NIC Deaf Culture 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which historical event is known as the 'Deaf President Now' protest, and what was its outcome?
- A 1988 student-led protest at Gallaudet University that resulted in the appointment of the university's first Deaf president (Correct answer)
- A 1960 march in Washington D.C. demanding federal funding for Deaf schools
- A 2006 online petition that led to federal recognition of ASL as an official language
- A 1972 Supreme Court case establishing Deaf people's right to interpreters in court
Correct answer: A 1988 student-led protest at Gallaudet University that resulted in the appointment of the university's first Deaf president
In 1988, Gallaudet students shut down the campus to demand a Deaf president; the board capitulated and I. King Jordan became the university's first Deaf president.
Question 2: What is meant by 'Deaf-World' or 'Deaf community' as distinct from simply being audiologically deaf?
- Any person with a documented hearing loss regardless of language or cultural affiliation
- A social and cultural community united by shared language (ASL), values, and experiences — membership is cultural, not purely audiological (Correct answer)
- A legal classification used by the Americans with Disabilities Act for accommodation purposes
- An online network of late-deafened adults who use hearing aids
Correct answer: A social and cultural community united by shared language (ASL), values, and experiences — membership is cultural, not purely audiological
The Deaf-World is defined by cultural participation and shared language rather than degree of hearing loss; hearing children of Deaf adults (CODAs) and some hard of hearing people are members.
Question 3: How does Deaf culture generally view the use of ASL compared to spoken English?
- ASL is seen as inferior to English and only used when necessary
- ASL is valued as a complete, natural language equal in status to any spoken language, central to Deaf cultural identity (Correct answer)
- ASL is considered a temporary bridge language until hearing is restored
- ASL is reserved for private use; public settings require oral communication
Correct answer: ASL is valued as a complete, natural language equal in status to any spoken language, central to Deaf cultural identity
Linguistic research since William Stokoe's 1960 work has confirmed ASL as a fully autonomous language, and the Deaf community embraces it as a primary marker of cultural identity.
Question 4: What is 'oralism,' and why is it controversial within the Deaf community?
- A Deaf art form using mouth shapes and facial expressions as an aesthetic medium
- A historical and ongoing educational philosophy that prioritizes speech and lip-reading while prohibiting or discouraging sign language (Correct answer)
- A component of interpreter training that focuses on voice interpretation
- A Deaf cultural practice of sharing stories through mime
Correct answer: A historical and ongoing educational philosophy that prioritizes speech and lip-reading while prohibiting or discouraging sign language
Oralism, which peaked after the 1880 Milan Congress banned sign language instruction, is viewed by many Deaf people as culturally oppressive because it suppressed ASL and Deaf identity in schools.
Question 5: In Deaf culture, what is the proper way to pass between two people who are signing to each other?
- Stop and wait until the conversation ends before passing
- Lean back or walk quickly while keeping your head down so you are less intrusive
- Walk through while briefly dipping your head or signing 'excuse me,' which is culturally accepted (Correct answer)
- Never pass between two signers under any circumstances
Correct answer: Walk through while briefly dipping your head or signing 'excuse me,' which is culturally accepted
Walking through a signing conversation with a brief duck of the head or a quick 'excuse me' sign is a commonly accepted social norm in Deaf culture, analogous to 'excuse me' in a hearing group.
Question 6: What is the significance of residential schools for the Deaf in the formation of Deaf culture?
- They were sites of oppression exclusively and had no positive cultural role
- They served as primary incubators of ASL, Deaf identity, cultural transmission, and social networks across generations (Correct answer)
- They focused exclusively on vocational training with no attention to language or culture
- They were only relevant for Deaf children of Deaf parents
Correct answer: They served as primary incubators of ASL, Deaf identity, cultural transmission, and social networks across generations
Residential schools created intergenerational communities where Deaf children — most from hearing families — acquired ASL, forged social bonds, and developed collective Deaf identity.
Question 7: Which organization is considered the oldest and largest Deaf civil rights organization in the United States?
- Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
- Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)
- National Association of the Deaf (NAD) (Correct answer)
- Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Correct answer: National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
Founded in 1880, the NAD advocates for the civil, linguistic, and human rights of Deaf and hard of hearing Americans and is the preeminent Deaf-led organization in the U.S.
NIC Deaf Culture 3
Which historical event is known as the 'Deaf President Now' protest, and what was its outcome?