Audism Unveiled

In September and October 2014 I have spent absolutely wonderful six weeks at the Gallaudet University in Washington. I was researching the relations of the early cinema and American deaf community. My research was an extreme intellectual adventure, however the closer the departure the more nervous and desperate it was. The first day I have entered the archives my hands got shaking. "I won't manage to read it ALL in six weeks". I didn't read it ALL but a great portion of it. It was a really busy and fruitful stay.

Apart from transcribing (at the end of my stay mainly scanning) manuscripts I have also watched some films I had no chance to see so far. One of them was "Audism Unveiled" (2008), an informative reportage depicting the form of discrimination based on the body normalisation in reference to the hearing. 

Ben Bahan, H-Dirksen Bauman, and Facundo Montenegro - the directors of the film - invited a wide range of deaf respondents to share their experiences connected with the family life, education and professional carriers. In oral history alike interviews they portrayed the powerful and moving history of struggle for respect and recognition of the whole community.

However authors of the film unveil not only the audism in the behaviors of others (sometimes meant to help and support the d/Deaf) but also their own -ism.

But just for a moment let's come back to me visiting Gallaudet. At home in Poland I am researching deaf Poles, who are surrounded by the verbal, written Polish element. In social encounters with the hearing (just as all the deaf independently of their nationality, as well foreigners not knowing the language fluently) they feel dull, lacking of humor and intelligence. When coming to Washington I have decided not to take up American Sign Language because of the two reasons. First: I was afraid it will blend with my Polish Sign Language that I was (and still am) learning. Second: I wanted to gain this kind of experience of being surrounded by the communication that takes place not only in different language but also different mode - the visual one. I wanted to put myself in this position to be able to understand my respondents better. It was hard and frustrating experience: wanting to make a joke but having to write it down on a piece of paper - with no suspense, taking sooooo long... However my Polish Sign Language - absolutely different from ASL - was still helpful. I was not ashamed and scared to pantomime what I wanted to sign/say - something that would not be possible before I learned how to sign. 

But still having all these problems and stresses I do sign - in Polish.

And now back to "Audism Unveiled". On the CD cover there was an information the film is subtitled - that was a great news. Few days earlier I have seen  over 90 minutes of "Deafula" without sound and without subtitles and I managed to survive it because of my persistence  and because moving pictures are all about image after all:) The first thing that appeared on the screen when I turned on the "Audism Unveiled" was this:

OK, I desperately needed subtitles because otherwise the film would be totally  incomprehensible for me. I was grateful, however this information is tongue in cheek. It uses the term "impaired" in respect to people who were probably never labeled like this and it is supposed to cause shock that will lead to different perspective. That is a great idea, however being a hearing person I am not signing-impaired. I do sign but not in ASL. And here comes the authors' -ism: regarding the ASL as an uber-sign language and not regarding as signing these viewers that do not know ASL. I am aware of the fact that film was probably made with American audiences in mind but unintentionally the ASLism (?) has been unveiled.