Overview: It was not a front-page story, but it was still a rather interesting. The newspaper article said that deaf students at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. were celebrating the tenth anniversary of King Jordan as the president of the university. Many of the students said that Jordan was the most important president in the history of the school. Founded in 1864, Gallaudet was the first liberal arts college for deaf people. In 1989, student protests at Gallaudet shut down the university. What did the students want? After 125 years, they felt it was time that the university was run by a deaf president. After days of protest, the university agreed, and Jordan, who had been deafened at age twenty-one was named the first deaf president in the history of the school. From the article, it was clear that deaf people did not necessarily consider themselves handicapped, but rather consider themselves to be members of a distinct culture. Rather than consider their deafness a disability, they see it as a badge of uniqueness that allows them to be in the world and perceive it in different ways than other people. This bond can be so strong that they even reject technological and medical advances that would allow them to hear. They feel that being deaf is not a disadvantage but rather should be considered another culture in our society. Causes of deafness: What causes deafness? There are several answers to this question, but one important cause is genetics. This means that someone in the family had this condition which was passed on to the child. This condition is passed on to a child by a recessive gene that both parents most have. Because there might have not been a deaf person on either side of the family for a long time, some parents are often surprised and confused as to why their child cannot hear. In addition to genetics there are other causes of deafness. Some of the other leading causes of deafness include: disease, drugs, injury, and aging. Some illnesses that can cause deafness include memingitis, lupus, rubella, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Benign or malignant growths in various parts of the ear may also cause deafness. Some medications are also known to cause deafness. Injury, such as a blow to the head or continious exposure to excessive noise can cause deafness. Among other leading causes of deafness is aging. Older people often experience hearing loss, gradually. Medical research into causes and treatments continue. The information mentioned above is only a very small part of what is available for learning. Communication: There are several different ways to communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. Within a deaf community, communication can be combined with speech- reading (lipreading) writing, signing, and/or finger spelling. What method is used usually depends on the person\u92s preference and communication abilities in the conversation. The preference in communication may depend on schooling the person has, the person\u92s age at the onset of the deafness, the environment (light, dark noise, distance), and technology. Before separate schools were established for the deaf, deaf people\u92
