Fintan Ramblings

16 Comments so far

1. Gary on August 26th, 2007

   Because I’ve only been Deaf for 36 years (since I was ten years old), I could imagine how this might be done. The only problem is, putting it into words.

   Let’s see….I’d start by explaining how we feel, when hearing people demand English is the Deaf language or, when we have interpreters, who demand they’re the best, yet are the worst we can imagine.

   Then, add how it would feel, should a new interpreter, or a new Director at the school, come in, who allows the Deaf to be Deaf, the way it was, in the early ’60’s, before the demand for Signed English came around.

2. MM on August 26th, 2007

   The Brits can do better than this.. cuddly dog, can’t hear music link, not subtle enough… and there was nothing at all about sign in it. It is about the medical aspect of deafness i.e. you can’t hear… not PC enuff either !

3. RLM on August 26th, 2007

   Kinda a little audistic on part of South Africa organizers of Deaf Awarness Week!

   Not everyone in South Africa embrace the black music like James Brown. This country still dealt with the decades of racial apartheid after it formally dismantles the systematic oppression of racial minority.

   Deaf people in general, could make out of the concept of music than patronizing hearing people to describe the music to deaf people.

   Why can’t the organizers of South Africa’s Deaf Awareness Week feature the uniqueness of linguistic and cultural minority like us, deaf people than pandering to hearing people’s overdependence on sense of auditory?

   Well, I do not give any hoots about the Deaf Awareness Week anyway. This event would be better off at schools for the future children to embrace deaf people as equals. Those children could be great positive influences on their parents’ societal attitudes toward deaf people.

   Robert L. Mason (RLM)

4. Dale on August 26th, 2007

   I think it is a brilliant poster, so subtle that MM doesn’t get it. It’s got nothing to do with the medical aspects of deafness, but relates to the social communication problem, i.e. the sharing of ideas and feelings.

   I don’t understand Fintan’s comment about sign language either — it is a poster for deaf awareness not sign language. Why would learning sign language make you feel good in a world full of hearing people (which is what the poster is aimed at)?

5. MM on August 26th, 2007

   Sorry Dale this type of ‘awareness’ died out years ago, we’re far more direct and I suggest more sophisticated than this in approach now. I think the days of making awareness in an un-holisitic fashion are over. Deaf people can’t hear, they sign, they lip-read and other things as well. Personally I oppose any awareness that doesn’t include as many people as it can.

   We can all do “Radio ? what IS it for ? etc, but this doesn’t highlight much awareness does it ? I found it rather amateurish to be honest, dogs and Kids is rather pathetic really to draw attention to our issues, we leave that, to CIN….

6. Dave2 on August 26th, 2007

   That’s a sweet puppy!

   My signing skills used to be fairly good, but all I remember is a few signs and the alphabet now.

7. Fintan on August 27th, 2007

   Dale,
   In a world where hearing people think that all Deaf people can sign.
   If your Hard of Hearing then you don’t need describing So how would a hearing person describe to Deaf that never hear it?.Poster using a capital D

8. Fintan on August 27th, 2007

   @RLM
   “”This event would be better off at schools for the future children to embrace deaf people as equals. Those children could be great positive influences on their parents’ societal attitudes toward deaf people.”"

   I agree!
   I was surprised that such poster exist in South Africa

9. Dale on August 27th, 2007

   Fintan: “how would a hearing person describe to Deaf that never hear it?”

   They might show a poster of a dog with its head sticking out of a window looking like it feels good! Or they might write an essay about the uniqueness of James Brown’s voice that puts the meaning into the words. I’m sure there are plenty of other approaches, too…

   “Poster using a capital D”

   Methinks that is wishful thinking on your part. All the occurrences of `Deaf’ could equally well be `deaf’ with an accidental capitalization. I know HOH people who can’t get music, and the poster applies to them just as well.

10. Fintan on August 27th, 2007

    An essay is a bit long winded and I know there are other ways too.

    Have you ever been approched by people who been on a Deaf awareness course?
    All of then signed to me!!

11. MM on August 28th, 2007

    I think Dale has a valid point here, as it’s an area where I always end up grabbing sign users by the throat occasionaly, we are ALL deaf or have a hearing loss, work on THAT basis to raise awareness. It’s a very fine dividing line, and once you introduce the D and the d, well here we go again, total DISUNITY emerges.

    Fintan highlights the the fact it didn’t cover the sign user at all. It didn’t cover much of anyone else either, James Brown ? who ? would be most deaf people’s response ! Just the same as if the person highlighted had been Mick Jagger or someone else. MUCH better comparison (why didn’t they use that ?).

12. Fintan on August 28th, 2007

    MM,

    They used James Brown because in one his songs it has “I feel good”
    see here
    http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/jamesbrown4607/ifeelgood207854.html

13. MM on August 29th, 2007

    What about “Oh Happy Day..” So we wait until someone writs a song called “I feel bloody awful’… ?

14. Fintan on August 29th, 2007

    MM,

    What happened the NO1 BSL song you made?
    Haven’t seen anything like it Very mesmerising

15. MM on August 29th, 2007

    Fell foul of the BSLPL, (BSL purity League), had to be removed when placed alongside Savva, from whom all BSL blessings flow… (My sign wasn’t up to it )

16. MM on August 29th, 2007

    My Oki-Koki needed some honing too…

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