A Note from the President By Samuel J . Supalla
Some Thoughts on Deaf Studies
To begin , there are many accomplishments made in regard to Deaf Studies as an academic discipline over the years . We have seen a number of programs created in the higher education settings with the name of Deaf Studies around the country . There are many more that are not named Deaf Studies explicitly . An indication of a program pursuing the concept of Deaf Studies is when they offer a sequence of American Sign Language coursework ( e . g ., ASL 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 ) to undergraduates for meeting their foreign or second language requirement .
As a reflection , Deaf culture underlying ASL coursework is of great value . Like any foreign language , students learning ASL will understand that the language belongs to the Deaf community ( with the capitalized ‘ D ’ accounting for culturally deaf people who comprise a linguistic minority , for example ). For full implementation of Deaf Studies as a concept , there would be an undergraduate degree offered in some of the American higher education institutions . Utah Valley University serves as a good example , and it went the extra mile by hosting a series of Deaf Studies Today ! conferences ( with the last one occurring in 2014 ).
Gallaudet University , a premier higher education institution for deaf students is not an exception to the rule regarding the Deaf Studies movement . It has a department called American Sign Language and Deaf Studies . Clearly ASL and Deaf culture have been accepted for what they are . While society has made great strides in understanding the significance of Deaf Studies , more work needs to be done . Perhaps the most challenging aspect to Deaf Studies is the rise of Disability Studies . What does Disability Studies mean ? Are ASL and Deaf culture deemed part of Disability Studies , if at all ? Although Deaf people have said that they are not disabled ( or that they have difficulty relating to the concept of disability ), some scholars and researchers still think they should be part of the Disability Studies framework .
Since the last newsletter issue , I learned that Dr . Yerker Andersson , who was a pioneering scholar and strong advocate for the concept of Deaf Studies , passed away ( see the reprint of his obituary in this issue ). I find it most fitting to include a few quotes from what Dr . Andersson had to say in the article " Deaf and Disability Studies : A Conversation with Yerker Andersson " ( Andersson & Burch , 2010 ) as follows :
I see deaf studies as a distinct field focused on deaf people and the social aspects of deaf lives . Language is at the core , embodying terminology issues and the role and use of language in the development of cultural identity . ( pp . 193-194 )
… scholars in disability studies tend to focus less on deaf people or deaf issues ; instead , they embrace an expansive notion of disability that includes bodily and mental aspects . Their treatment of language differs significantly from deaf studies , too . For example , disability critiques of language tend to focus just on stigmatizing terms or terms that groups have chosen to identify themselves . Less attention has been paid to the ways language , including signed languages , contributes to the creation of cultural communities or the ways language and modes of communication can be accessible or inaccessible . ( p . 194 )
( Continued to page 8 )
The Power of ASL 7 Fall 2016 – Issue 3