A Grand Home for Signers :
Charles Thompson Memorial Hall 1916 to the Present
Any discussion of a deaf club through research and scholarship or in any kind of publication is rare , but deaf clubs are most endearing to deaf people for a variety of reasons . Perhaps for the first time , Dr . Jody Cripps and Dr . Lewis Lummer share with the public some insights on the meaning of a deaf club through their documentary , “ A Grand Home for Signers : Charles Thompson Memorial Hall 1916 to the Present .” The novelty of this piece lies in how its producers raised the bar by discussing social issues from the perspective of signers . The club located in the Minneapolis / St . Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota is hailed as an oasis for deaf people in the context of society being so predominated by the use of spoken language . Although some Disability Studies scholars have claimed that deaf people are clannish and need to get out and be part of the larger society , a key barrier has remained missing from this perspective . How can deaf people be integrated when everybody speaks and does not know signed language ?
What is important for SASL is the capacity of deaf people to make their own ' deaf-friendly ' world . Over the years , ordinary deaf Minnesotans have done this in terms of linguistic accessibility . One example from the film is a deaf adult woman , who grew up without using signed language . She recently learned how to sign and expressed that the deaf club made a huge difference in her life . There are other examples in the film that are both remarkable and inspirational . Let ' s view the documentary below for more !
( 22 minutes long ) The Power of ASL 14
Spring 2017 – Issue 5