January 27, 2005
Deaf culture fades
We mostly read about how text messaging has proven a god send for deaf people, but apparently, it has brought about a down side too.
Deaf clubs used to be the center of the deaf community, the portals through which the deaf became indoctrinated into deaf culture. Not any more, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
"Throughout the nation, deaf clubs are on the decline. The younger deaf are eschewing the deaf clubs of their parents for the Internet, text-messaging and e-mail.
"There is a big fear we are going to lose deaf culture because of technology," said Rosanne Trapani, coordinator of Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services at Valencia Community College. The essence of deaf culture remains face-to-face interaction. But the way that interaction takes place is changing.
Jim Schooley blames it on technology. Televisions come with closed-caption devices. Hollywood movies can be ordered with "open caption" subtitles. There is e-mail and Internet chat rooms for the deaf. A hand-held text-messaging device is growing in popularity. And a new system called video relay allows a deaf person to communicate visually with another deaf person or interpreter through a TV set.
"Most of them stay home -- just like the hearing people," said Schooley, 70, who worked in graphic arts."
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