Comments on: Multimethod probes of individualism and collectivism

By: jhenner

jhenner — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:06:12 +0000

DE
I can’t really comment on whether or not PL 94-142 is a boon or a bane for the greater deaf community. I must admit that I am biased because I am a product of PL 94-142. Being mainstreamed provided me with more opportunities that what would have been available at Jacksonville (ISD). For example, I grew up playing Ice Hockey and I took many AP level courses in high school.
You are absolutely correct that this bears the need for more investigation.

Scot – thanks for bringing up critical theory. I’ve pulled up some journal articles on it and will be posting more information within the next couple of days. This is really something I can use!

By: DE

DE — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 13:17:41 +0000

Jon,

Thank you for the great insight into the growing divide/schism/etc. I am inspired by your “I believe the greater Deafhood movement allows individualist Deaf persons to reconnect with the Deaf community.” line.

Affluence as one of the causes… I agree. I’d like to look into how the PL 94-142 (“IDEA” nowadays) has affected us. Prior to that act, even Deaf children in Oralist programs were still together and grew up collectively in the larger sense. After PL 94-142, the community… seemed to radically shift to individualistic behaviors, thinking, etc. Apparently creating more intense in-fighting among us, in America at least. I don’t have the exact information and this merits extensive research, but I’ve come across quite a few experienced Deaf adults who comment that “it got worse after PL 94-142″. I understand that today, more than 75% (I don’t have the exact numbers here) of Deaf school-age children are in programs where they are the only Deaf child, with one other Deaf child, or two others.

Scot,

Amen to “This movement could possibly generate new action and new discourse, instead of just dialogue.” Amen!

By: Scot

Scot — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:08:22 +0000

As it pertains to epistemology, it appears that the actual movement, “Deafhood”, could be considered a possible epistemology in the critical theorist stance. Epistemology is basically “how do we know what we know”.

Critical theory, as espoused in the Frankfurt School, assumes that research can be used to change people’s collective thoughts and create action among the people in a specific group. For example, Paolo Freire’s pedagogy of the impressed assumes that by generating dialogue among a specific group, it will effect the people in that group to change their own situation for the better. Social constructionism assumes that the researcher is actually involved in the research and takes a look at the socially constructed aspects of how people know what they know. If what they know is based on discussion with others and just dialogue and being immersed in a specific culture with its norms and values, as in the current Deafhood movement, one could argue that this is a socially constructed epistemology. However, do we think that this going beyond this to an actual movement that could free people from other’s and their own oprresive nature? This movement could possibly generate new action and new discourse, instead of just dialogue. Something to think about.