Mark Drolsbaugh's Deaf Again

I used to think sign language was just other form of aid to help people better understand and communicate with the world today. Come to find out that it is its own language and comes with history behind it. As I’m learning about the history and the culture of the Deaf community, it feels like there is so much more I could be learning. After reading Deaf Again by Mark Drolsbaugh, I have learned more of what it’s like to be deaf through a 1st person point of view. Drolsbaugh goes through great detail to tell use the story of his life and how he became deaf. It is a written perspective of living in the deaf community and how they struggle just to live basic lives from a day to day basis. He explains the difficulties of trying to be live in the …show more content…
You need to teach children ASL at a young age besides ignoring it and try to force them to live in the mainstream world. Parents don’t understand by not teaching them a language at an early age, they won’t be as successful when they grow up. Being deaf as a child, you won’t learn ASL if someone doesn’t teach you and you’ll have a hard time learning English because you can’t comprehend what everyone is saying all the time. You are doing more harm to the child instead of a positive. The children now think they are not good enough to do anything and they start to doubt they self instead of seeing their full potential. Most people see being deaf as a disability. Most children born into a hearing family will suffer a consequence since most of them think it’s something you can fix. Learning sign language is not an easy task. It takes time and hours of practice just like everything in life to learn. I learned the best way to learn sign is to walk the same shoes the deaf community are in and see the world through their eyes. Instead of learning sign from a hearing person, learn from a deaf person. This forces you to not speak and pick up on the language faster and easier. Everyone struggles to find their place in the world. Doesn’t matter if your deaf, hearing, blind, etc. Everyone wants to be in a place they feel safe and where they fit in. Just like everyone else, Drolsbaugh struggles to find his place in the world. The novel is not only speaking to the deaf community but all communities to help people, young or old, find their place in the world and be accepted for who they are. He is giving advice to people who was either born deaf or later on became deaf. You can take what he is saying and apply it to your life someway and become a better person. Drolsbaugh story gives the reader the courage to become who they are and go where they belong. For the Deaf community, this novel gives them a refuge they can read and