What is
the Deaf Community?
Deaf
people have a community. It is made up of people of different
ages, races, and backgrounds. While Deaf people may be members
of other minority groups, they are bound together by a common
language, ASL, and a common experience.
At the
center of the community are schools for the Deaf. It is
usually here that Deaf children first experience the sense
of community. They are surrounded by other who communicate
similarly, in the visual mode, and who have a similar experience
coping with the communication barriers that are part of
their daily life.
Most
deaf children, up to 90%, are born to hearing parents who
may not sign or sign fluently. When the child goes to school,
they enjoy the ease of communication, and strong bonds of
friendship are formed. Schools often become a second family.
In the
past, as the child entered adulthood, they often had this
same sense of community at Deaf clubs. Today, Deaf clubs
have a reduced role as the centerpoint of the adult deaf
social circle, though this varies from area to area.
Deaf
people have their own sports associations and Deaf Olympics.
They have their own Deaf
Miss America Pageant, held every two years. There is
a Deaf
Pilots Association. There are numerous newspapers and
magazines such as SILENT NEWS and DEAF
LIFE which deal with issues that the deaf community
faces.