Four Angels Deaf Ministry - Deaf Culture And Community

DEAF COMMUNITY

A community is a social unit with common traits. The Deaf community is made up of Deaf people who adopt the Deaf culture and sign languages as part of their identity. Hearing persons – who embrace Deaf culture and use sign language – may also be accepted by Deaf people as peripheral members of the Deaf community.

DEAF CULTURE

Culture consists of languages, customs, beliefs, rules, arts, knowledge, and collective identities and memories developed by members of all social groups that make their social environments meaningful.

Padden and Humphreys (2005) defines culture as a set of learned behaviours of a group of people that share the following:

LANGUAGE

Sign language is central to Deaf culture and community, which gives them a sense of belonging, binding them as a cohesive whole. In America, the signed language used by the Deaf community is American Sign Language (ASL).

VALUES

The most important values in Deaf culture are the acknowledgement of the importance of sign language to the Deaf community and self-acceptance of one’s deafness as a personal trait rather than a disability or deficiency.

RULES OF BEHAVIOUR

As a group of like-minded individuals, deaf people have certain learnt or adopted behaviours that are distinct from the other communities. The following are examples of these behaviours:

Standing when addressing a large group so that their signs can be clearly seen by all present
Maintaining eye contact; avoiding eye contact can be seen as rude

TRADITIONS

The Deaf communities have their own traditions like other cultural communities. These traditions include:

Introductions can be lengthy when Deaf people meet for the first time. Since the community is small, there is a high possibility for common connections such as generations of Deaf family members, schools attended, and associations with organisations or groups.
Names signs represents the person and signifies that the person has been accepted by the members of the Deaf community.
Celebrating the International Week and Day of Deaf people allows Deaf people to celebrate the achievements and observe the shared experiences of Deaf people all over the world.

NORMS

communication etiquette is a must. You have to know about the importance of eye contact, how to communicate and get people’s attention properly. For example, when trying to call for someone, instead of shouting their name, try tapping on their shoulder or delicately turning the lights on and off.

IDENTITY

Accepting and recognizing one self as part of this community, participating and being proud of its culture and heritage.

How do Deaf and Hard-of-hearing people communicate?

For Deaf people, barriers to access are rarely about physical obstacles. The most common challenge faced by the Deaf is the lack of access to information. Information is often conveyed through verbal or auditory methods via direct interaction with people who do not use sign language or audio systems.

People who are Deaf or hard of hearing should have the right to information in accessible formats across all forms of media. With full and equal access to information, they will then be able to make informed decisions.

Communication Aids

Sign Language Interpreters
Note-takers

Assistive Devices

Hearing aids
Cochlear implants

Information Aids

Visual or textual announcements
Visual fire & door alarms

Do all deaf people identify with the deaf culture?

What is Sign Language?

Sign Language (SL) is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English. SL is expressed by movements of the hands, body and face. It is the primary language of people who are deaf and hard of hearing and is used by some hearing people as well.

Is sign language the same in other countries?

There is no universal sign language. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) is a different language from ASL, and Americans who know ASL may not understand BSL. Some countries adopt features of ASL in their sign languages.

Where did Sign Language originate?

No person or committee invented Sign Language. The exact beginnings of Sign Language are not clear, but some suggest that it arose more than 200 years ago from the intermixing of local sign languages and French Sign Language (LSF, or Langue des Signes Française). Today’s ASL includes some elements of LSF plus the original local sign languages; over time, these have melded and changed into a rich, complex, and mature language. Modern ASL and modern LSF are distinct languages. While they still contain some similar signs, they can no longer be understood by each other’s users.

How is Sign Language compared with spoken language?

Sign Language is a language completely separate and distinct from English. It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order. While every language has ways of signaling different functions, such as asking a question rather than making a statement, languages differ in how this is done. For example, English speakers may ask a question by raising the pitch of their voices and by adjusting word order; SL users ask a question by raising their eyebrows, widening their eyes, and tilting their bodies forward.

Just as with other languages, specific ways of expressing ideas in Sign Language vary as much as SL users themselves. In addition to individual differences in expression, Sign Language has regional accents and dialects; just as certain English words are spoken differently in different parts of the country, SL has regional variations in the rhythm of signing, pronunciation, slang, and signs used. Other sociological factors, including age and gender, can affect SL usage and contribute to its variety, just as with spoken languages.

Fingerspelling is part of Sign Language and is used to spell out English words. In the fingerspelled alphabet, each letter corresponds to a distinct handshape. Fingerspelling is often used for proper names or to indicate the English word for something.

How do most children learn Sign Language?

Parents are often the source of a child’s early acquisition of language, but for children who are deaf, additional people may be models for language acquisition. A deaf child born to parents who are deaf and who already use Sign Language will begin to acquire SL as naturally as a hearing child picks up spoken language from hearing parents. However, for a deaf child with hearing parents who have no prior experience with SL, language may be acquired differently. In fact, 9 out of 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who hear. Some hearing parents choose to introduce sign language to their deaf children. Hearing parents who choose to have their child learn sign language often learn it along with their child. Children who are deaf and have hearing parents often learn sign language through deaf peers and become fluent.

Due to geographical and community differences. Sign languages can vary significantly, with even single words signed differently across areas and slang terms specific to particular signing communities. Indigenous peoples may have their own unique sign languages, and some Deaf individuals use 'home signs' – personal gestures created in the absence of exposure to a specific sign language. Ultimately, this diversity underscores the rich complexity of sign languages, reflecting the unique characteristics of Deaf communities globally.