I guess thatâs because we, âDeaf folksâ have spider eyes, unicorn horns, dinosaur tails, green skins, and thatâs what deaf folks look like, right?
I must remind you that there are Deaf/Hard of Hearing folks from all races, ethnicities, and religious.
Even, we have Deaf folks with diverse gender identities and the Deaf community is also home to the LGBT+ community.
The DeafBlind/DeafDisabled community is quite diverse with folks coming from a variety of backgrounds and etiologies.
The point is, thereâs no way to look or be deaf. Thereâs no such as a âDeafdarâ. Deaf folks are diverse, as all humans are, and let us not forget that. đ¤đź
Hearing people can learn sign language. Deaf people cannot learn how to hear.
Lemme explain what it means.
Hearing people can learn sign language. At first they wonât know what Deaf people are signing and they will feel this overwhelming feeling and be left out. However, it is only a temporary experience for hearing people. Sign language is not hard to learn. I have gotten plenty of excuses from hearing friends and family that doesnât sign. Donât take any offense. Iâm being realistic from my experience as a Deaf person.
âI donât have time!â
âThere is no deaf people in my area, so why even try?â
âItâs so hard.â
âYou are my only deaf friend.â
âOh I will practice! I promise!â
The list goes on.
Pretty tiring to get those kind of excuses. OH and COVID-19 is mainly spread by talking directly from the mouth. Coughing. Sneezing. TALKING. T A L K I N G đ
Hence why itâs a fabulous time to learn sign language and provide captions on your feed. Us Deaf people are quite tired. Imagine HOW Black Deaf people feel? Consider that with your white privileges. I am too. I will always learn new things everyday along with yâall.
Now about Deaf people.
Yes some of us learned how to âhearâ through different kinds of device but it is never the same as what hearing people hear. We arenât capable to hear FULLY to get FULL access.
That means Deaf people are constantly being access deprived. How can Deaf people learn the spoken language if they donât have the access to sounds? That is where sign language comes in. It is a visual language. We use sign language to have access to the spoken and written language.
For example:
American Sign Language to understand English.
French Sign Language to understand French.
German Sign Language in German.
And so on.
The ideal solution for this:
Hearing people all over learn sign language in their spoken language. Deaf people will start to see more accessibility in sign language. It will lead to providing more captions and accommodations for all Deaf people. It will also benefit hearing people. Really- sign language benefits most people. Itâs not that hard. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. đđť
yâall saying BLM for one situation just donât sit right with me, it goes beyond police brutality!!! itâs Black women dying at a higher rate during childbirth. itâs Black people being exposed to COVID-19 at a higher rate. itâs Black people being forced into low income communities. it's Black people being denied job opportunities due to the name on their applications. it's Black people being denied into higher institutions despite having the same qualifications as their non-Black counterparts. it's Black people having their creations and ideas stolen without being given credit simply because a good percentage of society still believes in 2020 that Black people are not creative enough or smart enough or skilled enough. it's the decrease of federal funding for schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods due to gerrymandering. it's the kidnapping and murders of Black people that don't make it on the news. it's Black trans women having a life expectancy of 23 YEARS OLD. it's Black people, especially Black trans people, being incarcerated at disproportionately high rates. it's Black people with criminal records who can't find jobs to turn their lives around because they're stuck in one spot after being released from the incarceration system. it's every single Black life that has been lost to racially motivated killings, whether it be the police or by citizens. this isn't just about police brutality. this is deeper than that.
All Black Lives Matter. Not just the ones you specifically are a fan of.
Sometimes people ask stupid questions when they donât fully understand something. But here is my new post about the most cringe-worthy questions people who are deaf get asked is proving how surprisingly tone-deaf people can be (pun not intended).
Do not assume that we, deaf people who arenât physically capable of doing regular things.
People who are hearing often think that having the ability to hear automatically means you have a âperfectâ life. But seriously, theyâve never experienced our life or our world.
âShocking Questions People Who Are Deaf Get Asked All The Time
âCan deaf people drive?â
âDo deaf people use Braille?â
Like, âAre you really deaf?â
âDo you need a Wheelchair?â
âHow can you be a parent if you canât hear your baby cry?â
âIs sign language a universal language?â
âDo deaf people actually have sex?â
âCan you date hearing people like me?â
âSo if we hook up and does it means am I going deaf?â
Have you heard about the famous, groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education Case in 1954?
This case discussed the law that allowed Blacks and Whites to be taught at âseparate but equalâ schools.
SMH.
The Supreme Court unanimously declared that racially segregated public facilities were illegal.
YES!
This case fueled the civil rights movements in United States.
BUT WAIT!
Did you know there was a similar case for a Black Deaf Child, called Miller v. Board of Education of D.C. two years before the Brown v. Board case?
REALLY?
Yep! Black, deaf children in D.C. werenât allowed to attend Columbia Institution for the Deaf (now called Kendall Demonstration Elementary School), which at the time was an all white school located on Gallaudet Universityâs Campus.
WHAT? HUH?
In 1952, Louise Miller, a Black mother of three deaf sons, filed a lawsuit to allow Black Deaf children to attend Columbia Institution.
WOAH!
Since winning the Miller v. Board of Education of D.C. case, Columbia Institution was forced to allow Black Deaf students to attend the school.
Louiseâs son, Kenneth Miller was the first of 16 black deaf students to attend.
WAIT A MINUTE!
Despite the fact that the Black Deaf children in D.C. could attend a school closer to home, they were still attending a separate facility.
UGH.
Nevertheless, the Miller v. Board of Education of D.C. paved the way for the historical Brown v. Board of Education case. This is another example of how the Deaf experience has influenced society.
(Phonocentrism is a form of audism in the Deaf community.)
This is a TOPIC that needs to be discussed, but rarely is. Some people inadvertently display audism (not autism) tendencies because they are simply unaware of such a thing. It is my hope to bring awareness and realization to this very real topic.
Perhaps youâve demonstrated audism unknowingly or maybe even knowingly. What can you do about it now that you are more aware of what it is? đ¤đź
(Phonocentrism is a form of audism in the Deaf community.)
This is a TOPIC that needs to be discussed, but rarely is. Some people inadvertently display audism (not autism) tendencies because they are simply unaware of such a thing. It is my hope to bring awareness and realization to this very real topic.
Perhaps youâve demonstrated audism unknowingly or maybe even knowingly. What can you do about it now that you are more aware of what it is? đ¤đź
Meet my new special pet, Tinker Bell, a dwarf high iridophore golden albino aka âsunburstâ unsexed juvenile/sub adult axolotl! My 3 years old daughter (Lucy) asked me if thatâs an angel? Awh!! She literally makes my heart melt...đ¤đťđ
A little story about my Tinker Bell:
*with the customerâs permission for me to use her photos for this story.*
The customer (not mine) wasnât being informed about a dwarf at the time of purchase and she has zero knowledge of the dwarf axolotls. She paid a full price (could have gotten two for that price) and a âbigâ seller lied to her about the age. Tinker Bell being a 3 month old and at 4.5â is impossible for a dwarf quoted by an experienced dwarf owner.
So with that being said, Tinker Bell looks pretty older based on the length of thick gill frills which indicates that Tinker Bell is absolutely older than 3 months. If I had to guess then possibly at least 8 months or older. Tinker Bellâs photos have been examined by several other reputable breeders and they all agreed that itâs an older dwarf axolotl. Not a âbabyâ repeatedly quoted by a âbigâ seller to the customer that itâs a baby (3 months old) axolotl.
The customer asked for a non dwarf high iridophore golden albino axolotl and it was a private sale because Tinker Bell wasnât being listed on the website at the time. Go figures. The customer knew something was a bit off and thought it was the angles of that photo. Again, she has no knowledge of the dwarfs and only own axolotls for a year. She was being declined for a full refund and ignored until at the very last minute that she finally got her partial refund back, but should have gotten a full price no matter what due to sellerâs unethical breeding practices.
Yet, the customer was absolutely humble and very professional the whole time she does really handle this whole situation very impressive for someone who isnât a breeder. The big breeder lacks in the customer service. Unprofessional and unethical breeding practices. Misleading and lying as well. The way a big breeder gave a horrible advice about dwarfs is bad enough already. Not only that, but a big breeder chooses not to educate the customer about a dwarf is making me very sad to know what kind of a big breeder is. As someone from the axolotl beware group made a very good point and stated that,
âYou can just rehome the axolotl on Craigslist in your area if youâre not able to care for the baby, or donate to it to a pet store- what the fuck? Sheâs basically telling you to drop a special needs animal on the side of the road. Resolution or not, thatâs horrible advice for a dwarf.â
It truly shows her true colors.
I reached out to the customer and offered to pay a full original price for Tinker Bell simply because I felt sorry for the customer and I did it in order for her not to lose a little faith in the humanity. The customer could have charged me a full or half price plus she paid it out of her own pocket for the express shipping to me. Absolute nice and she obviously cares for my Tinker Bell with no questions!
- As someone quoted that giving something up is so hard but it speaks volumes that the customer were able to recognize that Tinker Bell (dwarf axolotl) would be able to thrive best somewhere else. To me? This customer handled it way better than a âbigâ seller did at this point. But then after seeing the customerâs bad experience/situation with the big seller and I definitely look at her differently now.
If you are interested in learning more about this customer and the big breederâs story then join in the Facebook group, Axolotl Buyer & Seller Beware (1K+ members)
Feel free to send me a private message if you want to know the name of a big breeder or read everything in the beware group. This âbigâ breeder also tried to ship an axolotl to an illegal state. There are a couple of separate posts from two different customers. Spread the awareness and you will save a lot of the future axolotl owners from the heartbreaking or losing their hard working money to this âbigâ seller.
I am so honored that this person to entrusted me with Tinker Bell and choose me as a stable good home for Tinker Bell. She will be rotten spoiled by me and my family. Definitely will have a long good life with us while she can!
Tinker Bell basically is the main reason why my team and I got so inspired to create a new group for the Facebook, âLittle Axolotl, Big World (Oddballs, Minis & Dwarfsâ as the goal is to have fun, and learn about their special needs. Get a better community together. To better education and understand the care of these wonderful babies. Have a dwarf, mini or oddball of your own? Or just love axolotls? Feel free to join us!!
***(Never breeding the dwarf axolotls. I donât breed dwarfs and it would be a cherished pet only. It would need to be either kept with similar sized axolotls or in its own tank. Dwarf axolotls are a genetic anomaly and more of people breeding them to get cute, tiny axolotls. Please donât do this. More deformities and so many health issues. Causes more stress on an already compromised system and shorter lives. Not all dwarfs are short lived as long as they are being treated with the right care. If you do have dwarfs then please donât attempt to breed them and try to love them for the rest of their lives just like with my pet dwarf, Tinker Bell.)***
Meet Axel El Axolotl from the âDĂa de Muertosâ in Mexico, who is an axolotl cartoon character that will be playing in the theaters soon. Hints to Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks. ;)
Full movie trailer at https://youtu.be/Mrmf6DsNzqA
Official website: http://www.dayofthedeadthemovie.com/