I'd like to learn more about the medical treatments that exist to treat deafness, and especially the feeling of the deaf community towards them. I know cochlear implants for children are very contrversial, and I'm wondering if we could talk more about that, and if there are any other treatments that cause conflict between the medical world and the deaf community. Also, I just had a question about how many people working in the medical sphere are actually deaf? Are they consulted about these treatments?

I would like to learn more about oralism and how it affects the deaf community. I would also like to learn more about how oralism became the "correct" way for deaf people to communicate in society's eyes. In addition, I had a question about sign language. Is sign language universal? Is it the same in the United States as it is in other countries and parts of the world?

During our Deaf culture unit, I'd like to learn more about the impact that the oralism movement had on Deaf culture and education. I know that eventually, oralism was found to contribute to language deprivation in Deaf children, which is when a child doesn't have access to a language to learn during their critical language formation period (whether it be verbal language or sign language) but I'd like to know more about how it shaped the Deaf cultural landscape. 

I am interested in learning more about the controversial cochlear implants. I know that they are often implemented in deaf children who cannot decide if they want them or not. It can create division between hearing and non-hearing people and isolate deaf people from their community. 

Here are a few pages from "The Gene: An Intimate History" by Siddhartha Mukherjee that I found relevant after today's discussion.

If this sample isn't too technical for you, this is a great book that both goes into the details of how genetics works and does an excellent job of covering the eugenics movement in America (and elsewhere, but primarily America). The author himself had several schizophrenic relatives, who he talks about a bit in the book. 

http://sites.asiasociety.org/asia21summit/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/3.-Le-Guin-Ursula-The-Ones-Who-Walk-Away-From-Omelas.pdf

Here's the link to "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin, in case you wanted to read it! It's around four pages. Thanks Gabi for the suggestion!

This episode of Mister Roger's Neighborhood centers around mechanical engineering and its connection to disability. The episode begins with Mister Roger's running into a friend of his who is driving an electric car on his jog. Fascinated, Mister Roger's takes the vehicle for a spin and learns about a lot of the little details that goes into creating a car, starting from the chasis. Then, Mister Roger's returns home to meet with another special friend of his, Jeff Erlanger, that he is elated to introduce to the audience. Jeff had a very laboring surgery that left him as a quadripalegic at the young age of 4. Mister Roger's curiosity once again sparks and he asks his good friend to show off his wheelchair.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is an often-misunderstood mental disorder caused by overwhelming childhood abuse. To survive the abuse, the child will adopt different identities/personalities that protect their 'main' identity from having to experience it all at once. In popular media, DID is usually a simple 'multiple personalities' shtick, used for horror, with most of the causes not being discussed. 

I chose this social media post from Scope part of a campaign called "End the Awkward" I think it's an interesting example of the media trying to address ableism but in reality isolating disabled people even more. Phrases like "disabled people have names like everyone else" and "you're trying to do a good thing" focus a lot more on what able bodied people should do to adjust to being around disabled people, as if that's some admirable thing, than they do on able bodied people addressing their own ableism. Not only that, but the things they're remembering to do are just basic human decency. The post makes it seem like disabled people are alien and require a lot of work from able bodied people to adjust to, but in reality that's not true.

I mentioned Spring Awakening by the Dear West Theater company last week and I wanted to share more about it for this assignment because I think that it is a positive depiction of disability. I think that it resists the dominant rhetoric of disability because of the way it unites hearing and non-hearing people. Every member of the cast signs in unison. This advertisement for the musical shows a cohesive unit of people. No one is seen as better or worse for their ability. They are all extremely talented individuals who are making art. I think that this unity between the cast distances the show from the pity narrative. Some may percieve this as inspring but I think that the common solidarity between the actors shows a changing narrative.