During the course of this lecture, we will study the general theory of oppression and the different levels involved, with a focus on audism and linguicism. We will go through the history of the two terms, how they came to be in our consciousness, and learn how to identify them in various situations.
This presentation will focus on the roles played by hearing people with various levels of involvement in the Deaf community. We will explore the meaning behind the three terms: Deaf Heart, Allyship, and Allophilia, and the process a person may go through to acquire one of these labels.
Eugenics did not die out, as many would believe, instead it evolved into the field of scientific and medical research: Genetics. This workshop will take you through the more recent history of genetics research and how it has impacted the modern Deaf community, as we know it.
This lecture is intended as an introduction to the Deaf world and culture, and is excellent for audiences who have little to no experience with or knowledge of Deaf people and their culture. We will touch down on various aspects of the Deaf World, including current events and issues, with the goal that the audience will leave with a general knowledge and understanding of it.
The objective of this workshop is to introduce you to the ASL literature of the Deaf community. The presenter will cover the different genres within this category. By studying specific literary works in ASL, we will examine the cultural and social constraints and functions of literature. By end of the presentation, the audience will have a general understanding of ASL literature in a way that reflects and reinforces Deaf-World values, beliefs and traditions.
In this workshop, we will explore how the eugenics movement began and its growth in America. Then we’ll take a look at how Alexander Graham Bell became a part of the movement and how deaf people came into the picture. That brings us to an interesting question about his involvement in the eugenics movement: was he truly the villain that the Deaf and ASL community believe him to be…or did he save the Deaf community from a worse fate?
The Deaf community has always had a complicated relationship with the label and idea of being disabled or having a disability. There are those who accept the label and there are those who refuse to, and this workshop will discuss why we have such polarizing views. To those who think so, why is such a label unacceptable? The main focus of this lecture will be on why the label of disability has had such a negative impact on the deaf community.
In this presentation, we will discuss how Eric "Malz" Malzkuhn's attempts of translating Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem, Jabberwocky, from English to ASL, helped catapult his career as an ASL storyteller and actor. Malz's translation brought him into the limelight and got him into the National Theater for the Deaf, as well as a place of honor in ASL Literature. We may wonder what is so special about Malz's translation and the poem itself, and we will go through that in this presentation.
Have you ever watched someone tell an ASL story and all of sudden, you realize that the details of the story is playing in your mind like a real movie, with images and all? In this workshop, the audience will learn all about the ASL storytelling technique that makes the audience feel like they're watching a movie, and how it works. The audience will have the opportunity to view several examples of this type of storytelling and come to a better understanding of the magic behind this unique technique!
In this presentation, we will take a look at he history of deaf clubs, what it meant to the Deaf community, the role it played in the lives of Deaf people, and how deaf clubs have evolved over time. We have noticed a sharp decline in deaf clubs in the last decade or so, and there are various theories as to why they’re disappearing. This leads us to wonder what will become of deaf clubs in the future. Also to be discussed is the question of if deaf clubs are disappearing or have they simply evolved?
Occasionally, a deaf character will make an appearance in a Hollywood film, whether played by a deaf or hearing actor, and for the deaf community, it’s an exciting thing. Or is it? For this workshop, we will take a closer look at how accurately the characters are represented, common stereotypes and misconceptions sent across by the characters, and more. We will start with some of the earliest movies ever produced and as we go forward in time, we will compare the characters and unmask the ideological cycle that has impacted all of the deaf characters in our history of films.
We will explore the development of signed languages; the transition to a language from gestures. There will be a discussion on the question of whether or not there is still a link between gestures and signed languages. Also, the theory of iconicity and arbitrariness of sign languages will be discussed. The knowledge and skill of gesturing is a necessary foundation to knowing ASL, because there is an important connection between signers’ ASL skills and gesturing abilities. We will explore the role gestures play in ASL Literature, specifically Visual Vernacular.
There are so many classic stories, jokes, and folklore that belongs only to the Deaf community. Most of these have been passed down for generations and connects the community members through humor and shared experiences. In this workshop, we will discuss why so many of these stories have endured throughout generations and also why some once-popular jokes or stories have faded away or why some stories are seeing a resurrection now after seeing a decline in popularity. This is a fun workshop that you will enjoy, especially with the abundance of deaf humor that we'll be sharing!
This lecture will focus on a specific ASL Literature genre, Stories with Constraints. There are four types of stories with constraints, which are: ABC stories, numbers stories, word stories, and one-handshape stories. During the course of this lecture, the audience will learn the appropriate format for each of the four stories and how to create good quality stories with constraints. These basic principles will also give the audience tools to critique others’ stories with constraints. Video examples of stories with constraints will be shown and the audience will be able to practice critiquing the stories using tools learned during the presentation.
Plato was a world-famous philosopher who is known for his many questions that challenged the natural world and order of things. One of the things Plato challenged, but failed to get an answer to: finding the perfect, natural language for all of mankind. Deaf scholars who studied Plato feel that he already had the perfect answer to his question: in the accounts of his exploration of this question, the answer was right in his face, but he neglected to acknowledge it: Sign Language. The how, why, and what will be discussed in depth during the workshop.
We will look at the theory of developing fear while learning a second language. This type of “fear” is more of a feeling of uncertainty and doubt that causes second- guessing and a mental block that stunts the student’s progress in acquiring that second language. In this presentation, I will compare two parallel scenarios in where this fear can manifest itself: when someone is learning ASL as a second language and when a deaf person is learning how to read and write English as a second language. We will take a close look at how and why these students develop this type of fear, as well as how to recognize when a student has this fear. From there, we will discuss various possible ways to help these students.
The presentation will focus on the 2006 Gallaudet University Social Movement. The movement was instigated by a group of people fighting for their rights to a leader that would represent them in the best way as a minority group. The protest ended more than five years ago, yet there are many people, including actual protesters and outsiders who still struggle to understand the actual reason behind the protest. The goal of this presentation is to thoroughly study the details of the protest and the actual reason behind why it started, what happened, the issues brought up by both sides, and much more. We will go to the heart of the protest and discuss information that the outside public wasn’t aware of during the protest. Another objective is to clear up misconceptions and questions the audience may have through a group discussion. This protest has become an important milestone in recent Deaf history and it is important that teachers understand everything behind the protest so they will be able to pass on correct information to their students.