{"id":343,"date":"2021-07-27T15:36:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T15:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/?post_type=chapter&p=343"},"modified":"2021-08-09T16:19:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T16:19:06","slug":"8-6-2-communication-in-the-deaf-community-during-covid-19-research-essay","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/chapter\/8-6-2-communication-in-the-deaf-community-during-covid-19-research-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"8.6.2 Communication in the Deaf community during COVID-19 (research essay)"},"content":{"raw":"

English 102, April 2020<\/h3>\r\nTo conclude my time in English 102 I plan on diving deeper into the topic of communication in the deaf community. Deaf culture is slowly becoming more socially accepted in society. I plan on discussing the differences and difficulties that the deaf community must face and answering some research questions. I chose to continue writing about this topic because I am currently in an American Sign Language class and my professor is deaf, and it got my thinking about any struggles the deaf community encounters. I plan on relating this to the circumstances we as a world are facing. I am also going to discuss the difficulties the deaf community faces in a\u00a0day to day\u00a0life.\r\n\r\nTo help\u00a0develop my paper, I have five research questions. Those\u00a0being:\u00a0How is higher education different for those who are deaf or hearing impaired compared to those who are hearing? What are different causations of becoming deaf? (different\u00a0levels\u00a0of deafness)\u00a0How hard is it to get a stable job as a deaf person?\u00a0What are strategies to teach hearing individuals American\u00a0Sign\u00a0Language?\u00a0Why is it easier to learn ASL from a deaf individual?\r\n\r\nBefore answering my research\u00a0questions,\u00a0I want to mention common misconceptions within the deaf community.\u00a0One of the biggest misconceptions is that American Sign Language\u00a0is an easy language to learn.\u00a0Most people\u00a0believe that if you learn a few signs that you will be okay. That mindset is the reason people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0take ASL seriously.\u00a0It is just as difficult as learning a second language. \u201cLearning ASL as a second language may be natural for a few students, extremely difficult for a few, and somewhere between fairly not-so-hard and some difficult for the rest of the students.\u00a0It is\u00a0a typical curve\u201d Jolanta\u00a0Lapiak\u00a0from\u00a0Handspeak\u00a0discusses how challenging\u00a0it is to learn ASL in the article,\u00a0How<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>challenging is it to master American Sign Language?<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Lapiak\u00a0breaks down the difficulty of learning a language into categories.\u00a0The categories are from The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the U.S. Department of\u00a0State\u00a0and they break the languages down based on how many hours you need to practice\u00a0being\u00a0\u201cfluent\u201d in a certain language. While ASL is not on this list, some argue that ASL should be in Category II. Category II requires about 30 weeks of practice\u00a0or 750 hours\u00a0and is the\u00a0equivalent\u00a0to learning German.\u00a0Others argue that ASL is Category IV.\u00a0Category IV requires about 44 weeks of practice or 1100\u00a0hours.\u00a0ASL is constantly gaining new signs which makes it difficult to learn quickly.\r\n\r\nAnother common misconception for ASL is that it is universal. While some signs are the same, like numbers, others like the alphabet are different. ASL is not universal even\u00a0within the United States. My ASL professor, Mary\u00a0Mougey, told my class that signs in Ohio are different in California.\u00a0Signs are different because of slang and\u00a0geographic regions.\u00a0Those who learn\u00a0in\u00a0different locations\u00a0may learn signs\u00a0differently than other people learning in another region. For\u00a0example,\u00a0the alphabet in\u00a0British\u00a0Sign Language is completely different than the alphabet in ASL.\u00a0Finally, ASL has their own syntax. Syntax is\u00a0the set of rules on\u00a0how to structure a sentence. For English, sentences\u00a0are typically structured\u00a0by\u00a0the order subject, verb, and object.\u00a0ASL syntax follows\u00a0TLSOV?\u00a0which is time,\u00a0location, subject,\u00a0object, verb, and question words.\u00a0For\u00a0example,\u00a0a sentence in\u00a0English\u00a0syntax would be\u00a0\u201cMy family goes to the lake in New York for vacation every summer.\u201d ASL syntax would change the sentence to, \u201cEvery summer lake in\u00a0New York my family goes.\u201d\u00a0While it is confusing to learn at first, this helps the deaf community understand the sentences easier.\r\n\r\nAn additional misconception is that deaf people can\u2019t speak. While it\u00a0is\u00a0true for some, others chose to not speak because of their \u201cdeaf accent.\u201d\u00a0When you first learn to talk and learn new words, you are aware of what you sound like and if you are saying something correctly or not. However, since the deaf cannot hear themselves, that is where the deaf accent comes in.\u00a0Most deaf people chose not to speak because they don\u2019t want a hearing person\u00a0think,\u00a0they are weird or sound funny.\u00a0Depending on what age the person went deaf is the reason why people have a deaf accent. Someone who became deaf or hard-of-hearing may have learned how to speak and was hearing for years. Those we are born deaf don\u2019t know how to say things correctly, which causes the accent.\r\n\r\nThere are quite a few academic fields that are involved with the deaf community, one being\u00a0interpreters.\u00a0Interpreters\u00a0are people who know sign and can\u00a0sign what someone is saying to a deaf person.\u00a0ASL interpreters require a bachelors\u2019 degree in ASL, have experience in the field,\u00a0understand and\u00a0are\u00a0fluent in\u00a0another language, most commonly English,\u00a0and ASL.\u00a0The\u00a0demand for interpreters has been on the rise since 2012 and is projected to rise over 19 percent between years 2018 to 2028.\u00a0The deaf has been more openly included in society for the past few years, which explains the job rise\u00a0(U.S. Bureau of Labor).\r\n\r\nTypically, interpreters are\u00a0hearing; however, there are some interpreters that are deaf. For example,\u00a0the governor of Ohio,\u00a0Mike\u00a0Dewine,\u00a0has an\u00a0interpreter\u00a0during the COVID-19 briefings and her name is Maria Berkowitz. She is deaf and has someone who is hearing sign to her in English\u00a0syntax.\u00a0In an interview with WBNS, a news station located in Columbus, Ohio, Berkowitz explains how she\u00a0interprets\u00a0during the COVID-19 briefings.\u00a0Berkowitz says that she has two interpreters at the briefings, one to sign to her, and another to make sure she is signing\u00a0correctly\u00a0(Tegna).\u00a0Berkowitz also talks about the importance of facial\u00a0expressions\u00a0while signing saying,\u00a0to convey an important message to the deaf, you\u00a0must\u00a0use\u00a0facial expressions to express the importance of things (Tegna).\r\n\r\nAnother academic field that is interested in the deaf community is teachers. Teachers are there to help students with anything. However, special education teachers have specialized in how to help those who are lacking something. Usually within a special education classroom, there are students who have behavioral issues, attention issues, or they have a disability that requires them to need some help. There are teachers who are there to help hearing impaired students. Those teachers have certain specifications they must meet to become a teacher for the deaf. They must have a bachelor's degree along with at least two years of experience working with deaf students in a learning setting. Some schools and jobs require their teachers to have a master's degree but that is special for certain schools.\r\n\r\nDuring COVID-19, the deaf community has been faced many more problems than most people realize. Due to the implication of masks, the deaf struggles to communicate with those who don\u2019t know sign language.\u00a0Many\u00a0deaf people rely on\u00a0lip-reading\u00a0but the masks inhibit that. While most news stations have an interpreter during COVID-19 briefings, smaller stations are struggling.\u00a0News stations are also trying to have closed captions for the deaf; however, sometimes the captions aren\u2019t correct. Even at the White House, there has\u00a0not been an interpreter at those briefings, even though many advocates for the deaf community have requested one.\u00a0This time is extremely difficult for everyone but more so for those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind.\r\n\r\nMoving into my research questions, the first one is asking about higher education and how it is different for hearing individuals. Firstly, the deaf have\u00a0their\u00a0own colleges.\u00a0One of the most popular is\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0University located in Washington D.C.\u00a0Gallaudet was founded in 1864 by\u00a0Edward Miner and is open to those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing individuals.\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0is more popular because it was\u00a0one of the first\u00a0colleges\u00a0for the deaf.\u00a0It was also the first place American Sign Language was\u00a0recognized\u00a0as an actual language\u00a0(Gallaudet).\u00a0Gallaudet also offers free ASL classes to help spread awareness.\u00a0Another college that has had a big impact on the deaf community is\u00a0Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester in New York.\u00a0NTID was founded in 1829\u00a0by\u00a0Peter Peterson Hall.\u00a0Rochester,\u00a0New York is the most populated place of deaf people.\u00a0About\u00a0six out of ten people in Rochester are deaf.\u00a0When\u00a0the\u00a0British settlers\u00a0were travelling from\u00a0Kent, England\u00a0to the US, typically the first\u00a0piece of land the\u00a0pilgrims\u00a0were going to hit\u00a0was by Martha\u2019s Vineyard and Cape Cod.\u00a0Until about 1954, about 200\u00a0years, there\u00a0was a close deaf community living on Cape Cod.\u00a0They had families and everyone who lived in their community knew sign, even hearing individuals.\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0their dialect was never recorded and\u00a0the last person to die was in 1954.\r\n\r\nBefore these colleges were established, the deaf community was believed to be dumb. People back then assumed that if you couldn\u2019t\u00a0hear\u00a0that you were automatically stupid. While this is obviously absurd and completely wrong, the deaf couldn\u2019t do much. Throughout their schooling, teachers would force the deaf to sit on their hands so they wouldn\u2019t sign.\u00a0Sign language was almost outlawed in 1880.\u00a0It was uncommon for the deaf to get degrees.\u00a0Most deaf or hard-of-hearing people have about a\u00a0tenth-grade\u00a0reading level. Going to college was difficult\u00a0because of their reading level.\u00a0It was very uncommon for the deaf to go to college and get a degree because of their reading level.\u00a0The deaf community has been more welcomed this past decade than any time before. With the opening of\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0University\u00a0and Rochester\u2019s National\u00a0Technical Institute for the Deaf, the deaf finally have a place to fit in.\r\n\r\nTo answer my second research question about different\u00a0causations and levels of deafness, I\u00a0found an explanation on different causes of deafness. Some deafness is caused by sickness,\u00a0while some is caused by birth defects.\u00a0There are three different types of hearing loss which include conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss\u00a0is the lowest level of hearing loss and is typically caused by a buildup of ear wax. Sensorineural hearing loss is\u00a0most caused\u00a0by damaged hair cells within the cochlea, which\u00a0is in\u00a0the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both\u00a0conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.\u00a0In addition to the three different types of hearing loss there is also four levels of deafness. The first is mild deafness or mild hearing impairment.\u00a0If a person experiences this level of\u00a0deafness,\u00a0they can only detect between 25 and 29 decibels.\u00a0The person could find it hard to understand the words other people say, especially if there is a lot of background noise.\u00a0The next level is moderate deafness or moderate hearing impairment.\u00a0This person can only detect sounds between 40 and 69 decibels.\u00a0For this person, it may be hard to follow a conversation without a hearing aid. The third level is severe deafness. This person can only hear sounds 70 to 89 decibels. People who are severely deaf must lip-read or use sign language to have conversations. Finally, the last level is profound deafness. Anyone who cannot hear a sound below 90\u00a0decibels falls into this last level. To put\u00a0all\u00a0this information into perspective, a normal person with no hearing issues can\u00a0hear\u00a0anything between 0 to 20 decibels\u00a0(Felman).\r\n\r\nIn the article, \u201cParental strategies used in communication with their Deaf infants\u201d, the authors Willie\u00a0Beatrijs, Van\u00a0Lierde\u00a0Kristiane, and Van\u00a0Herreweghe\u00a0Mieke, begin to describe what will happen during the article. First,\u00a0they start off by describing their recorded interactions between parents and Deaf children. All children which were used throughout the study were under the age of three. They also included Deaf and hearing parents to see the difference between the interaction and communication taking place. Moving forward, the authors introduce the background information. It was found that most children do not get screened for any hearing deficiencies and most children who are Deaf, grow up in a home where both parents are hearing (166).\u00a0 However, in Flanders, where this observation took place, an agency began to systematically screen all newborns for hearing loss. This occurred in 1998 and has since gotten the ball rolling on parents to start getting audio tests while their children are young. It has been shown that the younger the hearing loss is detected, the chances of having a positive outcome increase (Beatrijs, et al.166).\u00a0 After parents or caregivers find out if their child has hearing loss, they tend to investigate cochlear implants and get the procedure for their child. Authors then discuss how a child's successful communication is often related to their development of visual attention. The results from the study find that Deaf parents engage with their children with visuals. Deaf parents tend to rely on a combination of \u201cimplicit\u201d and \u201ctactile\u201d strategies more than oral strategies. While incorporating implicit and tactile strategies this helps the parents become a Deaf role model for their Deaf children (176).\u00a0Almost all schools offer hearing tests from kindergarten and do them once a year. Parents typically don\u2019t get their\u00a0child's\u00a0hearing tested at a young age unless they notice something is wrong.\r\n\r\nFinding and obtaining a job is not an easy task for most people, but for those who have any\u00a0disabilities,\u00a0it is\u00a0even harder.\u00a0Deaf or hard-of-hearing people may experience discrimination before or even after they get a job. While there are legal rights to protect those who disabilities, it doesn\u2019t always stop those from being discriminatory. According to the National Deaf Center, about 48% of deaf individuals are employed, leaving 47% not in the labor force and 4.6% are unemployed.\u00a0In 2017, only 53.3% of deaf people between the ages 25 and 64 were employed. Comparing this to hearing individuals 75.8% were employed, which leaves about a 22% gap.\u00a0Employment and pay gaps increase based\u00a0from\u00a0race,\u00a0ethnicity, gender, and disability (National Deaf Center).\u00a0About\u00a042.9% of the deaf opt out for working, more than double of hearing individuals. While the low labor force is not due to the lack of\u00a0interest,\u00a0but\u00a0it is\u00a0because of the lack of options. The deaf are\u00a0often hired for jobs that don\u2019t have much development or advancement.\u00a0Deaf people get burned out from facing so many barriers\u00a0(National Deaf Center).\r\n\r\nIn the article, \u201cHearing Managers of Deaf Workers: A Phenomenological Investigation in the Restaurant Industry,\u201d the main idea is hearing impaired people in the workplace. Authors Hayley\u00a0Stokar\u00a0and John\u00a0Orwat\u00a0begin their article with a brief overview of Deaf people struggling to fit in the workplace. Up front they bring in statistics backing up their topic saying that limits within the workplace reflect on Deaf employment rates. People who are hearing have an employment rate that is 26.5% larger than those who are\u00a0a part\u00a0of the Deaf community (14). This comparison alone shows people with hearing loss struggle to get a job due to them being Deaf. And while the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans\u00a0With\u00a0Disabilities Act are there to prevent any discrimination against the Deaf, it doesn\u2019t guarantee them a job where they feel accepted.\u00a0Stokar\u00a0and\u00a0Orwat\u00a0conducted a study that had research questions that\u00a0investigated\u00a0the issues of \u201caccommodation and integration\u201d within the workplace (15). They had four research questions to better understand the accommodations that were being made for Deaf employees. The study included two subgroups, hearing managers and Deaf employees. After asking the four questions, they proceeded to have interviews with six hearing\u00a0managers and six deaf employees.\u00a0All\u00a0the managers\u00a0possessed\u00a0the same\u00a0qualities\u00a0which included working as a supervisor in\u00a0a high- volume\u00a0restaurant, physically and culturally identified as hearing, had a direct contact with a deaf\u00a0worker, and lacked information on ASL.\u00a0Looking at the analysis of the entire study, most managers had a lack of knowledge of the ADA accommodations.\u00a0Even with the ADA, most employers don\u2019t know the special requirements the deaf community requires.\r\n\r\nFor my\u00a0last two\u00a0research questions, I interviewed my American Sign Language professor, Mary\u00a0Mougey. Mary is deaf and has taught ASL and other deaf classes at Cleveland State University for a few years now. During the interview I\u00a0asked her what her strategies are to teach hearing people sign language\u00a0and why is it better to learn sign language from someone who is\u00a0a part\u00a0of the deaf community.\u00a0People often walk into ASL and believe it\u2019ll be easy,\u00a0Mougey\u00a0says that when a student believes\u00a0that\u00a0she knows they will be surprised.\u00a0Mougey\u00a0said after about four\u00a0classes\u00a0people begin to fully understand that there is more than just learning a few signs.\u00a0One thing\u00a0Mougey\u00a0witnesses firsthand while teaching ASL to hearing students is the level of\u00a0frustration.\u00a0Mougey\u00a0stresses to\u00a0all\u00a0her classes that\u00a0it is\u00a0okay if you forget a sign.\u00a0It is\u00a0extremely difficult. She says that with encouraging words, she lets her students know that they won\u2019t learn everything in five months, and that is okay.\r\n\r\nWhen asked why\u00a0it is\u00a0better to learn ASL from someone who is deaf, Mary\u00a0Mougey\u00a0says\u00a0it is\u00a0because\u00a0it is\u00a0their first language. They have firsthand experience using it.\u00a0She says that for those who are born deaf, they are immersed immediately into the culture of sign.\u00a0When learning sign, you are also taught about the history of it, which was discussed in the paragraph that answers question one. People tend to have a better\u00a0appreciation\u00a0and awareness\u00a0for the deaf community when learning American Sign Language from someone who is deaf.\r\n\r\nTo conclude, communication within the Deaf community is significantly more difficult than communication in the hearing community. Communicating in a society with predominately hearing people is often difficult for hearing impaired persons. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people depend on facial expressions and body language to help them convey and understand a conversation.\u00a0During a time with a global pandemic happening, communication for the deaf has become more difficult especially with the implication of face masks.\u00a0While society has been more accepting of people with disabilities, people still don\u2019t know how to accommodate the Deaf.\u00a0\u00a0With the opening of deaf colleges, the deaf have a place to fit in.\u00a0\u00a0Interpreters have become more\u00a0popular\u00a0and I believe the\u00a0effect\u00a0of COVID-19 will cause the job rise to increase more than it already has.\u00a0 Disabilities have become\u00a0normalized\u00a0and I hope people understand that they are just the same as us \u201cnormal\u201d people.\r\n

Works Cited<\/p>\r\n

\u201cEmployment Report Shows Strong Labor Market Passing by Deaf Americans.\u201d\u00a0National Deaf<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Center<\/em>, 14 Nov. 2019,\u00a0www.nationaldeafcenter.org\/news\/employment-report-shows<\/a>\u00a0strong-labor-market-passing-deaf-americans.<\/p>\r\n

Felman, Adam. \u201cDeafness and Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments.\u201d\u00a0Medical<\/em><\/p>\r\n

News Today<\/em>,\u00a0MediLexicon\u00a0International, 27 June 2018,\u00a0www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/249285<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Garberoglio, Carrie Lou, et al. \u201cDeaf Employment Report.\u201d\u00a0National Deaf Center<\/em>, 2016,<\/p>\r\n

www.nationaldeafcenter.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Deaf\u00a0Employment Report_final.pdf.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cInterpreters and\u00a0Translators :\u00a0Occupational Outlook Handbook.\u201d\u00a0U.S. Bureau of Labor<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Statistics<\/em>, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19 Sept. 2019,\u00a0www.bls.gov\/ooh\/media-and-communication\/interpreters-and-translators.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Lapiak, Jolanta. \u201cHow Challenging Is It to Master American Sign Language?\u201d\u00a0Handspeak<\/em>,<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0www.handspeak.com\/learn\/index.php?id=205<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Lawyer,\u00a0Gloshanda. \u201cDeaf Education and Deaf Culture: Lessons from Latin America.\u201d\u00a0American Annals of the Deaf<\/em>, vol. 162, no. 5, Winter 2018, pp. 486\u2013488.\u00a0EBSCOhost<\/em>, doi:10.1353\/aad.2018.0006.<\/p>\r\n

Mougey, Mary. Professor at Cleveland State University.<\/p>\r\n

Stokar, Hayley, and John\u00a0Orwat. \u201cHearing Managers of Deaf Workers: A<\/p>\r\n

Phenomenological Investigation in the Restaurant Industry.\u201d\u00a0American Annals of the Deaf<\/em>, vol. 163, no. 1, Spring 2018, pp. 13\u201334.\u00a0EBSCOhost<\/em>, doi:10.1353\/aad.2018.0009.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cTable A-6. Employment Status of the Civilian Population by Sex, Age, and Disability Status,<\/p>\r\n

Not Seasonally Adjusted.\u201d\u00a0U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/em>, U.S. Bureau of Labo Statistics, 3 Apr. 2020,\u00a0www.bls.gov\/news.release\/empsit.t06.htm.<\/p>\r\n

Tegna. \u201cMeet Marla Berkowitz, Deaf Interpreter in the Spotlight during Ohio's COVID-19<\/p>\r\n

Briefings.\u201d\u00a0WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports<\/em>\u00a015 Apr. 2020,\u00a0www.10tv.com\/article\/meet-marla-berkowitz-deaf-interpreter-spotlight-during-ohios-covid-19-briefings-2020-apr<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\u201cWho We Are.\u201d\u00a0Who We Are \u2013 Gallaudet<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>University<\/em>, www.gallaudet.edu\/about\/who-we-are.<\/p>","rendered":"

English 102, April 2020<\/h3>\n

To conclude my time in English 102 I plan on diving deeper into the topic of communication in the deaf community. Deaf culture is slowly becoming more socially accepted in society. I plan on discussing the differences and difficulties that the deaf community must face and answering some research questions. I chose to continue writing about this topic because I am currently in an American Sign Language class and my professor is deaf, and it got my thinking about any struggles the deaf community encounters. I plan on relating this to the circumstances we as a world are facing. I am also going to discuss the difficulties the deaf community faces in a\u00a0day to day\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

To help\u00a0develop my paper, I have five research questions. Those\u00a0being:\u00a0How is higher education different for those who are deaf or hearing impaired compared to those who are hearing? What are different causations of becoming deaf? (different\u00a0levels\u00a0of deafness)\u00a0How hard is it to get a stable job as a deaf person?\u00a0What are strategies to teach hearing individuals American\u00a0Sign\u00a0Language?\u00a0Why is it easier to learn ASL from a deaf individual?<\/p>\n

Before answering my research\u00a0questions,\u00a0I want to mention common misconceptions within the deaf community.\u00a0One of the biggest misconceptions is that American Sign Language\u00a0is an easy language to learn.\u00a0Most people\u00a0believe that if you learn a few signs that you will be okay. That mindset is the reason people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0take ASL seriously.\u00a0It is just as difficult as learning a second language. \u201cLearning ASL as a second language may be natural for a few students, extremely difficult for a few, and somewhere between fairly not-so-hard and some difficult for the rest of the students.\u00a0It is\u00a0a typical curve\u201d Jolanta\u00a0Lapiak\u00a0from\u00a0Handspeak\u00a0discusses how challenging\u00a0it is to learn ASL in the article,\u00a0How<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>challenging is it to master American Sign Language?<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Lapiak\u00a0breaks down the difficulty of learning a language into categories.\u00a0The categories are from The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the U.S. Department of\u00a0State\u00a0and they break the languages down based on how many hours you need to practice\u00a0being\u00a0\u201cfluent\u201d in a certain language. While ASL is not on this list, some argue that ASL should be in Category II. Category II requires about 30 weeks of practice\u00a0or 750 hours\u00a0and is the\u00a0equivalent\u00a0to learning German.\u00a0Others argue that ASL is Category IV.\u00a0Category IV requires about 44 weeks of practice or 1100\u00a0hours.\u00a0ASL is constantly gaining new signs which makes it difficult to learn quickly.<\/p>\n

Another common misconception for ASL is that it is universal. While some signs are the same, like numbers, others like the alphabet are different. ASL is not universal even\u00a0within the United States. My ASL professor, Mary\u00a0Mougey, told my class that signs in Ohio are different in California.\u00a0Signs are different because of slang and\u00a0geographic regions.\u00a0Those who learn\u00a0in\u00a0different locations\u00a0may learn signs\u00a0differently than other people learning in another region. For\u00a0example,\u00a0the alphabet in\u00a0British\u00a0Sign Language is completely different than the alphabet in ASL.\u00a0Finally, ASL has their own syntax. Syntax is\u00a0the set of rules on\u00a0how to structure a sentence. For English, sentences\u00a0are typically structured\u00a0by\u00a0the order subject, verb, and object.\u00a0ASL syntax follows\u00a0TLSOV?\u00a0which is time,\u00a0location, subject,\u00a0object, verb, and question words.\u00a0For\u00a0example,\u00a0a sentence in\u00a0English\u00a0syntax would be\u00a0\u201cMy family goes to the lake in New York for vacation every summer.\u201d ASL syntax would change the sentence to, \u201cEvery summer lake in\u00a0New York my family goes.\u201d\u00a0While it is confusing to learn at first, this helps the deaf community understand the sentences easier.<\/p>\n

An additional misconception is that deaf people can\u2019t speak. While it\u00a0is\u00a0true for some, others chose to not speak because of their \u201cdeaf accent.\u201d\u00a0When you first learn to talk and learn new words, you are aware of what you sound like and if you are saying something correctly or not. However, since the deaf cannot hear themselves, that is where the deaf accent comes in.\u00a0Most deaf people chose not to speak because they don\u2019t want a hearing person\u00a0think,\u00a0they are weird or sound funny.\u00a0Depending on what age the person went deaf is the reason why people have a deaf accent. Someone who became deaf or hard-of-hearing may have learned how to speak and was hearing for years. Those we are born deaf don\u2019t know how to say things correctly, which causes the accent.<\/p>\n

There are quite a few academic fields that are involved with the deaf community, one being\u00a0interpreters.\u00a0Interpreters\u00a0are people who know sign and can\u00a0sign what someone is saying to a deaf person.\u00a0ASL interpreters require a bachelors\u2019 degree in ASL, have experience in the field,\u00a0understand and\u00a0are\u00a0fluent in\u00a0another language, most commonly English,\u00a0and ASL.\u00a0The\u00a0demand for interpreters has been on the rise since 2012 and is projected to rise over 19 percent between years 2018 to 2028.\u00a0The deaf has been more openly included in society for the past few years, which explains the job rise\u00a0(U.S. Bureau of Labor).<\/p>\n

Typically, interpreters are\u00a0hearing; however, there are some interpreters that are deaf. For example,\u00a0the governor of Ohio,\u00a0Mike\u00a0Dewine,\u00a0has an\u00a0interpreter\u00a0during the COVID-19 briefings and her name is Maria Berkowitz. She is deaf and has someone who is hearing sign to her in English\u00a0syntax.\u00a0In an interview with WBNS, a news station located in Columbus, Ohio, Berkowitz explains how she\u00a0interprets\u00a0during the COVID-19 briefings.\u00a0Berkowitz says that she has two interpreters at the briefings, one to sign to her, and another to make sure she is signing\u00a0correctly\u00a0(Tegna).\u00a0Berkowitz also talks about the importance of facial\u00a0expressions\u00a0while signing saying,\u00a0to convey an important message to the deaf, you\u00a0must\u00a0use\u00a0facial expressions to express the importance of things (Tegna).<\/p>\n

Another academic field that is interested in the deaf community is teachers. Teachers are there to help students with anything. However, special education teachers have specialized in how to help those who are lacking something. Usually within a special education classroom, there are students who have behavioral issues, attention issues, or they have a disability that requires them to need some help. There are teachers who are there to help hearing impaired students. Those teachers have certain specifications they must meet to become a teacher for the deaf. They must have a bachelor’s degree along with at least two years of experience working with deaf students in a learning setting. Some schools and jobs require their teachers to have a master’s degree but that is special for certain schools.<\/p>\n

During COVID-19, the deaf community has been faced many more problems than most people realize. Due to the implication of masks, the deaf struggles to communicate with those who don\u2019t know sign language.\u00a0Many\u00a0deaf people rely on\u00a0lip-reading\u00a0but the masks inhibit that. While most news stations have an interpreter during COVID-19 briefings, smaller stations are struggling.\u00a0News stations are also trying to have closed captions for the deaf; however, sometimes the captions aren\u2019t correct. Even at the White House, there has\u00a0not been an interpreter at those briefings, even though many advocates for the deaf community have requested one.\u00a0This time is extremely difficult for everyone but more so for those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind.<\/p>\n

Moving into my research questions, the first one is asking about higher education and how it is different for hearing individuals. Firstly, the deaf have\u00a0their\u00a0own colleges.\u00a0One of the most popular is\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0University located in Washington D.C.\u00a0Gallaudet was founded in 1864 by\u00a0Edward Miner and is open to those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing individuals.\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0is more popular because it was\u00a0one of the first\u00a0colleges\u00a0for the deaf.\u00a0It was also the first place American Sign Language was\u00a0recognized\u00a0as an actual language\u00a0(Gallaudet).\u00a0Gallaudet also offers free ASL classes to help spread awareness.\u00a0Another college that has had a big impact on the deaf community is\u00a0Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester in New York.\u00a0NTID was founded in 1829\u00a0by\u00a0Peter Peterson Hall.\u00a0Rochester,\u00a0New York is the most populated place of deaf people.\u00a0About\u00a0six out of ten people in Rochester are deaf.\u00a0When\u00a0the\u00a0British settlers\u00a0were travelling from\u00a0Kent, England\u00a0to the US, typically the first\u00a0piece of land the\u00a0pilgrims\u00a0were going to hit\u00a0was by Martha\u2019s Vineyard and Cape Cod.\u00a0Until about 1954, about 200\u00a0years, there\u00a0was a close deaf community living on Cape Cod.\u00a0They had families and everyone who lived in their community knew sign, even hearing individuals.\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0their dialect was never recorded and\u00a0the last person to die was in 1954.<\/p>\n

Before these colleges were established, the deaf community was believed to be dumb. People back then assumed that if you couldn\u2019t\u00a0hear\u00a0that you were automatically stupid. While this is obviously absurd and completely wrong, the deaf couldn\u2019t do much. Throughout their schooling, teachers would force the deaf to sit on their hands so they wouldn\u2019t sign.\u00a0Sign language was almost outlawed in 1880.\u00a0It was uncommon for the deaf to get degrees.\u00a0Most deaf or hard-of-hearing people have about a\u00a0tenth-grade\u00a0reading level. Going to college was difficult\u00a0because of their reading level.\u00a0It was very uncommon for the deaf to go to college and get a degree because of their reading level.\u00a0The deaf community has been more welcomed this past decade than any time before. With the opening of\u00a0Gallaudet\u00a0University\u00a0and Rochester\u2019s National\u00a0Technical Institute for the Deaf, the deaf finally have a place to fit in.<\/p>\n

To answer my second research question about different\u00a0causations and levels of deafness, I\u00a0found an explanation on different causes of deafness. Some deafness is caused by sickness,\u00a0while some is caused by birth defects.\u00a0There are three different types of hearing loss which include conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss\u00a0is the lowest level of hearing loss and is typically caused by a buildup of ear wax. Sensorineural hearing loss is\u00a0most caused\u00a0by damaged hair cells within the cochlea, which\u00a0is in\u00a0the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both\u00a0conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.\u00a0In addition to the three different types of hearing loss there is also four levels of deafness. The first is mild deafness or mild hearing impairment.\u00a0If a person experiences this level of\u00a0deafness,\u00a0they can only detect between 25 and 29 decibels.\u00a0The person could find it hard to understand the words other people say, especially if there is a lot of background noise.\u00a0The next level is moderate deafness or moderate hearing impairment.\u00a0This person can only detect sounds between 40 and 69 decibels.\u00a0For this person, it may be hard to follow a conversation without a hearing aid. The third level is severe deafness. This person can only hear sounds 70 to 89 decibels. People who are severely deaf must lip-read or use sign language to have conversations. Finally, the last level is profound deafness. Anyone who cannot hear a sound below 90\u00a0decibels falls into this last level. To put\u00a0all\u00a0this information into perspective, a normal person with no hearing issues can\u00a0hear\u00a0anything between 0 to 20 decibels\u00a0(Felman).<\/p>\n

In the article, \u201cParental strategies used in communication with their Deaf infants\u201d, the authors Willie\u00a0Beatrijs, Van\u00a0Lierde\u00a0Kristiane, and Van\u00a0Herreweghe\u00a0Mieke, begin to describe what will happen during the article. First,\u00a0they start off by describing their recorded interactions between parents and Deaf children. All children which were used throughout the study were under the age of three. They also included Deaf and hearing parents to see the difference between the interaction and communication taking place. Moving forward, the authors introduce the background information. It was found that most children do not get screened for any hearing deficiencies and most children who are Deaf, grow up in a home where both parents are hearing (166).\u00a0 However, in Flanders, where this observation took place, an agency began to systematically screen all newborns for hearing loss. This occurred in 1998 and has since gotten the ball rolling on parents to start getting audio tests while their children are young. It has been shown that the younger the hearing loss is detected, the chances of having a positive outcome increase (Beatrijs, et al.166).\u00a0 After parents or caregivers find out if their child has hearing loss, they tend to investigate cochlear implants and get the procedure for their child. Authors then discuss how a child’s successful communication is often related to their development of visual attention. The results from the study find that Deaf parents engage with their children with visuals. Deaf parents tend to rely on a combination of \u201cimplicit\u201d and \u201ctactile\u201d strategies more than oral strategies. While incorporating implicit and tactile strategies this helps the parents become a Deaf role model for their Deaf children (176).\u00a0Almost all schools offer hearing tests from kindergarten and do them once a year. Parents typically don\u2019t get their\u00a0child’s\u00a0hearing tested at a young age unless they notice something is wrong.<\/p>\n

Finding and obtaining a job is not an easy task for most people, but for those who have any\u00a0disabilities,\u00a0it is\u00a0even harder.\u00a0Deaf or hard-of-hearing people may experience discrimination before or even after they get a job. While there are legal rights to protect those who disabilities, it doesn\u2019t always stop those from being discriminatory. According to the National Deaf Center, about 48% of deaf individuals are employed, leaving 47% not in the labor force and 4.6% are unemployed.\u00a0In 2017, only 53.3% of deaf people between the ages 25 and 64 were employed. Comparing this to hearing individuals 75.8% were employed, which leaves about a 22% gap.\u00a0Employment and pay gaps increase based\u00a0from\u00a0race,\u00a0ethnicity, gender, and disability (National Deaf Center).\u00a0About\u00a042.9% of the deaf opt out for working, more than double of hearing individuals. While the low labor force is not due to the lack of\u00a0interest,\u00a0but\u00a0it is\u00a0because of the lack of options. The deaf are\u00a0often hired for jobs that don\u2019t have much development or advancement.\u00a0Deaf people get burned out from facing so many barriers\u00a0(National Deaf Center).<\/p>\n

In the article, \u201cHearing Managers of Deaf Workers: A Phenomenological Investigation in the Restaurant Industry,\u201d the main idea is hearing impaired people in the workplace. Authors Hayley\u00a0Stokar\u00a0and John\u00a0Orwat\u00a0begin their article with a brief overview of Deaf people struggling to fit in the workplace. Up front they bring in statistics backing up their topic saying that limits within the workplace reflect on Deaf employment rates. People who are hearing have an employment rate that is 26.5% larger than those who are\u00a0a part\u00a0of the Deaf community (14). This comparison alone shows people with hearing loss struggle to get a job due to them being Deaf. And while the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans\u00a0With\u00a0Disabilities Act are there to prevent any discrimination against the Deaf, it doesn\u2019t guarantee them a job where they feel accepted.\u00a0Stokar\u00a0and\u00a0Orwat\u00a0conducted a study that had research questions that\u00a0investigated\u00a0the issues of \u201caccommodation and integration\u201d within the workplace (15). They had four research questions to better understand the accommodations that were being made for Deaf employees. The study included two subgroups, hearing managers and Deaf employees. After asking the four questions, they proceeded to have interviews with six hearing\u00a0managers and six deaf employees.\u00a0All\u00a0the managers\u00a0possessed\u00a0the same\u00a0qualities\u00a0which included working as a supervisor in\u00a0a high- volume\u00a0restaurant, physically and culturally identified as hearing, had a direct contact with a deaf\u00a0worker, and lacked information on ASL.\u00a0Looking at the analysis of the entire study, most managers had a lack of knowledge of the ADA accommodations.\u00a0Even with the ADA, most employers don\u2019t know the special requirements the deaf community requires.<\/p>\n

For my\u00a0last two\u00a0research questions, I interviewed my American Sign Language professor, Mary\u00a0Mougey. Mary is deaf and has taught ASL and other deaf classes at Cleveland State University for a few years now. During the interview I\u00a0asked her what her strategies are to teach hearing people sign language\u00a0and why is it better to learn sign language from someone who is\u00a0a part\u00a0of the deaf community.\u00a0People often walk into ASL and believe it\u2019ll be easy,\u00a0Mougey\u00a0says that when a student believes\u00a0that\u00a0she knows they will be surprised.\u00a0Mougey\u00a0said after about four\u00a0classes\u00a0people begin to fully understand that there is more than just learning a few signs.\u00a0One thing\u00a0Mougey\u00a0witnesses firsthand while teaching ASL to hearing students is the level of\u00a0frustration.\u00a0Mougey\u00a0stresses to\u00a0all\u00a0her classes that\u00a0it is\u00a0okay if you forget a sign.\u00a0It is\u00a0extremely difficult. She says that with encouraging words, she lets her students know that they won\u2019t learn everything in five months, and that is okay.<\/p>\n

When asked why\u00a0it is\u00a0better to learn ASL from someone who is deaf, Mary\u00a0Mougey\u00a0says\u00a0it is\u00a0because\u00a0it is\u00a0their first language. They have firsthand experience using it.\u00a0She says that for those who are born deaf, they are immersed immediately into the culture of sign.\u00a0When learning sign, you are also taught about the history of it, which was discussed in the paragraph that answers question one. People tend to have a better\u00a0appreciation\u00a0and awareness\u00a0for the deaf community when learning American Sign Language from someone who is deaf.<\/p>\n

To conclude, communication within the Deaf community is significantly more difficult than communication in the hearing community. Communicating in a society with predominately hearing people is often difficult for hearing impaired persons. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people depend on facial expressions and body language to help them convey and understand a conversation.\u00a0During a time with a global pandemic happening, communication for the deaf has become more difficult especially with the implication of face masks.\u00a0While society has been more accepting of people with disabilities, people still don\u2019t know how to accommodate the Deaf.\u00a0\u00a0With the opening of deaf colleges, the deaf have a place to fit in.\u00a0\u00a0Interpreters have become more\u00a0popular\u00a0and I believe the\u00a0effect\u00a0of COVID-19 will cause the job rise to increase more than it already has.\u00a0 Disabilities have become\u00a0normalized\u00a0and I hope people understand that they are just the same as us \u201cnormal\u201d people.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployment Report Shows Strong Labor Market Passing by Deaf Americans.\u201d\u00a0National Deaf<\/em><\/p>\n

Center<\/em>, 14 Nov. 2019,\u00a0www.nationaldeafcenter.org\/news\/employment-report-shows<\/a>\u00a0strong-labor-market-passing-deaf-americans.<\/p>\n

Felman, Adam. \u201cDeafness and Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments.\u201d\u00a0Medical<\/em><\/p>\n

News Today<\/em>,\u00a0MediLexicon\u00a0International, 27 June 2018,\u00a0www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/249285<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Garberoglio, Carrie Lou, et al. \u201cDeaf Employment Report.\u201d\u00a0National Deaf Center<\/em>, 2016,<\/p>\n

www.nationaldeafcenter.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Deaf\u00a0Employment Report_final.pdf.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterpreters and\u00a0Translators :\u00a0Occupational Outlook Handbook.\u201d\u00a0U.S. Bureau of Labor<\/em><\/p>\n

Statistics<\/em>, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19 Sept. 2019,\u00a0www.bls.gov\/ooh\/media-and-communication\/interpreters-and-translators.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lapiak, Jolanta. \u201cHow Challenging Is It to Master American Sign Language?\u201d\u00a0Handspeak<\/em>,<\/p>\n

\u00a0www.handspeak.com\/learn\/index.php?id=205<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lawyer,\u00a0Gloshanda. \u201cDeaf Education and Deaf Culture: Lessons from Latin America.\u201d\u00a0American Annals of the Deaf<\/em>, vol. 162, no. 5, Winter 2018, pp. 486\u2013488.\u00a0EBSCOhost<\/em>, doi:10.1353\/aad.2018.0006.<\/p>\n

Mougey, Mary. Professor at Cleveland State University.<\/p>\n

Stokar, Hayley, and John\u00a0Orwat. \u201cHearing Managers of Deaf Workers: A<\/p>\n

Phenomenological Investigation in the Restaurant Industry.\u201d\u00a0American Annals of the Deaf<\/em>, vol. 163, no. 1, Spring 2018, pp. 13\u201334.\u00a0EBSCOhost<\/em>, doi:10.1353\/aad.2018.0009.<\/p>\n

\u201cTable A-6. Employment Status of the Civilian Population by Sex, Age, and Disability Status,<\/p>\n

Not Seasonally Adjusted.\u201d\u00a0U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/em>, U.S. Bureau of Labo Statistics, 3 Apr. 2020,\u00a0www.bls.gov\/news.release\/empsit.t06.htm.<\/p>\n

Tegna. \u201cMeet Marla Berkowitz, Deaf Interpreter in the Spotlight during Ohio’s COVID-19<\/p>\n

Briefings.\u201d\u00a0WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports<\/em>\u00a015 Apr. 2020,\u00a0www.10tv.com\/article\/meet-marla-berkowitz-deaf-interpreter-spotlight-during-ohios-covid-19-briefings-2020-apr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWho We Are.\u201d\u00a0Who We Are \u2013 Gallaudet<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>University<\/em>, www.gallaudet.edu\/about\/who-we-are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["sciha"],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[79],"license":[],"class_list":["post-343","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-sciha"],"part":310,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":592,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/343\/revisions\/592"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/310"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/343\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=343"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=343"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}