The creation of a new aggregator, DeafSide, is now the epicentre of a controversy. Certain bloggers are screaming that Deaf-Side is a self-betrayal! Betrayal of what? I am certainly not clear on that. However, I would like to offer ONE humble Deaf Canadian’s perspective… from yours truly.

As you may already be aware, Canada is a multicultural and officially bilingual country where minority immigrants come from various countries in the world. These immigrants are allowed to continue to speak their own languages, practice their own cultures, traditions and congregate in their own clubs, organizations etc. Yet, they are able to speak English and/or French and interact with the majority on a daily basis. Once the interacting with the majority is done, these minority groups gather in their own clubs and shoot the breeze in their own language, play soccer or other sports popular in their countries. Feel free to click on those links which show the great variety of ethnic groups in Canada that call themselves Canadians and yet have “homes”, or “safe harbours.”

http://www.saeaweb.org/node/4c

http://www.londongreekcommunity.org/center.htm
http://www.math.toronto.edu/toronto/

What does all that have to do with DeafRead and DeafSide? PLENTY!

For one thing… you can look at DeafRead in a similar vein as Canada… a place where various people in the Deaf spectrum, from ASL to English, Deaf Culture, CI, etc, with varying perspectives that often clash. DeafSide is one of the enclaves of DeafRead. DeafSide is where the culturally Deaf people wish to relax in a safe Deaf-centered harbour and be able to discuss language, culture, and other topics without having to defend or justify ASL and the Deaf existence. When the Deaf have had their chance to relax at a Cyberspace Deaf Club, they can then go refreshed into DeafRead. We all need a safe harbour where we do not need to worry about attacks, or being invalidated as needing to be fixed or being told that children nowadays do not need ASL because they have CI.

I, for one, am looking forward to joining DeafSide, and vlog…as soon as my frustrating technological issues is resolved (hence, my blogging only rather than vlogging). I look forward to potential ASL and cultural discussions, a la Parisian Deaf Banquet (you gotta go to a Deafhood workshop). I will continue to go to Deafread. It is always good to read a wide variety of perspectives that really make you think, even if there are times when you want to cheer or yell at someone. Such is life!

After leaving the excellent Deafhood workshop given by Ella Mae Lentz, David Eberwein and Genie Gertz at NTID last March, my fellow Canadians and I mulled over the term deafness as being negative… similar to sadness, illness, madness, etc, whereas Deafhood is defined as the positive possibilities that comes with our being Deaf. One young friend asked: What about happiness? That is a positive term ending with –ness! That caused me to think further upon the topic.

Happiness is defined as a state of well-being and contentment (Merriam-Webster dictionary). A positive term. Now, let’s look at a negative term. Madness is defined as the quality or state of being mad (Merriam-Webster dictionary, again) Both terms have the same suffix, and similar definition: a state of being.

For the sake of this discussion, I submit that the suffix -ness is defined as the state of being… Thus, sadness, illness, madness, and happiness are all temporary conditions that can be affected for the better, or worse, by any number of factors.

Deafness could be defined as the state of being deaf. Therefore, in the medical community, deafness is a condition that must be ameliorated, and fixed if at all possible. Thus, early infant screening tests and cochlear implants come into existence. The term deafness is accepted by those who view their “condition” as hopefully changeable to any degree, preferably to what is “normal”. Deafness is a pathological term that needs to be done away with.

This pathological perspective keeps us in a state where we constantly compare ourselves unfavourably with the “normal” Hearing people. Normal??? What is normal, anyway? In whose eyes? Normalcy is in the eye of the beholder, and thus a very subjective term. One person’s definition of normal isn’t necessarily the same as another person’s. Hence, this act of comparison must stop.

Deafhood is defined as being “in essence an assertion that being deaf and being different from hearing people has a positive value for mankind and nothing to combat against like a disease.” (Wikipedia) It is the process (a journey) of examining one’s identity as a Deaf person. A soul-searching, in other words, to define oneself as Deaf in the linguistic and cultural sense. This is a quite empowering concept.

Which perspective do I choose? Deafness or Deafhood? Do I choose deafness… the state of being deaf, a condition that would hopefully change? Or do I choose Deafhood…the process of defining myself as a proud linguistic and cultural Deaf individual, who happens to be bilingual? I know where I am in my journey.

Do you know where you are in your journey?

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Note: I have yet to read Paddy Ladd’s “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood“, but that is next on my list of must-read books.