NIC Deaf Culture 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'CODA' stand for, and what is their cultural position in the Deaf community?
- Certified Official Deaf Advocate; they are licensed cultural brokers between Deaf and hearing worlds
- Child Of Deaf Adults; they often bridge Deaf and hearing cultures and may be native ASL users with complex dual-cultural identities (Correct answer)
- Community Outreach for Deaf Accessibility; a nonprofit certification
- Coordinator of Disability Accommodations; an administrative role in schools
Correct answer: Child Of Deaf Adults; they often bridge Deaf and hearing cultures and may be native ASL users with complex dual-cultural identities
CODAs grow up navigating both Deaf and hearing cultures, often serving as informal interpreters and cultural mediators, and many identify strongly with the Deaf community despite being hearing.
Question 2: How does Deaf culture typically regard directness and bluntness in communication?
- It is considered rude and is strongly discouraged in Deaf social norms
- Directness is valued as a sign of respect and honesty; indirect communication can be seen as deceptive (Correct answer)
- It is only acceptable among close friends and not in professional Deaf contexts
- Deaf culture follows the same indirect politeness norms as mainstream American hearing culture
Correct answer: Directness is valued as a sign of respect and honesty; indirect communication can be seen as deceptive
Deaf cultural communication norms often favor directness — commenting on weight, age, or appearance, for instance — as honest and respectful, which can seem blunt to hearing outsiders.
Question 3: What is the cultural meaning of 'name signs' in the Deaf community, and who assigns them?
- Name signs are invented by hearing parents and given at birth to Deaf children as a legal identifier
- Name signs are personalized ASL signs given to an individual, typically assigned by a Deaf person or the Deaf community — not self-assigned (Correct answer)
- Name signs are standardized in a federal registry and must follow NAD guidelines
- Name signs are only used for Deaf individuals; hearing people use fingerspelling exclusively
Correct answer: Name signs are personalized ASL signs given to an individual, typically assigned by a Deaf person or the Deaf community — not self-assigned
Name signs are culturally significant personalized identifiers in the Deaf community; self-assigning a name sign is a cultural faux pas — they are given by Deaf community members.
Question 4: In ASL storytelling and Deaf theatre, what is 'ASL poetry' characterized by?
- Rhyming English words translated into ASL signs in sequential order
- Handshape rhyme, movement rhythm, use of space, and visual metaphor that exploit ASL's spatial-visual properties (Correct answer)
- A simplified form of signing designed to teach ASL grammar to hearing students
- A performance style that mirrors English poetic forms including sonnets and haiku
Correct answer: Handshape rhyme, movement rhythm, use of space, and visual metaphor that exploit ASL's spatial-visual properties
ASL poetry uses the unique parameters of sign language — handshape, location, movement, and palm orientation — to create rhythm, rhyme, and imagery that cannot be replicated in spoken English.
Question 5: What was the historical significance of the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Connecticut?
- It was the first school to implement oral-only instruction in the United States
- Founded in 1817 by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, it was the first permanent school for the Deaf in the U.S. and a key site of early ASL development (Correct answer)
- It was established by Alexander Graham Bell as a model for speech-based Deaf education
- It was the first federally funded Deaf institution under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Correct answer: Founded in 1817 by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, it was the first permanent school for the Deaf in the U.S. and a key site of early ASL development
ASD, founded by Gallaudet and the Deaf French educator Laurent Clerc, helped standardize early ASL by combining French Sign Language with indigenous American sign varieties.
Question 6: How do Deaf cultural norms differ from hearing norms regarding sharing personal information (e.g., asking about someone's cause of deafness)?
- Asking about the cause of someone's deafness is strictly taboo and never done in Deaf culture
- Asking about deafness, its cause, degree, and family background is generally considered normal, friendly conversation in Deaf cultural settings (Correct answer)
- Only audiologists and interpreters are permitted to ask about hearing loss causes
- Deaf cultural norms mirror hearing etiquette perfectly, so such questions are equally rude
Correct answer: Asking about deafness, its cause, degree, and family background is generally considered normal, friendly conversation in Deaf cultural settings
In Deaf cultural contexts, questions about when someone became deaf, their family's hearing status, and their school background are normal identity-sharing exchanges, not intrusive inquiries.
Question 7: What is 'tactile ASL' (also called 'tactile signing' or 'hand-over-hand signing'), and for whom is it primarily used?
- A simplified form of ASL used with young Deaf children who have not yet learned formal signs
- A modified form of ASL where the receiver places their hands on the signer's hands to perceive signs through touch, used primarily by DeafBlind individuals (Correct answer)
- An assistive technology device that converts ASL signs into printed text
- A method hearing interpreters use to communicate with Deaf audiences in large venues
Correct answer: A modified form of ASL where the receiver places their hands on the signer's hands to perceive signs through touch, used primarily by DeafBlind individuals
Tactile ASL allows DeafBlind individuals to receive signed communication by feeling the signer's hand movements, enabling full language access without vision.
NIC Deaf Culture 4
What does the term 'CODA' stand for, and what is their cultural position in the Deaf community?