Transcripts of Deaf Senior University Lecturer

I'd been working in the field of deafness with deaf individuals who had HIV and AIDS, and I was doing a lot of advocacy and so forth so lots of human relations, human service kind of work. At that point I decided that I needed to let go of that and go on a spiritual journey. And so I went back to graduate school. One of the requirements was for me to have knowledge of Hebrew. And at that time I knew basic Hebrew, but in graduate school I really had to know certain, considerably more about Hebrew. So I studied Hebrew and I had an assignment with a teacher, one on one, and at this time I did have an interpreter, but it didn't work. The only way that I was able to learn how to write Hebrew was for me to understand Hebrew signing. Which meant that I had to go to Israel, and I had to live with a deaf family. And then I created my own curriculum, more or less, of study. And I would meet individually with a deaf teacher who taught me Biblical Hebrew through reading. And using Sign Language to teach me through reading. And I also studied with another deaf couple who taught me the Hebrew Sign Language, which helped me. So now I have both written Hebrew and Hebrew Sign Language. And that really helped me to understand all of this so much better. Because I could connect the visual with the written. And so, now I can read Hebrew pretty easily, because of those experiences. So that was very beneficial for me, to learn the visual language along with the written language. 

So I graduated with that Masters degree in Jewish Education. Now what I do now, using technology, is I apply my studies by providing tutoring about Hebrew, the Hebrew Language, through video technology, across the United States. So that's sort of like my side job. I also officiate weddings, because with the Hebrew background I can officiate some weddings, so I do that. I tutor for Bat Mitzvahs and for Bar Mitzvahs as well. So I'm applying all of that knowledge by and that's all because I had gone to Israel for 6 months and learned the language, and so that's given me lot's of opportunities. Well here's one more question that's unrelated. That was a wonderful answer to that question. I was sort of fascinated by the Hebrew and English signing, actually. But here's one other question. One of our participants noted that for a great deal of her education she thought that people were trying to teach her to hear rather than trying to teach her how to learn. And that she felt like a big ear trying to be fixed. Does that coincide with your educational, your early educational...? Yes. Who I am today is a person who has some pretty good anger towards people who are oppressive. Let's see, how do I say that? Yes, growing up I felt like I was just a big ear. And so there is a lot of anger about that. I've been through therapy and all of that. Let's not ask about that please (laughter). That kind of experience does still exist. When my family wants to communicate with me, even though I've grown and changed and tried to educate them about who I am, their behaviors and attitudes remain the same. For example, how they introduce me, "This is my sister, you have to look at her, because she has to read your lips." And I think "Huh". 

So they learned that from my parents, and so it's being passed on to their children. And that attitude and behavior is still kind of there for me. And I understand they haven't had an opportunity really to change, so there is still some of that focus on being able to hear, based on lip reading and whatever. "Why don't you wear hearing aids?" They ask. So yeah, that's still there. But I choose to ignore it, at this point. Because... People aren't willing to change unless they want to. And so attitude is often a big barrier to individuals who have a hearing loss. They're still perceived as having a deficit rather than being a whole person. And as a whole person with a normal life even. So yes that attitude is still out there. Ok, does that answer your question? Yes, thank you very much. Ok, so to wrap it up.  How people perceive deafness is as something that's separate from, that separates deaf people from other people. And I think the opposite. I think that it brings people together. And I think that for several reasons. First of all awareness of how to interact, how communication can occur, and that awareness, that sensitivity about the communication process, about turn taking. I think that's a gift that deaf people can contribute. 

Secondly, I think that learning the language as a child is important, because of American Sign Language. American Sign Language is three dimensional. And I think that that would help people to become a little bit more open minded, rather than a reliance on a spoken language, which is two dimensional. And it helps people to again become more open minded, to know how language can be used in a way that benefits everyone. And again I think that's a gift that the deaf community can contribute. Thirdly Well you know how people don't want to be offensive, or they're obtuse in their interactions. Deaf people tend to be more direct. More honest. But honest with caring. And those characteristics, those tendencies of the deaf community, again, are gifts. They demonstrate how to really be a friend. And that is where our society really needs to learn from deaf people. How to develop trust and honest friendships and interactions that come from the heart. So another gift that the deaf community can contribute to this world. And I think deafness doesn't separate. It has the potential to bring together, because of these three gifts. And I do think that this is something that should be taken advantage of, and not avoided, because of fear. Fear is really the barrier, not deafness. If we could get rid of the fear, I think there are so many surprises, so many benefits, so much that could happen, more than we've ever thought of. And that's my summary. 

Excellent, thank you.