Dear Chris Cairns

Dear Chris Cairns

I write to you in regards to the story about you, your wife and (deaf) baby daughter in Women's Day, July 4 2011.

First of all, I think its great that you have told your story, and are positive about your daughter's future. I am glad that you don't see deafness as a barrier and are not 'self-pitying, angry or dissappointed' as the author seems to assume you should have been. I'm sure it was a shock for you, although with your Dad being deaf, I think you would have been more accepting and prepared than the average Joe Bloggs.

I have a few things I would like to ask you though. You mention that if Isabel had been born 25 years ago, you would have used sign language, but because she was born in more modern times, you will take advantage of the great technology on offer (cochlear implant.) I would like to suggest to you that sign language is not old fashioned, in fact many more younger Deaf people use Sign Language happily and openly, than those of much older generations (in my experience,) who have been taught that sign language is shameful. In fact, New Zealand Sign Language is one of our countries official languages, and as such is now an accepted language of which many people choose as their first language. In the last census 28,000 New Zealanders identified as knowing some New Zealand Sign Language.

I say this to you not to condemn you. but to educate you. You mention that you had help from lots of professionals and met lots of families in the same position. Did you meet any families with Deaf children who use Sign Language? Or any Deaf people themselves to tell you what Deaf life is like? I accept your decision for a cochlear implant - you are the parents and I'm sure you're doing what you think is best for your child. However I want you to know, this is not the only way. There is a whole other world out there, with a rich language, vibrant people, who are proud and lead fulfilling lives. You could encourage Isabel to learn English and Sign Language, and let her choose her own way as she becomes older. Many hard of hearing people discover the Deaf world later in life and feel they have finally found a place they can fit in. If you give this option to Isabel early, let her see great role models, then she might have a more fulfilling life.

Thanks for listening to me

Regards

Jenn Gilbert


P.S not all my posts will be about Deaf things! These are just a few things that have caught my attention recently

Bones: The signs in the silence, review

So Bones was on last night, with a Deaf character. Wohoo, more representation of those outside of the 'norm', breaking rigid TV boundaries, this is great. Well so I thought until I started watching the episode.

(Please forgive me I don't watch this show much so I don't know all the characters names)

So near the beginning a lady (a boss?) comes to Bones and Booth, and says they need to come, and she can't interview the suspect of a murder because shes..(dun dun dun)... Deaf Mute!! (cue evil sounding music.)

Ok wait up, wait up, surely most people know if you can't speak to someone, in a legal situation (especially a murder!), you would get an interpreter who uses their language...
Secondly, 'Deaf Mute' ?? This might have been said on purpose, so that Bones can explain the right term. So Bones explains to this lady that you don't use the term 'Deaf Mute', as its historically derogative. Instead you say Deaf (yay!) and uncommunicative (boo!! why did you have to add that last part, you were doing so well.)
Seriously... uncommunicative?? Maybe for someone who is both deaf and has a mental illness or some type of impediment that really means they can't communicate at all. But this is not a term to use for all Deaf people, who can communicate just fine. I would go as far as to say this label is just as derogative as Deaf Mute.

Anyway, on we go...
We meet the Deaf girl, who is covered in blood and being all shifty eyed. Meanwhile all the professional talk about her while shes there, not trying to include her... sound familiar anyone?
Actually the tone of all the professional is completely condescending towards the lawyer/support lady, so maybe their treatment of this Deaf girl isn't surprising.
The professionals then go onto ask the support lady (not an interpreter!) to 'ask the girl,' and 'tell the girl' (again completely ignoring her directly.) When she is asked this, she goes nuts trying to run away. Oh no! Stereotypical 'crazy disabled person' alert. Cos its real hard to be disabled and of sound mind on TV, doncha' know? (well except on Glee.)

Bones says 'Right now you have to see her as evidence, nothing more than a composite of bone and tissue that as yet have not yielded any usable clues.' Wow, I'm sure they are breaking several laws there, not to mention blatant breaking of human rights and discrimination (Deaf or not).

They try to get x-rays of her teeth, no wonder she is being uncooperative when there are about four adults standing over her, each holding some weird device, trying to put it in her mouth. If she doesn't understand whats happening, they you can't blame her for keeping her mouth tightly shut. Wheras Bones and the team treat her as a nuisance, and don't try to be compassionate or empathetic to her at all (which might get better results for them anyway!). Luckily another doctor tries to explain this to Bones, and they try something else, which to me looks equally frightening.

It does get cool after this. Somehow Bones is now a sign language expert (but couldn't communicate with her before...?) and knows what she is saying, and notices that the height of her hand in a certain sign comes from a rural dialect. (Flip... how does she know this?? from one sign??).  Then they do some forensic linguistics with fancy computers and compare her signing to a corpus of (headless) signers to determine she is from Southern Pennsylvania. I like this section because it is showing people that sign languages do have dialects. Its showing a bit of forensic linguistics. If this technology actually exists, its amazing... but I have a feeling it still only exists in made for TV land.

Later we go onto Bones talking to the Deaf girl again. At this point the lawyer is interpreting for her, and I'm starting to wonder, who is this lady. A lawyer/interpreter/social worker/guardian?? If such a person exists with all these skills, well, applause to them. But by using this lady as an interpreter on this show, its making the assumption that anyone who knows sign can interpret, puts her in the role of the helper, and perpetrates the helper/victim myth. Oh well, at least the lawyer/interpreter/social worker/guardian/super woman speaks in first person for the girl. Its a start

We then find out that Amy (the Deaf girl) has Waardenburg syndrome, and her parents aren't actually her parents because their... noses don't match...?? Bones is a super woman, who knows everything, apparently!

Anyway thats enough analysis, but I wanna look at some general themes. There are character arcs - The Deaf girl starts as crazy, uncooperative and becomes an abuse victim who can hold a normal conversation. At the end she is helped through her issues by team members who were previously derogatory and rude towards her. She is so grateful towards her saviours.

This is a common theme when anyone with a disability is shown in the media- they are pitied, victims, who come through adversity with the help of the nice 'normal' people, they are so grateful to these people, and their lives are better forever and ever amen. (This doesn't always happen, but is very common in the stories of disability. This is why I like Glee, where the disabilities aren't highlighted at all, the kids are just treated as normal, not victims or amazing survivors.)

Towards the end, the way sign language is portrayed seems realistic and well done to me. Lots of screen shots of signing, used in a natural way with the super lady acting as interpreter. (Issues about her being in lots of roles aside, this lady portrays an interpreter pretty well). And her parents who haven't seen her for 12 years still know how to sign.

Its great that Deafness and sign language can be represented in such a popular tv show, but I think it needed a few tweaks to take it from stereotypical and potentially offensive to realistic and positive. It's better than nothing, but I think portrayals of minorities in the media need to be carefully evaluated and realistic. I dare the media industry to move away from cliches and stereotypes.

P.S the actress who plays this character is hearing.