Speakers aimed to educate about Deaf Studies, culture

Series organized by student after a semester at Galludet

Two lectures last weekend coupled with a panel discussion this Saturday are attempting to bring the issues of Deaf Studies and Deaf Culture out into the Oberlin Community. This weekend's discussion, entitled "Deaf, Gay and Out" will be communicated through American Sign Language as well as with an interpreter.

The events over the past two weekends were largely organized by senior Heather West, who went to Galludet University (D.C.), the only liberal arts institution expressely for deaf undergraduates in the world, last spring as part of Oberlin's exchange program with that school. She organized the events as a way of making the exchange program more visible to the Oberlin community and to raise awareness of deaf issues.

"People will ask pretty ignorant questions which is surprising [coming] from a community that claims to know so much about cultural diversity," West said.

Attendance at the two speeches, given by Arlene Blumenthal Kelly, professor of Deaf Studies at Galludet, was not to capacity. Junior Lisa Zahren, who attended both lectures and takes the American Sign Language ExCo, said there was a bigger attendance at the first lecture. Because of the academic nature of the second lecture did not attract as many people.

West feels that Oberlin students need to be exposed to deaf culture and issues because when Galludet students come to Oberlin, they have to educate people about their culture.

The topic for this weekend's panel was brought to West's attention at Galludet where she met people in the deaf/gay community.

"I've noticed there's a real connection between the the deaf community and the gay community in general. There are commonalities-most gay people grow up with straight parents, and most deaf people with hearing parents, so they have the experience of growing up in a different culture," West said.

Due partially to the fact that Oberlin doesn't have a continuing fund for interpreters, more Oberlin students go to Galludet through the program than the reverse. The funding problem is a continuing project of West's. The program was started 25 years ago as the result of a Winter Term project where two students went to Galludet, and is now coordinated by Dean Kelly of Student Support Services.

West teaches the American Sign Language ExCo; this is her fourth semester doing so. There's definite interest in the class-West said each semester she receives four or five times the applications as she has room for in the class. She thinks that shows a need for classes at the College, a course taught by a deaf teacher that students could take for College credit.

West said that her own signing skills didn't get "really good" until she took classes at Galludet with deaf teachers.

"Some hearing people who are unable to speak use sign language as a form of communication while for deaf people, sign language is part of their culture," Zahren said. She felt was the most important thing she learned form the speaker last week.