How DEAF PAST shapes us TODAY
By Emily Burke, MA, PsyS
For people who don’t know me, I enjoy U.S. History immensely. My daughter and I enjoy checking out stacks of historical fiction books from the library. Growing up, I had the Little House and American Girl books lined up on my bookshelf. I could recite all the U.S. Presidents in order, as I devoured the glossy pages of this big red book that highlighted facts and events during each presidency. That was illuminating to me, and to this day, my sister texts me BuzzFeed quizzes on presidents and history. I still score high on those quizzes (ahem, could my time be used more efficiently?)
In recent weeks, I have been enthralled by Deaf History. Perhaps because I watched a presentation during virtual EHDI about the importance of introducing Deaf History and culture to Deaf/HH children and youth. Perhaps because I was processing thoughts for my daughter’s upcoming IEP for seventh grade. Many Deaf/HH kids, including my own, are mainstreamed with limited exposure to Deaf History and culture at school. Growing up, I had glimpses of Deaf History when my family involved me with the Deaf community, and when a family friend gifted me a heavy, orangish Deaf Heritage book by Jack Gannon which I read cover to cover. It was not until I enrolled in a Deaf culture course at the University of Minnesota that I started to immerse myself more. I loved this course, with a Deaf professor teaching directly in ASL–music to my eyes. After getting my BA in Minnesota, I walked onto the Gallaudet campus in DC for graduate school. There, at one of the biggest Deaf congregations in history, I absorbed so much more. I resonated with being Deaf.
I am raising my kids to embrace their identity within the Deaf community. My daughter is becoming more studious about history and culture. Because my husband, who is also Deaf, and I are intertwined with Deaf culture, our thought processes and responses to various situations reflect that. I value and embrace ASL because that is the language my hearing parents and sister (and my milieu) learned to communicate with me. Being Deaf is not the only identity we have; we must identify by our name, then we have many wonderful components that make up who we are, including how we are part of the Deaf community.
Coming back to my recent spotlight earlier on Deaf History, I reflected upon a well-known conference of deaf educators that occurred in Milan, Italy in 1880, that touched SO MANY DEAF PEOPLE. Ripples from that time in history still affect us today, through that small group of influencers who ultimately established the destiny of thousands, if not millions, of Deaf/HH people for over a century without the consent of Deaf/HH people themselves. I pored over pictures of individuals who were involved in this event and tried to look intensely into their paper eyes so I could unpack and evaluate their minds. What drove these men to assume the reins of language and education of Deaf/HH people? I Googled vintage pictures and videos of Deaf leaders who labored tirelessly in the aftermath of this conference. I can only imagine what it was like being Deaf/HH during that era, especially minus the hearing technology we have today, standing up for their natural rights. We are still tackling obstacles for full access to our rights. Today, leaders of the Deaf community continue the mission to preserve many components of history and culture, and the language that comes with it.
The other day, I spoke with a dear friend of mine who is also Deaf who also took a Deaf History course at Gallaudet University, and spoke highly of it. Gallaudet has historians who specialize in collecting and archiving the history of Deaf people. I heard stories at camp, Deaf clubs, church, Deaf events, and through my friends with Deaf parents. Those captivating experiences Deaf/HH people went through and how they felt and responded stuck with me, and shaped how I perceive challenges that families raising Deaf/HH kids go through now, including my own family.
What can we do now? I encourage you, however you are connected to the Deaf/HH community (as parents, educators, language providers, medical providers, advocators, DHH individuals), to dive into learning about Deaf History. Meet and get to know Deaf/HH people in your community. Learn from them, their experiences, and their heritage. Watch documentaries. They’re all over YouTube and PBS. Follow Deaf/HH storytellers on social media, and read Deaf/HH history books. Seriously, they have the BEST CHAMP STORIES TO TELL! Have your IEP team consider adding Deaf role models, Deaf History, and opportunities for inclusion with the Deaf/HH community to supplement the well-being of your Deaf/HH child. The Special Considerations of the IDEA support these opportunities. A child’s heritage ties in with the Deaf community, perhaps not genetically, but by being Deaf/HH, we are connected one way or another.
As we all know, history is a crucial part of the school curriculum because we can learn from the past, and how we can promote change. History gives us a choice: to repeat itself over and over by adhering to old, outdated viewpoints or to learn from history, and grab the gift of opportunity to develop new and/or more accurate viewpoints, change, and grow for the better for generations to come. ~
Editor’s note: Emily Burke is a guest author for Leeanne Seaver’s column in this issue. She is a Deaf adult and parent with a background in school psychology and advocacy. Hands & Voices has been instrumental with emotional and academic parent support after their daughter was identified as Deaf at birth. Emily gives back by sharing the passion of full access to language, Deaf culture, and history – a component of the Deaf heart. That is why Emily serves as a Texas Hands & Voices board member. Emily is a native cheesehead transplanted in the south with her husband, Adan, and two kids Ava (Deaf with a cochlear implant) and Eli (CODA).
H&V Communicator – Summer 2021