Summary of the Book Deaf Again by Mark Drolsbaugh

Mark Drolsbaugh
Writer, essayist, and advocate

Marking Drolsbaugh has an offbeat history. He was "built-in hearing to deafened parents," learned to sign easily and naturally as a toddler, and had gratis access to his parents' "fascinating" community. He too had a slowly-progressing hearing loss. When he was five, "medical professionals and hearing relatives" persuaded his parents to go along him "as far away from the Deaf world as possible." He had to learn to "fit in with the Hearing world"—a frustrating and ultimately futile proposition. Growing up "just four blocks away" from the old Mountain Airy campus of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, he attended public schools and tried to go on upwards with his hearing classmates. He wondered "what it would be like to be a member of the Deaf community." Finally, "some open-minded teachers at Germantown Friends School" provided an ASL interpreter for him, and "this fabricated a world of difference."

He was able to "thrive as an authentic Deaf person" when he entered Gallaudet University in 1989. He met his married woman, Melanie, there, too. Afterwards earning his B.A. in Psychology and an One thousand.A. in Schoolhouse Counseling and Guidance, he returned to his roots at PSD every bit a school counselor, so he's had a longstanding connection with the school he wasn't allowed to nourish. Melanie teaches ASL function-time at Arcadia University and the University of Pennsylvania. The family lives in North Wales, Pennsylvania, and take three children, Darren, Brandon, and Lacey (Darren and Brandon are shown at left)—all native signers. Brandon and Lacey are hearing. Darren is early on-deaf and has been getting excellent back up services at his school; he plans to enroll at a Deaf program when he enters middle school.

Drolsbaugh works at PSD during the week, and in his spare time, blogs, writes, works on upcoming books, and spends time with the kids. It goes without saying that he admittedly loves to write. Joyfully, passionately, humorously, furiously—the pleasure he takes in writing shines through.

He has written columns for several Deaf Customs and general publications, and has published 3 books; a children's volume is in the works. He and Melanie run Handwave Publications. His autobiography, Deafened Again, was originally published in 1997; the fourth edition was published in 2008. Annihilation But Silent, a collection of his best articles written between 1997 and 2003, was published in 2004. On the Debate: the Hidden World of the Hard of Hearing (2007) features the work of 37 talented writers. Deaf Again is used in "numerous ASL/Deaf Studies classes and is an underground hit in England, Australia, and Germany." (The German edition, published past Signum Printing, is titled Endlich Gehörlos, which translates as "finally Deaf.") It's virtually reclaiming and embracing his lost Deaf identity.

His Website, Deaf Culture Online, includes articles, guest essays, and information. Information technology'south a valuable resource and an enjoyable browse. And ane doesn't take to be Deaf or a Deafened Power enthusiast to benefit.

Cartoon on his ain rich shop of experience, good and bad, he writes nigh the hazards of "social bluffing" (faking comprehension of spoken dialogue in an effort to fit in with a hearing oversupply), the difference between plumbing equipment in and belonging, about communication, parenting, being a baseball dad, Deaf identity, the right of deaf babies to have access to ASL, experiencing raw, naked discrimination at an AGBell conference in Alexandria, Virginia, his children's adventures and struggles, and his own. He argues persuasively for being authentically Deaf while celebrating the diversity of the Deafened customs.

When we asked him how he deals with that favorite accusation that Deafened Civilization advocates endeavour to discourage hearing parents from choosing cochlear implants for their deafened children because implants are perceived as a threat to Deaf Culture, he replied:

As for claims that culturally Deaf people discourage parents from choosing cochlear implants, that's just some other attempt at creating a sectionalisation between the hearing globe and the culturally Deafened people who have so much to offer. Yep, there are a broad range of people in the Deafened community with varying opinions nearly the implant. But really, it's non an effect of "don't do implants." Information technology's an consequence of ASL awareness. Go to any big gathering of culturally Deaf people and you'll come across a TON of diversity. Become to Gallaudet, NTID, whatever Deaf residential school, or any large-scale Deafened event and you'll see a wide range of people with varying degrees of signing skill... people with and without hearing aids... people with and without cochlear implants... people who voice, people who don't voice... hearing people, Deaf people... everyone's there. Nobody's excluded. Anybody's welcome in the Deaf world. And information technology's never as well late to join, as Deaf Again shows. But I actually wish I had the chance to join much earlier and I meet and then many deafened people who say the same affair.

Meanwhile, in that location are countless places where ASL and the culturally Deaf are apartment-out EXCLUDED. I could tell yous so many horror stories, by and present. I've met hearing parents of deaf babies who told me that their children's hospitals never informed them most deafened-friendly options. I've seen people going out of their manner to make sure deaf children aren't exposed to Deaf developed role models or fifty-fifty same-age peers who sign. This sort of exclusion is such a travesty. And it's so mind-boggling when you consider how ASL is the almost accessible language from birth. Hearing parents with hearing babies are eager to learn ASL to gain the research-proven benefits of early linguistic communication acquisition, but deaf babies are often denied this opportunity. Mind-boggling. So bringing this rant full circumvolve—I don't recollect it really comes down to saying whether or not cochlear implants are right or wrong. It comes downwardly to advocacy and ensuring that people are enlightened of what ASL is and what the Deaf community has to offer.

Definitely addictive.

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Source: https://deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/Drolsbaugh.html

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