That was a fantastic movie. I didn't know about about that movement at all. I noticed that they briefly touched on the topic of sexuality and disability that we discussed in class. What really stood out to me about the movie was the unity from all the different groups gathering in support of the disabled activists. It was fantastic. I also think they did very well with the music choices and everything. 

All I can say is wow just wow. Such a powerful movie too watch. While I learned about Camp Jened I couldn't help but wish I was there. I really wish I could find a camp like camp Jened today. I really appreciated the fact that they also had an adult program for adults with disabilities. Further, I was amazed at how a summer camp could spark such a revolution, Camp Jened truly changed legislation in the nation. The scene that stuck out to me the most was for sure the scene about crabs. I just loved how the camp showcased sexuality in disabled people, as most media infantilizes as and makes us unable to be objects of desire. The songs about Crabs and the way campers talked about it, truly showcased sexuality in disabled people and made it much less of a serious thing.

I really liked how the movie was centred around Aneta's journey as a person and finding out who she is without her friends and Lexington. Seeing her make a space for herself in a very hearing-oriented environment was powerful. It showed that people with disabilities constantly make their presence known through their own voice (even though responsibility should not be theirs alone). I also really liked seeing the normalcy of the Lexington kids. Often in media, there's a certain level of "tokenisation" in any kind of representation, but this wasn't really "representation"; it was the normalcy of everyday life.

Overall I actually really enjoyed watching Deaf Jam, I think it did a really great job of portraying the community at Lexington and showing how many Deaf kids have lives similar to our own and face a lot of the same issues that people do in the hearing world. It was also really nice to see a friendship between someone who is hearing and someone who is Deaf who came together because of the art of Slam poetry.

I would say that for class, I would most be interested in talking about the movie first and then the articles, because I feel there will probably be a lot of strong opinions on that. And to be honest, I am near the end of "Train Go Sorry" but I haven't been able to finish due to time so far but we can still discuss the book as a class if there's time.

I enjoyed the film and being able to see more of deaf culture. It was interesting seeing Lexington and getting more on how the students spend their time there and form a community with one another. I also thought in was interesting seeing sign language used in a more organic way. It really showed the importance of facial expressions and how the many factors influence sign language. It was also interesting to hear their own unique experiences and realationships with being deaf. 

I really enjoyed watching Deaf Jam, especially since it showcased the benefits of attending school with members of the deaf community. That relatability factor among all students allowed strong and meaningful bonds. What caught my attention was the lack of captioning for the sounds in the movie. After learning about the importance of detailed captioning for the deaf audience, I found it surprising that the captions barely captured any detail. Finally, I enjoyed observing Aneta's growth from simply participating in the ASL poetry program to competing for a place in a slam poetry team all for the sake of representation. She realizes the importance of not only being deaf but establishing a presence in a society that is not fond of differences. 

I was struck by the timeline of Deaf Jam. I loved being able to see Aneta over the course of two years. She grows and changes so much over the course of that time. This change is also reflected in her poetry! In the beginning there is that scene where the students are asked to talk about what they like and don't like about being deaf. And, Aneta focuses on the negative feelings of being confided to a small community; the sadness she feels at not being able to interact, communicate, and connect with the amount of people she believes hearing people are able to. Over the course of the documentary she really comes into her own, gaining this power through her poetry to connect with people, not only with Tahani, but also with the audiences at her preformances. 

I was particularly interested to see Lexington. It was interesting to see how the book described it compared to how the film showed it. The ASL poetry was really cool. I really liked seeing Aneta and Tahani perform together. They really combined their languages in such beautiful ways. They are great performers. I wish the film told us more about what Aneta did after she graduated. Was she able to go on to Galaudet or did she have to go to a local college without good programs for the deaf?

I found this documentary really beautiful. Prior to this film I had not seen a lot of slam poetry, especially any deaf slam poetry. I looked up the definition of slam poetry and it is defined as "a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery." So something that got me thinking is the deaf poetry we have seen in class seem to be lively and active with a live audience, however, in the film it said that Aneta's idea of bringing slam poetry to the Deaf world was innovative and would be making history.

I found Deaf Jam really interesting. To start, I had little to no knowledge about the world of ASL poetry; I didn't realize its power or really its existence at all. Something I would like to discuss more in class is the process of getting financial aid as a deaf person with complicated immigration status. We find out at the end that Aneta ends up attending John Jay College instead of Gaulladet University, and that is likely related to her inability to get proper financial aid even though it is not stated explicitly. Aneta is surely not the only deaf person with complicated citizenship status, and I am curious as to whether the process of accessing financial aid has changed since the making of this movie.