VIDEO: Do not call cops tidbits, ASL storytelling by Ricky Taylor.
The video producer by openly Deaf Gay blogger Ricky Taylor aka Ridor9th sharing on the social media in ASL covers focusing on Cops' treatment of Deaf people in the United States.
VIDEO [CC] - Meet Agatha Chizek, the oldest Deaf woman in the United States or World?!
Very special interview with a wonderful amazing lady in American Sign Language by Shelly Hansen. Agatha Chizek share stories including pictures about her life experiences over the years.
Agatha Chizek has become the oldest Deaf to have ever lived after reaching the grand old age of 108. She born in Germany in 1907, is the oldest living Deaf woman in the United States. Please share with others! Thanks!
VIDEO [CC] - The Deaf Culture webisode series in ASL.
The video producer by Guthrie Nutter also known as American Sign Language educator, actor, tornado chasing and climbing the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
A top 5 introduction to Deaf Culture webisode the educational comedy ASL versions, Guthrie shared on YouTube social networking for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. All Deaf culture webisode with captioning has been enabled for all audiences to activate this feature, press the "CC" button on the lower right.
Deaf Culture Webisode Teaser - A top 5 introduction to Deaf culture teaser.
Deaf Culture Webisode #1 - Things that hearing people do to Deaf...
Deaf Culture Webisode #2 - Common myths about Deaf people.
VIDEO [CC] - The 90 minute production for PBS: History "Through Deaf Eyes" will take a look at Deaf culture from the 19th century to the present in the United States of America.
Through Deaf Eyes is a two-hour HDTV documentary for PBS exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America. The film presents the shared experiences of American history family life, education, work, and community connections from the perspective of Deaf citizens.
Interviews include community leaders, historians, and Deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology and identity. Bringing a Deaf cinematic lens to the film are six artistic works by Deaf media artists and filmmakers.
Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media artists' own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But the core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America - a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human.
Through Deaf Eyes does not approach the topic of deaf history from the perspective of sentimentality or overcoming, nor does it deny the physical reality of being deaf.
The documentary takes a straight-forward look at life for people who are part of the cultural-linguistic group who use American Sign Language and often define themselves as "Deaf" with a capital, and cultural, "D" and deaf people who, for a variety of reasons, do not identify with the Deaf cultural community.
The history often shows that intersections between deaf and Deaf people are many and that oppression and discrimination are common experiences. Source
Mr Mesich explained how he “felt like the only Deaf Gay in the world” after coming out and struggled to find a place where he could fit in.
He explained how he came out to his mother over instant messanger, saying: “Before my 21st birthday, I was talking to my mum on AOL instant messenger. We were talking and my mum asked me, ‘Are you gay? Are you interested in boys?’
“I was thinking and realized it is time for me to open up, so I told my mom, ‘Yes, I am gay.’
“She said, ‘Okay, that’s good I am happy to hear that from you. I knew you were gay since you were a little kid’.
He continued: “Years later, after college, I started dating. I dated a few guys on and off. It was good and enjoyable.
“I met this one person and he was hearing. We went out for dinner, and we could communicate a little but sometimes it’s hard with a hearing person. Mostly I would text on my phone to communicate.
“It was a very nice time, as he was very patient and understanding. But I realized that being Deaf and gay can be difficult with gay hearing people that I had dated.
“Sometimes they don’t understand about Deaf Culture or know about Deaf Culture. Also they don’t know that sign language is my first language. Some of them understood, but some of them didn’t fit in with Deaf culture.
“Comparing high school to where I am now, I used to feel lost and isolated. I didn’t know who I was.
“Now I feel confident, happy and know who I am. I’m comfortable with hearing and Deaf people, it doesn’t matter to me.
“Now I know who I am but I am not in a rush to look for love. All that matters are my family and friends who I enjoy being with.
“Whoever is out there will be very supportive and love who I am. I want it to be something that lasts.”
Exclusive: How do you sign "new" words? The Deaf community works as a network, collectively brainstorming new sign language term over the web, until dominant emerge.
Hope&Fears - As language evolves, the powers that regulate language tend to shift. Just look at the Oxford English Dictionary, who added terms like “duck face,” “lolcat,” and “hawt” to their prestigious lexicon this past December. For the English-speaking world, these additions are anywhere from ridiculous to annoying but at the end of the day, the terms are accepted and agreed upon.
But how do these new, internet-laden turns of phrase enter the sign language community? Was there a way of expressing “selfie” in ASL, was there a sign for “photobomb?” Our simplistic question turned into a larger conversation about the nature of communication.
We turned to Bill Vicars, the president and owner of an organization called Lifeprint, a company who educates through “technology-enhanced delivery of ASL Instruction, excursion-based instruction (trips to amusement parks), and extended-immersion-based program coordination (intense two-week residencies).”
Vicars himself is Deaf/HH, which means he is hard of hearing and culturally Deaf as he has immersed himself in the Deaf community. “In addition to my co workers, the majority of my friends are Deaf… my wife is Deaf,” Vicars explains. (Capitalizing ‘Deaf’ refers to the Deaf community, as noted by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, in Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture (1988), “We use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language - American Sign Language (ASL) - and a culture.”)
Is their stories factual truth or propaganda passed down by the religious institutions? Is Jesus actually a con artist or a criminal? We may never know the truth.
This video is a response to Christian's homophobia. Here is a unique perception of God. Some verses in the Bible may indicate that God is actually a transgender. Are you open minded enough to watch this video?
VIDEO [CC] - The Rider On The White Horse in ASL by John Graham.
The video producer by John Graham also known as Deafire, who is Pastor of New Life Deaf Church in Ontario, Canada. Deafire shared on YouTube social networking for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community about The Rider On The White Horse in the biblical ASL storytelling.
Some the most intriguing passages in the Bible can be found in Revelation chapter 6, a chapter dealing with events that occur during the Tribulation period of human history. Revelation 19:11-16.
The video producer by Joshua Beckman also known as vlogger posted on YouTube social networking for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. This vlog in ASL storytelling of the Deaf Schools and education the community.
You care about Deaf schools right? Well I too, care about the Deaf schools.
Did you know that many of those schools endure hardship? What struggles are there, you might ask? Lack of moral support from the government, community, staff, administration, teachers, parents. Support is naught and hard to find. There are funding constraints as well.
Now you are watching me in disbelief. Worrying, disappointed; feeling angry, frustrated, heart-wrenched. Me too, I am in the exact same boat as you are.
Turn "Closed Captioned" On.
What can the Deaf community do to help? There is a solution… but it is not an imminent fix. They are as following:
1) All Deaf schools must have at least 75% Deaf people working there. What I meant by 75% is, for instance: chefs, landscape maintenance workers, custodians, teachers, education assistants, staff, support staff, administration et cetera. All positions available must be at least 75% employed by Deaf people.
With that being said, the system itself must change first. How? We, the Deaf people take initiative with the due process.
2) The names of the Deaf schools themselves must change.
It all boils down to the word ‘for’ inside the name of the school. It bears a negative connotation. Essentially it means a population for you [hearing people] to serve, and to provide support. The word ‘for’ is archaic. Why don't we use Deaf schools instead? More positive. That term is a direct reflection of the Deaf community
We decide. We control. We govern and modify policies accordingly. Not them, hearing people. The government workers must no longer be in such position with power. Again, we decide. Doing so, we all must collaborate together, collectively.
Amina Ouahid is a Deaf amateur actress who was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. For Amina has the acting has always been a passion. When she was 10, she became the host of SVT's children's program Pi, and worked there for four years. In 2007 she participated in the show Ulla & Ulf in both Stockholm and in Vanersborg.
Additionally, she has appeared in several plays, television shows and magazines. Currently taking Amina a break from their studies to focus on acting. In the spring of 2012, she is current in Fame Visukalen, a collaboration between the National Theatre Silent Theatre, Örebro county theater and the National Theatre Örebro County: wiki.riksteatern.se
"Unexpected moment"
Visual Vernacular and soundless. (Recorded with Samsung mobilephone)
VIDEO: Awti - Deaf Parents Voice with Hearing Children ? American Sign Language.
Should Deaf parents voice while signing to hearing children? Awti gives his answer and asks for yours!
Also known as Awti, Austin W. Andrews (Certifications: CI, CT, NIC Master, BEI Master) is widely recognized as the Deaf Ninja storyteller. Born into a Deaf family and raised in Rochester, New York, Austin has been interpreting professionally since 1997.
After working for over 4 years as the Head Trainer of two different VRS providers, he established Awti Productions (www.awtiproductions.com), supplying ASL interpretation, workshops, vlogs, and performances.
ASL community, thanks for subscribing to my Youtube channel!
Signed Version - How Many Senses Do Deaf People Have ?
The number doesn't actually matter. What's cool to realize is that it's way more than we previously thought. What's important is that the level, sensitivity, and use that HUMANS get out of a sense isn't uniform across the board. No matter how we may appear to fit the current social construct of 'normal.'
Why does this happen? Because of biodiversity. And the concept of biodiversity is important why?
Many reasons. Here's a big one:
Because the social model of disability has told us for years, that, "while physical, sensory, intellectual, or psychological variations may cause individual functional limitation or impairments, these do not have to lead to a disability unless society fails to take account of and include people regardless of their individual differences."
With so much diversity of ability happening in every single person on the planet, it's amazing that a large majority have banded together to consider themselves "normal" (read: everybody is the exact same) while others are not. "The difference between the needs that many disabled people have and the needs of people who are not labelled as disabled is that non-disabled people have had their dependencies normalized. The world has been built to accommodate certain needs and call the people who need those things independent, while other needs are considered exception." (AJ Withers, "Disability Politics and Theory")
When we realize that we all have different abilities, and consequently, different needs, dependencies that are very real, even though they have been largely 'normalized.' Maybe this helps us see ourselves in others with a little bit more empathy, maybe we find a bit more compassion from within, maybe we recognize our humanity a bit more markedly, and maybe, we can build a more inclusive future. - ewitty
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [ASL/CC] - HEARD created the ‘Deaf In Prison’ to raise awareness about abuse of discrimination against Deaf prisoners.
With many people in prisons that are not heard, there is an organization called "Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf" (HEARD) that strives to fight for the rights of Deaf prisoners. While prisoners have it hard, Deaf prisoners are often in the worst place possible at the wrong time.
The #DeafInPrison Campaign, which officially launches on June 27th, aims to start a national conversation about these concerns and to compel corrective and preventive action.
More than ten organizations across the nation will host viewings and more hundreds of people will watch the film individually. Help us start a national dialogue about Deaf and Disabled prisoners after you watch this powerful documentary.
This Al Jazeera America exclusive investigation, which originally aired in December 2013, features interviews from HEARD board members Pat Bliss & Talila "TL" Lewis; Deaf prisoners from HEARD's Deaf & Deaf-Blind Prisoner Database, the only national database of Deaf prisoners; Felix Garcia, HEARD's longest-serving Deaf wrongfully convicted prisoner; and family members of Deaf prisoners.
HEARD worked with Al Jazeera America producers for more than two years on this project & we are humbled and grateful for their support of our efforts.
VIDEO: Captioned - Deaf Inc: Exclusive interview with Sean Forbes.
DEAF Inc.'s "In The Spotlight" returns! In this episode, we interview Sean Forbes, a Deaf musician on a mission.
Music is in his blood, his cells; it's just the way he is. Sean Forbes is living proof that if you have enough passion and dedication, magic happens and dreams come true. He talks about his 2014 tour and gives a message to younger Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children.
VIDEO [CC] - Deaf Fighter's Inspiring Story. Take a look into the life of Deaf MMA fighter Daniel Michel.
Daniel Michel growing up as the only child who is Deaf in his family, Daniel Michel has always dream of rising as a superstar. He was born on May 6, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and became involved with various sports throughout his childhood, including football, basketball, track, and so on.
He was introduced to wrestling upon his entrance to high school as a freshmen and his excellence on the mat has proven that he can take his skills to a whole new level. He joined a world-class training facility known as American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, and began training, initially two days a week to seven days a week.
While learning all types of fighting styles, he has been striving to inspire a wide audience of people with the demonstration that hard work can pay off while maintain with both positive attitude and patience. He is determined to continue training until his dream becomes a reality: MMA Professional Fighter.
What is an Atheist? An atheist is a person who does not believe that any gods exist. Upon seeing numerous frictions and conflicts between religious Christians and non-believers I felt the urge and desire to share my story, a testimony, to explain why I believe in God.
I also wanted to offer some insights into several topics with hope to explain why some people may not believe in God and why I do. And to offer some insights on why some people might have lost their faith in church, religions, God and the Bible. There are logical explanation for the trends that we're witnessing. And what I believe we could do about it.
Disclaimer: The entire 45 minutes of this video was taken in four days and taken exclusively at the ranch. None of the video was taken from the Internet or any where else. What you will see is what happened during the filming. There were some special signs in the video. I said my prayers each day before I started filming.
Filmed, edited and subtitled by Barry Sewell. Voiced by Andres Sewell.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [ASL/CC] - Virtual Deaf Church: I have become an Atheist.
Justin Vollmar: When I was 18, I was drawn to a strict Christian sect known as Independent Fundamental Baptists. They convinced me that they were the only true church and I became a born-again, washed-in-blood Christian.
For the next seven years, I was a pastor in Silver Spring, Maryland, working 60 hours a week for little pay. My senior pastor was a harsh taskmaster, scolding me and always pushing me to work harder. Meanwhile, he earned $80,000 a year and played golf two times a week. I lived in poverty and did not see my children much. I got burned out.
I resigned my position and was shunned by the church. My faith in God was severely shaken. I started to have doubts about the Bible’s claims. I questioned whether God’s love, which is supposed to reside inside Christians, was real. Still, I didn’t quit the church.
"I am coming out of closet. I no longer believe in God. I am an Atheist now. This video explains my journey to doubt."
Rather, for two years I became a pastor at a church that is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. I called myself a “contemporary Baptist,” in the vein of megachurch pastor Rick Warren's “purpose-driven church.”
But that pit-of-the-stomach worry stayed, as I wondered whether I would leave the church and go through another shunning.
During that time, I established an online preaching ministry, Virtual Deaf Church, for Deaf people like myself. I had a fairly sizable audience - averaging 3,000 viewers for each video or vlog - about the same as a good-sized flesh-and-blood congregation.
But I still had lots of spiritual questions and studied shelves of theological books in search of answers. I struggled with many more contradictions I continued to discover.
The video producer by openly Deaf Gay blogger Ricky Taylor aka Ridor9th sharing on the social media in ASL covers focusing on Cops' treatment of Deaf people in the United States.
