Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 12:14:12 PM PST I was reluctant to sign the Dailykos petition in support of Netflix and asking the FCC to reign in Comcast’s abuse of corporate power. Why was I reluctant to do so? Because of the history of Netflix’s hostile business practices towards the deaf community, in refusing to caption streaming videos. Dana…
Year: 2010
What Is Bigotry Against Deaf People? Audism.
[Editor’s note: The article you are about to read first appeared in Dailykos.com on 12/08/10. The thread referred to in the first sentence is taken from a discussion that followed a different article. Reviewing this may be helpful in establishing context.] Judging from this thread, not many people are aware about how their comments can offend and hurt those who are deaf and hard of hearing, and…
Hearing Privilege
Hearing privilege is a concept that’s come up often in discussions in and around Deaf Echo posts that deserves to be called out and looked at in depth. I also find that it has personal relevance: some uncomfortable situations have come up with my family that made me think of this important concept. Let me…
Is Honesty Always the Best Policy?
“Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.” ~William Shakespeare As a child, my parents taught me to always be honest. As a child, I would try and get away with lying—and always got caught. Disappointed Mother: “Why did you lie?” Me as a Child Testing My Boundaries: “Um……” Eventually,…
Stuff Deaf People Like #6: VP Numbers
Deaf people often possess a painstakingly curated collection of videophone numbers. This is more a reflection of the highly fragmented video relay service (VRS) industry and its practices than any predilection towards numerical hoarding on the Deaf person’s part. The FCC requires that any person who uses a videophone must register for a telephone number…
Why Deaf Women Date Hearing Men (Or Don’t!)
As a confidante of several deaf and hearing girlfriends, I have been exposed to issues that come up when dating deaf and hearing men. I decided to enlist the help of my girlfriends and find out what it is like to date a hearing man. One of the things I was surprised by during my research…
25 ASL “It Gets Better” Videos
While the zeitgeist has long ago shifted to TSA pat-downs and now the interesting juxtaposition of renewed conflict on the Korean peninsula and the Wikileaks release of top-secret diplomatic cables, DeafEcho has managed to keep collecting It Gets Better videos in ASL. Now we have 25 videos–the latest by the Ontario Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf. When…
Thoughts on Social Media and “Common Sense”
Over the last few months, I’ve been paying attention a lot more to Facebook. Or rather, paying attention to the kind of information and comments that are published via Facebook. In many ways, Facebook is micro-blogging, and it provides easier access to a network much larger and more accessible than LiveJournal and Xanga (remember those?).…
It Gets Better – In ASL
Teresa wrote a fantastic article discussing Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” project on YouTube. There’s more than 100 videos by people who have experienced or seen others experienced bullying, harassment, or general bad experiences because of their sexual orientation. She also expressed the need for the Deaf and signing community to make similar videos for Deaf LGBT youth,…
It Gets Better. It Really Does.
Unless you’ve been under a rock this week, you’ve probably seen this week’s troubling stories about gay teens committing suicide. The deaths of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown from a small town just outside Houston, Texas, and Seth Walsh in Tehachapi, California have haunted my thoughts this week. Watching Seth Walsh’s sister’s Youtube clip made before her brother…