SASL Newsletter - Spring 2020 Issue Issue 17 - Spring 2020 | Seite 8

is evident from follow-up invitations, first from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
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Archaeology and Anthropology in the springtime of 2019 and then the Association
Archivists and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archives.
For these presentations, we shared information on the results of the comparative analysis
done by Malzkuhn, the second author of this article on a sample of Deaf-made family movies for his
2019 dissertation project entitled Preservation, Revitalization, and Validity of Home Movies: Deaf
Folklife Films as a Case Study. The most appealing information based on the reaction from the
audiences was the data chart showing the parallels in the distribution of cultural themes cataloged
and identified in home films from widely dispersed families across the country as compared to those
captured in Krauel’s films (see table below).
As you can imagine in many of the home movies we observed were celebrations such as
weddings, picnic parties, and even signing Santa. Of course, while we share a lot of the national
and international holidays with hearing people, the Deaf community has its own cultural take on it as
a Deaf person would be dressed up as Santa Claus. We added our own twists to the common
traditions. We also observed a number of sign language rich performances, skits, and recitations,
primarily happening at local and national Deaf events. It creates a sense of presence and
documenting that they were there, physically, in these places. In some ways, they are considered to
be early versions of social media, specifically designed for social entertainment within their
community, not intended for distribution to the outside world.
As evident with the home movies, Deaf filmmakers were dedicated to empowering other
members of their own community to lead normal and productive lives in society. Car ownership
among Deaf people demonstrate their capacity to work and pay for them. Cars also represent
mobility that Deaf people could travel just as people without disabilities. The fact that Deaf people
traveled out of the country demonstrates their independence. Deaf conventions as filmed inform the
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The Power of ASL
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Spring 2020 – Issue 17