Deaf relations

So, one of my other favorite shows is also on ABC Family is Switched at Birth. (I warned you this was a media blog, right? There are all sorts of types of media, including books, church materials, youtube videos, facebook memes, etc. Sometimes sitting through a show is the easiest to consciously contemplate the effects and messages sent through the media for me, though.) Most people know the basic premise of the show from the title, but besides the obvious, one daughter, Daphne, that was switched is Deaf (she does sign and oral) from a poor neighborhood and her family comes and lives with the other switched daughter, Bay, who comes from a very well-to-do family. (Oh, and just for a culture reference necessary for this post, "Deaf" usually refers to the culture or someone that has grown up in the unique culture of signing as a lingual and expressive basis. When saying "deaf" (lowercase) it refers to the hearing loss itself, or someone that has lost their hearing due to age, who identifies with hearing culture instead of Deaf culture.) Now back to my thoughts on Switched at Birth:

Switched at Birth family: Daphne is the left daughter, Bay is the right daughter

So, here's my opinion on how they portray Deaf culture. In previous seasons, there was some insight into Deaf culture, but it wasn't a regular thing, and with Daphne being oral (able to read lips and has gone through speech therapy to learn how to speak), the relations did not surface much. There was a time where Emmett (Daphne's Deaf friend that ended up dating Bay for a while) struggled with liking anyone hearing, a discrimination picked up from his mother (who does not like people outside of Deaf culture in general) and a time where he tried to go through speech therapy to communicate better with Bay, but both seemed to be from a perspective of empowering Deaf through assimilating in the hearing world. This is a little bit opposite of Deaf culture. It is true that Deaf culture has an emphasis of "we'll figure out a way to do it" (as is the case with Daphne being given a job in a kitchen (yet only through the help of Bay's mom)), but being oral, it seemed like the show was saying, "You have to be oral to have a real job, or you have to work in a Deaf school (in the case of Emmett's mom)." While there is a Deaf boy, Travis, who has a job and he isn't oral, it is washing cars for Bay's dad, so it seems very menial and, again, through someone getting the job for them.

This season seems to be doing a better job from the start, and by the looks of it, this season should be good. Bay is accused of cheating at her prep school, and so, because she's already learned a little ASL from signing with Emmett and Daphne, she decides she wants to do the pilot program at Carlton School for the Deaf for hearing students with Deaf family members (where Emmett and Daphne go to school, and where Emmett's mom works.) This infuses us into an environment that has a 98% majority being Deaf. This is a good thing to see the rich friendships, the day-to-day issues, and different people's ideas and upbringings in Deaf culture. It is also a good reality check to see that, although there are many who want an interdependence with hearing (viewing each other on the same field, just in different environmental and cultural circumstances and communities), there are also a good number of Deaf that are very strong in Deaf Power movements and see hearing people as ignorant as some hearing people view those that are Deaf (audists.) It is an interesting viewpoint put into play.

Bay gets put into every ASL student's nightmare of being engulfed in Deaf culture but being hated for not knowing enough and slowing down classes for others (which, if you had one place that you could be yourself, and someone else came in and changed it even a little, you might be a little frustrated or upset, too.) Having taken through ASL 202, I can tell you, I struggle significantly getting up the courage to sign with a native signer at any Deaf event, even though I've been assured by many that I won't be ruining anyone's night for trying. I feel like I'm back in first grade, standing on the sidelines, waiting to get invited to play because I might be breaking a social norm or coming across as impolite to go up and strike up a conversation. Luckily, especially around this area, there are many that want to bridge the understanding gap between Deaf and hearing, and will be patient with me because I'm trying to rid myself of any unintentional audist tendencies that are given through the general hearing culture. One of the biggest unknown barriers we create as as the hearing is the feeling of pity and needing to be the hand that lifts the Deaf up. We are engrained with a sense of superiority in this way, not only with Deaf culture which has its own communities and social guidelines, but many people that have different circumstances than our own. It could be someone who uses a wheelchair,  someone who has an emotional or mental disorder or disability, or even those that just might be poorer than we are. Until we see each person, no matter circumstance, as a person equal and like unto ourselves that we can be interdependent with, there will be serious misunderstandings and lack of true empathy (not sympathy) for one another. As for ABC Family, I'm sure they are learning step-by-step with responses to each show, but they are doing a good job involving actual Deaf people in acting and advising in the show. They even have an episode coming up where it is all through ASL, and closed captions for hearing.

In short, I'm looking forward to this season. :)