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Deaf Voices

Many University classes are difficult to get into, but the American Sign Language program is arguably the hardest. Numerous students have received a reply from the department expressing its regret that it cannot take any more students.

Christopher Krentz, associate professor and director of the ASL program at the University, said the department can only fund approximately 75 students per semester.

A relatively new program, the ASL course aims to teach culture as well as language, Krentz said.

Contrary to what many in the hearing community may think, ASL is not a mirror of English. It is a foreign language which has its own unique sentence structure and idioms, Krentz said.

Krentz teaches ASL classes as well as literature classes in the English department, and he uses a hearing aid to improve his hearing abilities.

There are several important distinctions to make between people in the deaf community. Those who are culturally deaf are those who sign and share cultural values. Often times they are referred to as the capitalized "Deaf."

Another group are those who are deaf but do not sign or identify with the deaf culture because they may have lost their hearing later in life, Krentz explained.

Krentz also said that CODA, a common term in the Deaf community, stands for "child of deaf adults," who most often are not deaf themselves.

Fourth-year College student Sarah Rockburn is a CODA whose parents live in Northern Virginia.

According to Rockburn, her mother was born deaf, but her family did not discover this fact until later, when she did not respond to questions or loud noises.

Rockburn's father, however, was not born deaf. When he was about six months old, meningitis caused him to lose his hearing.

"As a result, he has great speech," Rockburn said. "He talks extremely well because of that little exposure to sound."

When she was young, Rockburn said she learned English and sign language co-currently. Instead of using just sign language to communicate, her parents would say a word in English and would sign that word's ASL equivalent at the same time.

One day, when Rockburn was a young child, she said she was signing to her parents when her grandmother asked her to speak while she was signing so that everyone could understand her.

"That's when I realized my parents were different," Rockburn said.

Rockburn said she remembers her father singing Sunday school songs to her, such as "The Day the Lord Has Made."

He knew the words to the song, but he would create his own melodies, she said.

Rockburn said she has many other fond memories of her childhood, but she can recall some challenging experiences.

Growing up going to public school was often difficult for her, as many of her classmates did not understand her parents' deafness.

"Younger kids made fun of my parents," she recalled. "They would imitate how they spoke. It was deeply offensive, but it comes from ignorance."

Rockburn also said she assumed increased responsibilities as a child, and consequently sometimes feels as though her childhood was shortened. She describes herself as being her parents' ears.

"It put me in the position to talk to adults," she said. "I had to talk to doctors and on the phone to people about bill payments."

As Rockburn grew older, she said she recalls periods of questioning and wondering why God would make things harder on certain people.

"Sometimes I felt my responsibility was too much," she quietly reflected. "But I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for my parents."

According to Rockburn, her parents' deafness has molded her personality, because she had to become very motivated and responsible at an early age. She also said her situation has affected her heart and the empathy she has for others.

"I learned not to judge and to view everyone as capable," she said. "I have a great desire to empower people."

First-year College student John Moore, another CODA, said he considers himself lucky to have deaf parents.

"We had a connection with our parents that not a lot of other people have, because we knew the personal issues in the family," he said. "We had a best friend, mother-father, and even a business relationship."

Like Rockburn, Moore also describes himself as being a mouth and ears for his parents.

Although he said he never felt as though he had extra responsibility as a child, he does claim to have grown up faster.

"It forced me to mature quicker," he said. "I had to remain professional because I'd have to deal with situations other kids didn't have to."

Moore said one of the hardest things about being a CODA is trying to code switch between two cultures.

"The biggest obstacle was going to school -- to the hearing world where you don't sign," he said. "It's hard to know you're in between."

Krentz echoed this sentiment, referring to CODA's as liminal people in society.

"They're like white people being born into a black family," Krentz said. "It's difficult for them to move between two worlds and decide upon their identity."

According to Moore, there are many misconceptions the hearing community has about the deaf community.

Consequently, Moore said he keeps a list of "stupid comments" people have made about his parents over the years.

The list includes questions such as, "How do they drive?" and "How do they learn to read?" and comments such as, "Wow, you must have a quiet house."

Quite the opposite is true, though, Moore said.

"My house isn't quiet at all," he laughed. "My mom would yell at the top of her lungs to make us stop misbehaving."

Of all the "stupid comments" Moore has heard over the years, the one he said upsets him the most is "I'm sorry."

"Deafness can be a blessing if you want it to be," he said. "If I could make my parents hearing, I don't think I would."

Moore said he is hesitant to call deafness a disability, a sentiment with which many in the deaf community agree. In fact, certain methods of genetic engineering or technology to "correct" deafness have caused much controversy. According to Krentz, these technologies often can make deaf people feel as though there is something wrong with them.

"We're all disabled," Krentz said. "Where is the line? How is my hearing aid different from strong glasses?"

Rockburn expressed similar beliefs.

"A lot of people don't believe deafness is a disability -- it's more similar to a race or a culture," she said.

Rockburn said her parents have instilled in her openness and the ability to understand all kinds of people.

"They're my heroes," Rockburn said. "They've shown me that no matter what your limitations are, you can achieve great things."

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