Validation!

For my Disability Studies class, I’m reading a chapter on bioethics and the deaf community, written by Dr. Theresa Blankmeyer Burke, who teaches in Gallaudet’s Philosophy department. The chapter includes this:

So far, I have posited a fairly strict duality between signing Deaf community members and the dominant mainstream culture, suggesting that research aimed at eradicating deafness is typically seen as good by members of the dominant culture and that this same research agenda is seen as harmful by members of the signing Deaf community. In reality, it is not quite so simple. Those who occupy liminal space, such as hard of hearing people who sign, or culturally Deaf people who wear cochlear implants or hearing aids, must also be attended to. [emphasis added]

Wow, I never thought of it before, but that is a really validating statement for me! As I’ve been working to understand myself as a hard of hearing person, I’ve been trying to understand my place in the hearing and deaf communities. I have observed people at Gallaudet say that “hard of hearing” is a medical term, you are either Deaf or you’re not, and I guess by that definition I am Deaf – and indeed, I’ve had people tell me that I am Deaf and I should reject the “hard of hearing” label and just let myself be fully Deaf. But to the hearing community, I am “almost” a hearing person…I just need a little help like watching you when you talk or having some things repeated. So I feel like I can’t reject the “hard of hearing” label because I don’t have the same difficulties communicating with hearing people that other Deaf people do.

But there it is in black and white from Dr. Burke: a hard of hearing person who signs. In the middle. Here is what Wikipedia says about liminality:

Liminality (from the Latin word līmen, meaning “a threshold”) The liminal state is characterized by ambiguity, openness, and indeterminacy. One’s sense of identity dissolves to some extent, bringing about disorientation. Liminality is a period of transition where normal limits to thought, self-understanding, and behavior are relaxed – a situation which can lead to new perspectives.

Yes. That is me. Neither hearing nor Deaf. In the middle, ambiguous, indeterminate. It feels good to understand this.

Written a while ago but now posting!

After spending 2 months at Gallaudet, I’m now finally going home to Florida. It is so strange how times have changed, and so fast too. I can barely remember what’s happened the past few weeks except for class stuff (fortunately!!!) The days and nights blend in together making it harder to remember which day it is. Today is October 16th, the last day of midterms and only one week left for homecoming. And let me tell you…whoo!! Dang, the midterms were pretty tough! It was unlike high school exam week where the teachers would only test on one or two chapters. But in college, they test everything they’ve taught throughout the semester into one test. I enjoyed the challenge though, it was something different. I made a fairly good grade on my government test, which is a huge accomplishment for me. Before, in my senior year, I took college level government class and all the test grades I made were either D or below. At the time, I was having difficulty with life and with school. I ended up failing the government class, so this time, I’m determined to make a good grade on the class and get it over with. I’m actually enjoying my time here in Gallaudet, despite my personal obstacles. It is definitely a great place for the deaf people and the hearing people as well. There is definitely diversity in the deaf community that I never knew of before. Before coming to Gallaudet, all I had known was oral deaf people, low academically driven deaf people, and preppy deaf people. But here, there are…well…let’s just say, the diverse dressing style, personalities, opinions, and social rules that are new to me. For example, if someone has your attention but they wanted someone else’s attention and that person is right next to you. The person would ask you to get that person’s attention for them so they could go ahead and talk to each other. The concept makes sense but in real life, it’s so strange to me to experience that because, I don’t know the proper social cues if I were to tap someone for another person so they could go ahead and talk.

I Can’t Go to France

Malheureusement je pense que je dois quitter l’idée d’aller au France pour une mois l’été prochaine. Je pourrais y aller avec une programme de Gallaudet mais le voyage coûte plus que $5000 et aussi si je quitte l’Amérique pour si longtemps qu’un mois, je manquerai plus que $4000 du travail et j’ai besoin du cet argent pour la reste de ma diplome. C’était vraiment une super chance et j’aimerais bien y aller mais les coûtes sont trop haut pour mois. Je dois me rester avec la satisfaction que la France ne peut pas disparait et peut-être un jour je peux y aller.

J’ecris tout cela avec mon français inutilisé depuis plus que dix ans alors si je me trompe et quelque chose ne marche pas en Google Translate, je suis desolée et excusez-moi.

New

*smile*

Hi! My name is Te’aira Tucker and I am a new blogger for Gallaudet University.  

Let me start off by giving you some background information about me. I am from a small town in Alabama. I am hard of hearing. I am a very mellow person. I love to laugh and smile as most of the people here at Gallaudet. I am thinking about double majoring in Deaf Education and social work. 

I am going to try and keep you all posted about my life here at Gallaudet.

Let’s start off with an event that happened two weeks ago.

My classmates and I met Myron Uhlberg. He was there to talk about his book and his experience with his deaf parents. Mr. Uhlberg is the author of ” Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the language of Love”. His book is amazing! I laughed and cried when I read it. So when I got to meet Mr. Uhlberg in person, it was a great honor. He is such a nice person. I am glad I got the chance to meet him.

My classmates and I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was an event I will never forget.

Moving on to something else that is current. Today I went to Gallaudet University’s women basketball scrimmage game. I watched the women play and supported my friends.

They were great! Here is some pictures from the event.

photo of me at the game

It was a great game and I am glad I went to support our team. I can’t wait til the next game.

I am hoping I will post more events of what is happening at Gallaudet.  Gallaudet is such an amazing school. There is always new events happening here.   I can’t wait to see what is next here at Gallaudet.

Hearing Students and Discrimination

Last August… gosh that seems so long ago… a person sent me a message on Facebook asking me a few questions about Gallaudet University. I thought the questions were pretty interesting and wanted to share them with you, with permission from the person, of course.

Here’s their question:
Well, i’m hearing and i want to be a speech therapist and its been my dream to go to Gallaudet for a while. I was wondering if i lived on campus and had classes with Deaf students would discriminated against?

This kinda puts me in a tough spot, I don’t want to make it seem that Gally is a horrible, horrible college (it’s obviously not), at the same time, I don’t want to make it seem like Gally is incredibly perfect. Every university has its flaws of course, with that said….

Real discrimination, is of course, not allowed at Gally. But if we’re talking about the kind of thing where you’re judged by who you are, then that does, unfortunately, happen.

A hearing student attending Gallaudet can set off different reactions. Some people may be really accepting of hearing students and value their interest in the deaf community. Lots of deaf students have hearing friends, and lots of hearing students become really involved with the university.

On the other hand, there are, unfortunately, some students have that “Deaf Pride” attitude, which can be a good thing, but is sometimes abused. Basically, they view Gallaudet as a deaf person’s paradise, where we are free from ridicule and discrimination from the outside world. So when a hearing person attends the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world, especially when there are plenty of colleges for hearing students, deaf students can get a little territorial. This basically means they may not accept you, but I believe this to be a very small portion of Gallaudet University.

It all really depends on the attitude you bring to Gally. If you are open to new experiences and basically everything that could happen at Gally, you’ll be just fine. Discrimination by other students is hard to put up with (but of course, if it gets serious, you should report it), but almost every student here, hearing and deaf has been through it. For example, a lot of students judged me by my signing skills and the fact that I attended a mainstream high school and didn’t know much people here… even though I have deaf parents.

I’ve always found this quote to help me in situations like that… “It’s none of your business what other people think of you.”

If you’ve got questions… I’ve got answers!

Cheers,
Heather

Very Interesting Question!

      This question has popped up several times… “If this is a deaf university, what are you doing here?” I never got this question from anyone with a positive attitude behind it. I have been asked this question over ten times already from people who are ignorant and think they’re better than me. I know i’m not fully deaf and i’m still learning sign language but that doesn’t give anyone the right to judge why i’m here. But it does gets me thinking at the same time. Why am i here at Gallaudet?

      The answer that keeps popping in my head: “My education and football!” People who ask me that question…. get this for an answer…. EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!  It may sound sarcastic but it’s very true. All my life growing up, i’ve always felt like i was a little behind and struggling. I can honestly say i’ve never met a deaf person in my life! That got my attention. I’ve always wondered if there was ever a place where there were students like me who are looking to further the education to college level. Like maybe there is something out there for me where i feel like i might fit in. Gallaudet University was the place for me!! Upon reading about this school, i found out that this is the only university in America that is solely for deaf and hard of hearing students. That got my attention! I felt like i found a place where i would be able to get the help i need and still pursue my dream while not feeling behind or confused.

      The thing that made this place even better was the fact that they do have NCAA football here! That just lights up my life! Without football, I don’t know what i would do. Life would just seem boring no question. So everytime i get that question from an arrogant person, I always happily tell them “My education and football are the reasons why i’m here!”

New Signers on the Football Team

      Three players came in this year that have opened my eyes quite a bit. People that have surprised me with how fast they have improved their sign skills. These guys are Shelby Bean, Tom Pangia, and Kevin Allen. All of these guy are great guys and show great dedication to the football team. From what i’ve seen from my perspective, they are on track to be like me and where I am today. These guys have different challenges that they face while being here. Not only are they new signers but they are also freshman getting used to the college environment. They have many obstacles to overcome for their first semester. The biggest challenge i faced last year was meeting people.

      Being limited in your sign skills can make your college experience a little tougher but is definitely worth it in the end. I’m currently in my third semester here at Gallaudet and feel like everyone else now. I don’t feel so much like an outsider. Everyday, I look forward to seeing these guys in practice and watch them grow and see them improve their sign skills. I can’t help to think that was me last year in the same exact shoes. It’s nice to be on the other side now leading them and not learning the language. I hope for a smooth first year for these guys.

Partying….. The Safe Way!

      Many people when they think about parties, they think about getting wasted, staying up all night, and doing things they would regret the next day! I grew up in a very good family with parents that cared about me. They taught me a lot of things that would be beneficial to me in the future. The biggest challenge thus far is the college life and making decisions on my own. For a lot of people, this comes natural. For other people, it can be tough.

      After 19 years being under my parents roof and learning from them, i learned what the most important things in life were. God,my family, education, and football. I feel like i’ve been taught a lot of great things so the college life so far has challenged me to make smart decisions on my own. I go to parties every once in a while and notice that I’m one of the only ones that don’t drink at parties. I’ve already had many people come up to me and ask me if i would like a beer! It may be hard for most people but I always say no. I do my best to not give into peer pressure. Peer pressure is always a tough part of a teenagers life. Especially in college when you’re not guided by your parents.

      I thank God everyday for everything I have and the family I was blessed with. Because I was raised in such a great family, it has helped me to make smart decisions and don’t party the dangerous way. For me, partying is all about hanging out with your friends and having a good time. No beer needs to be involved… just some good people and a place to go for some fun.

How to be a Successful Student-Athlete

      Being a student-athlete is harder than most people expect. There is much dedication and sacrificed time to be one. As a football player here at Gallaudet, my schedule usually consists of classes in the morning, lunch, football meetings, football practice, dinner, and then homework. If i ever get lucky and don’t have homework, I get a few hours of free time with friends before heading off to bed getting ready for the next day. This is probably just me but I normally try avoiding parties on weekends during football season just because i don’t want to accidently mess up anything that I have going for me. Some players drink and party on weekends during the season but i don’t.

      Being a student-athlete has it’s pros and cons. The pros are getting to experience and NCAA sport which has been my dream growing up. Getting to become friends with some great guys that love the same thing I do. The last pro is that football here provides practice for me…. in the future one day when i become a football coach. The cons are that you have to sacrifice a lot of time and effort. There really isn’t any other con to playing sports and being a student at the same time. It’s a great experience that I’m enjoying so much and i’m looking forward to for the next 3 years.

Buffalo Wild Wings

      A new tradition for some of the Gallaudet football players started a couple weeks ago when we all gathered the night before the game to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. We had 3 offensive lineman, a corner, and a safety show up for this. When first planning this, we thought it would be cool to hangout. That is until we got there and realized that we could do this the night before every game. Every tv in the building had football!! It was football heaven pretty much. And not only that, they had 40 cent boneless wings.

      All the people that went got chicken wings and enjoyed watching and NFL football game. If i remember correctly, it was the Cowboys vs Giants. There were people everywhere cheering on their favorite team as they both scored and made good plays. Before coming to Buffalo Wild Wings, a place like Sticky Rice would be the place to go. But after coming here, it was the perfect place to hangout with the football guys, eat some good food, and watch some football the day before the game. There’s no better atmosphere for an athlete than Buffalo Wild Wings!