney. Deaf Mississippi is a wake-up call.
ASL DRAGON and JABBERWOCKY
| Carl discusses his reasons why he wants no translation for ASL Dragon. Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky needs no translation. | |
RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND WRITING
Here's an extract from some email correspondence I had today. I thought you would appreciate some information here.
Aloha Txxxx,
It's always good to hear from my former students. I'm glad you wrote me an email. A good English grammar book is hard to find. In my opinion, this internet link is good because there are some grammar quizzes in which you can check your skills in English grammar. As for writing paragraphs and essays, visit this web site.
Txxxx, please feel free to communicate with me about your experience with these links.
Carl
--- On Sat 12/02, Txxxx Wxxxx <> wrote:
From: Txxxx Wxxxx
To: kal1952@myway.com
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 23:30:13 -0600
Subject: Question about English
Hello Carl,
I was your former student in English 50 in 1989 and 1990 (I think). I was football player at Gallaudet. I still remember some of your teaching how to write into English properly. I am curious do you have any suggest purchasing English/Grammar book(s) for Deaf person to study to improve their English.
I enjoyed some of your vlogs in your blogsite.
Have a good day in Hawaii!
Txxxx Wxxxx
Aloha Txxxx,
It's always good to hear from my former students. I'm glad you wrote me an email. A good English grammar book is hard to find. In my opinion, this internet link is good because there are some grammar quizzes in which you can check your skills in English grammar. As for writing paragraphs and essays, visit this web site.
Txxxx, please feel free to communicate with me about your experience with these links.
Carl
--- On Sat 12/02, Txxxx Wxxxx <> wrote:
From: Txxxx Wxxxx
To: kal1952@myway.com
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 23:30:13 -0600
Subject: Question about English
Hello Carl,
I was your former student in English 50 in 1989 and 1990 (I think). I was football player at Gallaudet. I still remember some of your teaching how to write into English properly. I am curious do you have any suggest purchasing English/Grammar book(s) for Deaf person to study to improve their English.
I enjoyed some of your vlogs in your blogsite.
Have a good day in Hawaii!
Txxxx Wxxxx
ABOUT 20 STUDENTS COULDN'T BE WRONG AT MSD
by Carl Schroeder
Mississippi School for the Deaf found itself in the media nowadays. About 20 students walked out of the school in protest that upset and embarrassed the state of Mississippi. Dr. Hank Bounds, State Superintendent of Education, conceded but he wished to appear punitive toward Deaf people for what he himself lacked, and presumably still lacks—American Sign Language. The media reads the following:
“About 20 students at the school protested Tuesday about the teachers not being able to speak to them in sign language. While Dr. Bounds says he understands why the students are upset, he thinks it was inappropriate for the [sic] them to walk out of class.”
Dr. Bounds knew that these students couldn’t be wrong about their reasons why they are upset because there would be no way for the students and even their parents to grieve at Mississippi School for the Deaf or through Mississippi Department of Education. It is now evident that MSD is an environment in which ASL is not respected, Deaf Culture neglected, and the students’ voice rejected.
Dr. Bounds did not articulate honestly that the real reason behind hiring practice is intrigued by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandatory. NCLB (President Bush's failed pet project) doesn't recognize both American Sign Language and Deaf Education and it also prevents numerous state departments of education across the nation from recruiting ASL and Deaf Education majors at Gallaudet University, the world's supposedly leading institution of higher education specializing in ASL and Deaf Education. Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) must now inform our society that it cannot and shall not recruit any ASL or Deaf Education majors from Gallaudet University. Check this link.
Dr. Bounds was probably inspired by the IJK-JKF-PK (Paul Kelly, don't we dare to oversight this non-Deaf "Administration & Operations Manual" schemer) administration of Gallaudet University to have these 20 students labeled as communication dissents, anti-teacher mobsters, school policy lawbreakers, and the like. Dr. Bounds said absolutely nothing about communicating with the parents or their organization about such a murky situation involving their minor age children at Mississippi. There's no report about the involvement of parents or school parent organization as well. Punishing students will be like punishing parents, students (all of them), alumni, friends, and all the Deaf around the world.
Dr. Bounds is now bound to speak honestly and truthfully about the students, their language and culture. He is to explain fully and thoroughly the reasons why these teachers without skills in ASL are protected while the teachers (or staff) with skills in communication with the Deaf are not. Above all, Dr. Bounds is to present reasonable remedies to resolve ongoing problems and recognizing ASL as the language of instruction for the Deaf of all ages.
About 20 students couldn't be wrong. About 20 million Deaf Americans are watching Mississippi.
Mississippi School for the Deaf found itself in the media nowadays. About 20 students walked out of the school in protest that upset and embarrassed the state of Mississippi. Dr. Hank Bounds, State Superintendent of Education, conceded but he wished to appear punitive toward Deaf people for what he himself lacked, and presumably still lacks—American Sign Language. The media reads the following:
“About 20 students at the school protested Tuesday about the teachers not being able to speak to them in sign language. While Dr. Bounds says he understands why the students are upset, he thinks it was inappropriate for the [sic] them to walk out of class.”
Dr. Bounds knew that these students couldn’t be wrong about their reasons why they are upset because there would be no way for the students and even their parents to grieve at Mississippi School for the Deaf or through Mississippi Department of Education. It is now evident that MSD is an environment in which ASL is not respected, Deaf Culture neglected, and the students’ voice rejected.
Dr. Bounds did not articulate honestly that the real reason behind hiring practice is intrigued by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandatory. NCLB (President Bush's failed pet project) doesn't recognize both American Sign Language and Deaf Education and it also prevents numerous state departments of education across the nation from recruiting ASL and Deaf Education majors at Gallaudet University, the world's supposedly leading institution of higher education specializing in ASL and Deaf Education. Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) must now inform our society that it cannot and shall not recruit any ASL or Deaf Education majors from Gallaudet University. Check this link.
Dr. Bounds was probably inspired by the IJK-JKF-PK (Paul Kelly, don't we dare to oversight this non-Deaf "Administration & Operations Manual" schemer) administration of Gallaudet University to have these 20 students labeled as communication dissents, anti-teacher mobsters, school policy lawbreakers, and the like. Dr. Bounds said absolutely nothing about communicating with the parents or their organization about such a murky situation involving their minor age children at Mississippi. There's no report about the involvement of parents or school parent organization as well. Punishing students will be like punishing parents, students (all of them), alumni, friends, and all the Deaf around the world.
Dr. Bounds is now bound to speak honestly and truthfully about the students, their language and culture. He is to explain fully and thoroughly the reasons why these teachers without skills in ASL are protected while the teachers (or staff) with skills in communication with the Deaf are not. Above all, Dr. Bounds is to present reasonable remedies to resolve ongoing problems and recognizing ASL as the language of instruction for the Deaf of all ages.
About 20 students couldn't be wrong. About 20 million Deaf Americans are watching Mississippi.
Friday, December 01, 2006
OUT OF THE WRITER'S BLOCK
by Carl Schroeder
First I got an electronic advice about getting out of the writer’s block that reads:
"Talk" the paper to someone--your teacher, a friend, a roommate, a tutor in the Writing Lab. Just pick someone who's willing to give you fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start writing. Have the person take notes while you talk or tape your conversation. Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing. Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll feel more as though you're telling someone about something than completing an assignment.
I had an opportunity to chat with my favorite blogging colleague Elisabeth who suggested that I write about my writer’s block. There is also another blogger who emailed me and asked why I haven’t posted anything so I agreed to write about it.
I am struggling to find new ideas, avenues, directions, and motivations to post my blog or vlog that is to be understood, appreciated, and used in many different ways. I am reminded by Fernando de Rojas in his book Celestina published in 1507 that my blog and even my vlog could become an “instrument of discord and battle between its readers, creating divergences between them, with each reader having an opinion depending on his own taste?” I will now assert that the Rojas question as my point of getting out of the writer’s block. This point can be defined to include relationships to blogspheres (which are by no means limited to blogs and vlogs) and to the blogs and vlogs that readers encounter.
For Rojas, the contrasting critics of my blogs and vlogs are due first to the readers themselves, whose judgments can be traced not only to their diversity and depositions but also to their multiplicity of abilities and expectations. Abilities and expectations are differentiated according to the personal experiences readers have about the blogs and vlogs.
I have yet to understand the multiple, differentiated, contradictory uses of blogs and vlogs, because blogspheres might find a new niche at the crossroads of criticism. I welcome critics if they aim at the readers, rather than at the author.
First I got an electronic advice about getting out of the writer’s block that reads:
"Talk" the paper to someone--your teacher, a friend, a roommate, a tutor in the Writing Lab. Just pick someone who's willing to give you fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start writing. Have the person take notes while you talk or tape your conversation. Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing. Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll feel more as though you're telling someone about something than completing an assignment.
I had an opportunity to chat with my favorite blogging colleague Elisabeth who suggested that I write about my writer’s block. There is also another blogger who emailed me and asked why I haven’t posted anything so I agreed to write about it.
I am struggling to find new ideas, avenues, directions, and motivations to post my blog or vlog that is to be understood, appreciated, and used in many different ways. I am reminded by Fernando de Rojas in his book Celestina published in 1507 that my blog and even my vlog could become an “instrument of discord and battle between its readers, creating divergences between them, with each reader having an opinion depending on his own taste?” I will now assert that the Rojas question as my point of getting out of the writer’s block. This point can be defined to include relationships to blogspheres (which are by no means limited to blogs and vlogs) and to the blogs and vlogs that readers encounter.
For Rojas, the contrasting critics of my blogs and vlogs are due first to the readers themselves, whose judgments can be traced not only to their diversity and depositions but also to their multiplicity of abilities and expectations. Abilities and expectations are differentiated according to the personal experiences readers have about the blogs and vlogs.
I have yet to understand the multiple, differentiated, contradictory uses of blogs and vlogs, because blogspheres might find a new niche at the crossroads of criticism. I welcome critics if they aim at the readers, rather than at the author.
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