Deaf Community Research Paper

When someone finds out my parents are Deaf, they often ask me “what is that like.” This is the worst question because there is no proper answer for it. My stock answer has always been; “well, it is just like growing up in a Spanish, or Polish speaking home.” My answer only tackles the language aspect of their question, which always seems to satisfy. But the difference here is that a Spanish child can identify with their parents culture, where as I cannot. Those children have a cultural group identity, use the language, have specific “appearance and physical characteristics” (Plum, 2012). This child can label themselves a member of the Spanish community, whereas I could never identify my self as deaf. Instead of my stock answer, I should instead …show more content…
Cultural differences are found in the language, behavioral norms, values and traditions. There are some obvious differences with the language mode, however American Sign Language is not english signed on the hands. ASL has its own grammar, syntax and linguistic rules, and has a different word order then English, (ASL being topic-comment) (“Deaf & hard of hearing - Deaf Culture fact sheet," n.d.). English is low-context and ASL is high-context. English is a monochronic culture, whereas Deaf individuals are polychronic. Kinetics has a different value in each culture, as touching, is a form of attention-getting or affect. Other behavioral norms contrast as well, like eye contact, directness, collectivism and even folktales and story …show more content…
The label means more than not being able to call out for help when your hurt or scared, it means you have also taken on the brokerage role for your parents. Many of us find this responsibility to great, too early, and mostly all of us “…feel a sense of gratification in being needed and important. However, pay a high price for this gratification: a sense of isolation, of being on one’s own, even of being abandoned, from which they seek escape” (Leigh, 1999, p. 129). CODAs are “situated [through] communication between individuals[and] groups of different linguistic and cultural origins,”a place that once you are aware of makes navigating much easier (“Intercultural communication | Lanqua," n.d.). We have our own bicultural norms with bicultural communication and a complex set of inter and interpersonal conflicts. While most of the world might see as loud, or weird, we are really just a bunch of devoted children navigating a fictitious world for ourselves and our families. Find a belonging, comfort and a home in the