Blog Posting 8
Hi, everyone! I feel like I am finally starting to get into a flow with my new occupation, and have been slowly progressing each week. My interactive app has really helped me solidify some of the basic signs, such as the alphabet and numbers. My reading of "The Deaf Community in America" has also continued to be really interesting, this week I read about historical issues in education for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. I also started to follow an ASL account on Tiktok (trying to make my wasting of time somewhat educational) and that has been fun to see and a new way to learn!
In the chapter by Cantor and Sanderson (1999), it states that "the influence of resources on well-being appears to be mediated in part by whether the particular resource enables a person to participate in and work on his/her important life goals" (p. 234). I do think that because ASL is becoming so widespread, the resources available to me and the opportunities for participation are pretty prevalent. I have joined a Deaf Community of Idaho Facebook page, and constantly see members meeting up for activities and creating presentations with one another. I also think that it has been super helpful that there are so many online resources available to me, such as the app I have been using and also tons of Youtube channels available to help individuals learn. Through the access to these resources, I do feel that my participation in ASL has improved. I think that without the vast amount of opportunities and resources available, it would be extremely hard for me to learn ASL and more about the deaf community. I feel encouraged to continue on and persist with my new occupation because I know how many resources and opportunities there are for me, currently and in my future as an OT.
Similarly to Cantor and Sanderson, King et al. (2003) states that "when opportunities are not there, people cannot participate, skills and abilities are not acquired or strengthened, and it is impossible to develop a sense of self-efficacy or competence" (p. 106). Both of these works show the importance of having opportunities for engagement and participation, which resources can help or hinder.
I’m so glad you are getting into the swing of things and feeling more confident in your ASL! I thought it was so perfect how you were reading about the fight the deaf community has had for appropriate resources in education as we discussed resources this week. I’m curious to know what some of the big issues/calls to action that the deaf community brought up in terms of education? It sounds like a super interesting topic and book!
ReplyDeleteIt is a great book! It mainly talked about past historical issues dealing with the education of deaf individuals. The book talked a lot about discrimination against individuals who are deaf in schools, and how their access to learning and resources is extremely limited. One super interesting point that was talked about was in 1880, there was an International Congress on Education of the Deaf. At this meeting, the use of sign language was basically outlawed and it was voted that individuals who were deaf needed to communicate orally. I can't imagine how devastating this was to the Deaf community, and it is so inspiring to see how far society has come!
ReplyDelete