Blog of the Month: Learning About the Deaf Culture for Missionaries

Austin a teacher at the MTC takes us in-depth in to the Deaf Culture so we can understand it better.  Here is a sample of what he had to say on his blog Learning ASL in Nine Weeks:

Enough of that. Let's recap on my week from the MTC. This week the missionaries have improved a LOT in areas that we've worked on in the past two weeks such as language and teaching skills. The other problem is that they're getting lazy about the rules and such, but that'll be taken care of. I can see the missionaries having issues with accepting the Deaf culture and the Deaf missionaries dealing with the Hearing culture. When two worlds collide, things don't get pretty if one or two of them aren't humble and willing to work it out together. Missionaries often show up at the MTC with a "know it all" attitude. As we face a different culture, it is not a simple task adjusting to it, and it requires humility and patience. There are several companionships who do not appreciate the Deaf culture, YET. I had a companion on my mission who fell in love with the Deaf culture but he couldn't give up his music, and stuff like that. We all have to remember that once we appreciate the other culture, we also need to know where we are from as well. They are going to teach Deaf people and since their language is different, their culture will be different as well. This week's topic is about the Deaf culture, as you already see (not heard, wink), and I'm going to start off with a video. This video is a comedic sort where we will discuss why Deaf people are like that, and I'll explain about the differences between the Hearing and the Deaf culture.

 This post covers some general terminology and gives us greater insight in to the differences between a hearing culture and a deaf culture.  I hope he continues his blog for some time.