Mansplaining has now become mainstream  – that phenomenon of an arrogant man explaining what he thinks he knows about a subject to a woman who knows more than he does about the subject. Or as writer Rebecca Solnit notes, the “intersection between overconfidence and cluelessness where some portion of (the male) gender gets stuck.” I’ve experienced my share of mansplaining, but in one of my lines of work, I get a different [...]

  The conventions behind name signs and naming are well known to members of the deaf community: what gets to be a name sign, who can give another person a name sign, when name signs are used and how to adjudicate duplicate name sign use in a local community, are just some of these cultural standards. There are conventions (past and present) about signing in public. In the past, before [...]

Effects of professors’ language choice at Gallaudet When the professor asked her to stay after class, Melissa felt her pulse quicken. She had always been uncomfortable with some of this professor’s behavior. She knew she should speak up and ask him to stop, but for a student to confront a professor was risky, especially before grades were posted. It did not seem to be a wise decision as she considered [...]

  During this summer of the Olympics, my Facebook friends have “shared” a particular picture of Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee Olympic runner.  I’m sure you’ve seen this picture – it is a really sweet photo.  In it, you see Pistorius, crouched in a running stance, looking down with a broad, white-toothed grin at an angelic-looking little girl toddling along on “blades” just like those Pistorius has. The picture simultaneously evokes [...]

  In her 2008 Masters thesis, Tiffany Tuccoli states: “…hearing privileges are advantages or entitlements that are enjoyed by people who can hear which are denied to those who are Deaf. These advantages give hearing people power and authority to decide how society should be designed (p. 23).” In exploring this further we have drafted an introduction to our experiences in working together as a Deaf-hearing team, a list of [...]

  On June 29-30th, cuers of all ages gathered at Nazareth College outside of Rochester, NY for the annual Cue Camp, which alternates locations every other year between New York and Maryland.  Cue Camp is a place where people of all ages, hearing levels, languages, and backgrounds can come together to practice Cued Speech, meet other cuers, or learn the system from scratch in a single weekend. Cued Speech is [...]

  All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.
–George Bernard Shaw Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what [...]

  Deaf Youth USA- Bay Area chapter released a public letter and petition to the California School for the Deaf, Fremont and wider Bay Area Deaf communities following an announcement about three new brands that CSD superintendent, Sean Virnig developed in collaboration with Convo Relay.  The three brands were modeled after a statue that is placed at the front of the school’s campus, “The Bear Hunt,” created by Douglas Tilden, [...]

Cannibalistic Throes For targets of naïve sorts that meets no criteria that suits Deaf natives that set boundaries that makes an island that no other can alight that cold cauldron is ready.   Tribal Wars Sounds from hearing aid feedback pestering earmolds, festering sores Hurting – iodized and bandaged. Sounds from cochlear implant cut up, dug in, thrown in, sewed up Hurting – iodized and bandaged. Sounds from embattling hands [...]

  It was a sunny and beautiful Saturday afternoon. We were gathered to celebrate the graduation of several African and African American men. For us, it was a milestone of great accomplishments. After fixing a plate of fried plantains, Jolly of Rice and chicken stew, and mixed vegetables, an excellent impromptu conversation began. This time, the conversation was about the acronyms TUGs (Traditionally Underrepresented Groups) and thugs (here is another [...]