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  • Essay / The Deaf Community and Deaf Culture - 1208

    Since ancient times, being deaf was considered undesirable and culturally disconnected from the rest of mainstream society. Often, members of the community found themselves ostracized by members of other cultures, who viewed them with suspicion and were considered possessed or in communion with undesirable "spirits", particularly during the advent of Christianity which was in practice at the time. Middle Ages. During this period, before the advent of Gutenberg's metal movable type printing press, the population was mostly illiterate and religious texts and spiritual obligations/instructions were transmitted verbally to the people by the literati clerics of the 'era. Thus, it was thought that the deaf did not have access to “Fides ex auditu”, which was the main way, and often considered the only one; one could achieve spiritual fulfillment and salvation. (Lane, 1984) Today in the United States, approximately 4,500 children are born deaf each year, and many more suffer from injuries or illnesses that can lead to partial or complete loss of hearing, making it the largest “disability” segment in the country. Although medical professionals focus solely on the medical aspects of hearing loss and deafness, members of the deaf community find this unwarranted focus limiting and restrictive; due to its failure to adequately delineate the sociological aspects and implications of the deaf and their culture. Current members of Deaf culture reject classifications such as "deaf-mute" or "deaf-mute" because they marginalize them due to their allusions to presumed disability. (Edwards, 2012, p. 26-30) This fight against marginalization is one of the main elements that bind their sense of community, ...... middle of article ...... century The Deaf Education and the Growth of Deaf Culture. New York: NYU Press. Green, A. (February 5, 2014). Deaf inmate receives $150,000 settlement from Oregon after claiming job assignments were discriminatory. The Oregonian. Retrieved from http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/deaf_inmate_gets_150000_settle.htmlLane, H. (1984). When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf. [To light up]. Retrieved from http://www.randomhouse.comThe Americans with Disabilities Act, TITLE 42 - PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE USC § 12101 - 12117 et seq. (Author 1990). US Code: Title 28 - JUDICIAL AND COURT PROCEDURE, Part V - Chapter 119 - 1827 - Interpreters in the Courts of the United States USC § 1827 (Author nd). Van Cleve, JV, & Crouch, BA (1989). A Place Apart: Creating the Deaf Community in America (1st ed.). Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.