Deaf Culture and Multi-Culturalism

By Tanis Doe

There are quite a few Deaf people who do not consider themselves "disabled." Instead, they feel that they belong to a cultural and linguistic minority, in the form of Deaf culture. Belonging to this minority group, Deaf people use American Sign Language and have a sense of pride in Deaf heritage and identity.

This approach to identity has confused many disability activists who are trying to improve the public’s perception of disability. People with disabilities (who are not deaf) feel that disability should not be a "negative" attribute and that one can be proud of having a disability just the same way a deaf person can be proud of being "Deaf."

But there are differences between Deaf culture and people with disabilities. Most people with disabilities do not share a common special language, aside from being "verbal," and most people with disabilities have very little social need to associate with others who have disabilities. Disability activists come together for social change, advocacy, education and political purposes, but Deaf people get together for enjoyment, social interaction, sports and cultural events. Indeed, Deaf people do get together for other reasons: They formed the Canadian Association of the Deaf, Canada’s first consumer organization for lobbying the government, in an attempt to bring Deaf people together for political purposes. Some Deaf people even work together with other disability groups for political goals such as captioning, message relay services and interpreting services. Generally, however, Deaf people do not associate with people with other disabilities as much as they do with other Deaf people. Deaf people share membership in a minority culture.

But there has been very little opportunity for Deaf people to come together with members of other cultural and linguistic minorities. Possibly because of language barriers, fear or ignorance, there has been very little interaction between non-deaf minorities and Deaf people. People who are members of visible minorities and who are also deaf are often faced with a choice between becoming a full member of the Deaf community or a partial member of their culture of birth. Some people choose Deaf culture and identity because of communication needs. Others find a way to talk to their families and are partially assimilated into their communities but, as "deaf" people, they are never fully integrated.

This summer, Deaf youth who were members of visible minorities, as well as those who were not, had the chance to meet members of other minority groups.

Pearson College, otherwise known as Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, is one of several United World Colleges which educate students from all over the world with the goal of international peace and understanding. Sounds simple: Take almost 200 students from over 40 countries and put them on a campus in rural British Columbia and teach them peace. It is not that simple, really -- but it works. By living together and sharing experiences such as social services, environmental protection and rescues, all students learn to respect each other’s differences.

Although 200 students are able to enjoy the benefits of an internationally recognized education, it is still only a small fraction of the people who could really take advantage of the opportunities at Pearson College. Trying to accommodate more students while also meeting a growing need for education about development and the environment, Pearson faculty developed a plan for a summer program. The Development Challenge, an International Seminar on Youth and Development (ISYD), has been running for the last four summers.

In 1992, over 130 students from across Canada and 50 students from developing countries experienced the intensive three-week version of Pearson College, focusing on youth and development through community action. One of the community outreach projects that year was to learn about Deaf culture and Sign Language and meet some Deaf people. It was decided, after the success of this project, that in 1993 Deaf youth should be invited to participate in the seminar, and not just in an outreach project for the hearing participants.

In August 1993, five Deaf youth were part of a pilot project to bring Deaf Culture to the ISYD experience. The five were selected and sponsored by Deaf Youth Canada, a national non-profit organization which provides leadership training and support for Deaf youth. One Pearson student with Sign Language skills helped facilitate the week, but most of the 17 to 19 year olds from developing countries and Canada were novices at Sign Language. A group of 15 students volunteered to work with the five Deaf youth for five days in the middle of the seminar.

The first week of the seminar involved all of the youth learning a great deal of information about development and the environment and in particular, First Nations and Aboriginal issues. But the 15 students in the "Signing and Sharing" program also had to learn basic Sign Language skills and Deaf cultural issues. Using videotapes, workshops, Sign Language instruction and humour, the students were prepared to communicate with the Deaf youth. All five Deaf students were enthusiastic participants who made the effort to communicate through writing, gestures and any other way necessary when Sign Language did not work. There were interpreters available for formal sessions, but most of the time the Deaf and hearing youth were expected to communicate independently.

A focus was on Deaf culture as a minority issue that could be compared to other disadvantaged groups such as racial, religious or disability minorities. Information was provided for discussion of the issues of Deaf people in developing countries, and there was an attempt to draw parallels between development and disability. One hearing student commented, "I had lots of fun. This showed me how much Deaf people are like us -- that disabilities shouldn’t intimidate people." Although most of the hearing students were able to accept the Deaf youth as peers regardless of their "disability," some of the Deaf students resisted this comparison, feeling their "different" cultural identity was not a disability. They argued that their culture is tied to Sign Language more than to economic or physical disadvantage.

Vincent Chauvet, a special guest from Alberta, taught the Deaf students that they must have pride in their language and understand oppression in order to understand Deaf culture. He also presented to the entire group and answered questions from the audience. Chauvet’s presentation was a highlight for many of the Deaf students, who felt proud to have a Deaf leader teach the rest of the program. "Vincent Chauvet was helpful in teaching hearing people a lot about the Deaf. He taught them more about my culture," said one student.

There were problems with interpretation, and these were part of the learning process for all the students. Deaf youth experienced the same kinds of frustration as students from Spanish-speaking countries, for example, who were sometimes left out or misunderstood. Hearing students learned the difficulties of talking through a third party and of learning with an interpreter all day. It is clear that the recognition of "culture" was understood by all the participants. One hearing student wrote in her evaluation that "I’ve made five more lifelong friends of a different culture," while a Deaf youth wrote, "Cultural night taught me many things about different cultures, their dances and music, and it was very entertaining."

Kayaking, canoeing, bamboo dancing and the South African Gumboot dance were among the many experiences that the Deaf and hearing youth shared. There were some instructional meetings, but it seems that the most educational part of the entire session was when Deaf and hearing youth could interact. It was only through this contact that Deaf youth could learn about the cultures of students from other countries, and that hearing youth could come to understand a bit more about Deaf culture. As one Deaf student suggested for future activities, "Hearing people should be involved more, have more activities together, and they will understand more about our culture, and in the future give more support to the Deaf." It seems that this youth had ideas very similar to those of Nobel prize winner Lester B. Pearson, who said, "How can there be peace without people understanding each other, and how can this be if they don’t know each other?" Pearson College was built as a permanent legacy to Lester B. Pearson, and clearly the campus is being used to benefit all those who visit.

Funding and administration of the International Seminar on Youth and Development comes primarily from the Canadian International Development Agency and school boards that sponsor students in Canada. This pilot project was funded in part through donations and Deaf Youth Canada. But in order to have a better, more fully integrated multicultural experience in the coming years, more funding is needed. Deaf youth who attended this year’s pilot project strongly urged organizers to have a fully integrated program, with more Deaf students who participate for the entire three weeks. Deaf youth have a lot to offer to hearing people, and have a lot to learn from people of other cultures. The ISYD Deaf Participation project is a real chance to learn a "different" approach to "disability."

For more information, write to Tanis Doe at: 3-1150 Yates St., Victoria, BC, V8V 3M8 or fax to: (604) 380-7910. We are looking for Deaf participants in grade 11 or 12 for next summer!

(Tanis Doe co-ordinated the Deaf Participation project of the ISYD, and is active in both development and disability organizations.)