Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Defness, Hearing-loss, Multiple Sclerosis and other disabilities

Continuing the Alexander Graham Bell Deaf Association's letter to Pepsi which have brought hurts and complains from the Deaf community. I did some "searches" around the internet, most medias and organizations were praising the commercial while I saw only ONE against which was Alexander Graham Bell Deaf Associaition.

On January 24th, CNNMoney.Com had an article about the comercial titled "PepsiCo Brings Silent Ad to Super Bowl" and the article was possitive.

Also, well known Deaf University praised the commericial in Gallaudet University Applauds Pepsi's Upcoming Super Bowl Ad

Even my own old college had an article about the commerical Former NTID Students Make Super Bowl Ad

The bottom line, I agree with PespiCo's statement that the "real mission is to bring awareness of the American deaf community to a wider audience."

People with disabilities are often a symbol of the opposite of the world – they struggle with physical or mental imperfection, powerlessness and often poverty. This only adds to the stigma which isolates them, separating them from the mainstream of life. Discrimination is a problem faced by disabled people and their families around the world. There are discriminations among disabilities and between disabilities as well. Within hearing-loss community, there are two different theories on communication and they are: "Oralism" and "Sign Language" that in which have been the subject of years of debates amoung hearing-loss people. Often people forget about the identity and language of the Deaf Culture. For 7 years, I have attended the Boston School for the Deaf (closed in 1994). The Boston School for the Deaf was founded by Reverend Monsignior Thomas Magennis at St Thomas Aquinas church in 1898. Sisters of St Joseph faculty were trained to work with deaf students. Boston School for the Deaf was an "orlist deaf school" which means NO sign language was allowed. I didn't learn sign language until I attended RIT/NTID. Now I know ASL and able to communicate with those in the Deaf culture even though I am not really part of it.

In this socieity, we will be blinded by our own agendas and interests that will caused us to discriminate others. So... where or what is the common ground?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

The common ground is communication. Whether it be by sign language, charades, semaphore, smoke signals, morse code, or via comments on a blog, as humans we have a high need to communicate with others.

I agree, Jim, that we all have agendas and interests. With any luck we can effectively communicate our ideas without trampling others' feelings and rights.

shauna

Karen Mayes said...

Yup... as I have been saying along... communication in all kinds of modes.

There will always be agendas though.

Casdok said...

A great post.
I agree that communication is important, but not many people want to listen to others.
So am not sure where or what the common ground is.

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