Through Deaf Eyes

THROUGH DEAF EYES is a two-hour documentary that explores 200 years of Deaf life in America. The film presents the shared experiences of American history – family life, education, work, and community connections from the perspective of deaf citizens , and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordan. The movie started by CJ Jones who is an actor & director. It’s gives me more information about the deaf culture & community by showing me the history of how Gallaudet, Laurent Clark & other great people brought sign language to the united stated states.
The video let me appreciate the deaf culture more and understand it better. Deaf people suffered many hardships through the years but opportunities for them are growing more and more. The way hearing view Deaf culture is becoming more and more accepting. Parents of deaf children have to face many tough decisions on how to help their child succeed in life. I have learned some historical news about ASL like: Ninety percent of deaf children have hearing parents; thirty five million Americans have some hearing loss, 300,000 people are profound deaf out of the thirty five million, deafness can be heredity, accident, injury.
After I watched the in the movie that how In 1817 Thomas Gallaudet opened the first deaf school with seven students, and Laurent Clark brought FSL and worked together for the school which gives me a better view that they really worked together to build ASL foundation. I didn’t liked that how they suffered because of one man believed that using signs didn’t allow deaf children to learn to speak and lip read. Like how the oral method grew up and deaf teachers and teaching ASL method declined.

How deaf school was prevented from signing and using the oral method as well as forbade signing and forced them to speak, and even babies were taught rhythm. Speaking was two-way communications for someone who can lip-read and speak, so others don’t assume that they can hear. Many discriminated deaf people so; they made the NAD (National Association Of Deaf). A rule was made that the deaf couldn’t work for the government. The seventh president of NAD fought and won to repeal the world. He is probably the most famous NAD president.
He spoke four languages and was a brilliant man. NAD began making movies to maintain sign language. Deaf across portrayed deaf & hearing characters because the movies were silence often-deaf characters were dumb and reason for laughter and comedy but at least deaf people could understand the movies. After, 1929, when movies were no longer silence and was a tragedy for the deaf. As schools spread, as well as signing, there were deaf teams they could defeat hearing teams, clubs and much more. However, tried to fix deafness and saw it was a problem.
Charles Limbard flew “deaf flights” tried to cure deafness. Many parents turned to medicine to cure it, religion, and even by playing baseball. Really dislike how NAD banded Black people from attending deaf schools, which lasted for forty years. I liked their success when they achieve by establishing their own community and culture by sharing with other hearing people. Deaf people tried to focus on what they could do. If there was obstacle they usually came up with a solution on their own. There are now deaf churches so the could worship.
For first ninety years telephones existence deaf people could not use it. Then the great technology in 1964, Robert Breck tried to invent a deaf telephone he was a deaf and a brilliant physicist. Then the teletypewriter worked in may of 1964. It spread as first in testing, type, in a new sense from the phone sound and after a few changes were made. TTY was a huge step and technology was working for the deaf world. Sign language made a huge impact in 1955 by deaf people thought signing was weird and different because of the way they were taught.
National theater of the deaf began performing and signing for the hearing public too. More drama clubs for the deaf only performed for the deaf. In 1968, National Technological institute for the deaf was established. Finally a deaf actor was in a leading role sign language was used throughout the movie. Some critics thought Mark won the Oscar by sympathy. DPN (deaf president now) movement, there were three options: 1 hearing, 2 deaf. The hearing person was chosen. Protests began and they marched.
Surprisingly, for seven days there was a protest. Student leaders rule the board refused to change their minds but had a public meeting when the new president came to the campus, the students blocked the entrances and wouldn’t budge 93% of population supported DPN. How after 9 hour meeting, board accepted all of their demands. A law was passed that made it illegal to discriminate against anyone with a disability and from now on, Gallaudet University will have a deaf president.
The deaf community for many years has been discriminated and judge so cruel through out the history. By seeing this video now I learned how the deaf world could change their life. When I look at a deaf person or hard of hearing person, I look at them a lot different now than I did growing up. I found this to be very interesting. I can understand this because they want to be alert to say their goodbyes to their family. It is interesting how different cultures view this practice inside the United States as well as outside the United States.