Deaf Minority Blogs: Where Are They?
A few hours ago, I announced a new blog site created by a deaf-blind writer, Christine (aka “Coco” or “TactileJunkie”) (http://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2007/01/11/deaf-blind-blog-christines-tactile-the-world/). And a month ago, I made a point of linking to Jamie Berke’s page listing Deaf Latino web sites.
But: where are the other deaf-blind bloggers besides Christine? Where are the deaf Latino/Hispanic/Chicano bloggers? Where are the deaf Black bloggers? Where are the deaf women bloggers? Where are the deaf transgender bloggers? Where are the deaf Asian bloggers? Where are bloggers who consider themselves to be part of the deaf community but who may sometimes be rejected by narrow definitions of what it means to be “Deaf” — such as, people with cochlear implants, or who grew up oral or with signed English or at mainstreamed school, or “codas”? Where are all the minority voices and signing and typing hands of our community?
I know they’re out there. But I’m still pretty new to the deaf blogging community (this blog site began in November 2006, and I read my first deaf blog the month before) so I’m still learning who everyone is.
So called “minorities” tend to be excluded, ignored, and invisble in mainstream society. Of course, most of us don’t mean to exclude, ignore, or make others invisible. But when we blithely assume that everyone is necessarily White/Caucasin … or necessarily straight … or necessarily a certain gender … or necessarily from a certain communication background … then we render everyone who “doesn’t fit” invisible. When we fail to open our eyes and see the people around us, when we fail to educate ourselves about the lives of people who happen to come from backgrounds different from ours, we contribute, however unintentially, to the exclusion and invisibility of others.
I’d like to help bring a little extra attention to “minority voices” in “deafblogland.” But to do that, I need YOUR help. Please give me names and links, in the comment area below! I’ll start a list, and post it later.
If YOU are a deaf or hard of hearing or deaf-blind person of color, or otherwise have a unique perspective to share, please consider starting a blog of your own — I’d be happy to help announce it here! Thanks!
[Want to submit your own essay for publication at Reunify Gally? It should be related in some way to reunifying or healing the Gallaudet community in the aftermath of the protests. Or it can be related to diversity within the Gallaudet or deaf community. If interested, review my Guidelines for Guest Bloggers and submit your essay to ashettle (at) patriot.net ]
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Yeah, seems I’m the only deaf Latino blogger (actually I’m of mixed ethnicities) out on deafread.com. I’d like to see more other deaf Latinos speak out. That’d be cool. Latinos will soon become the majority in the U.S., outnumbering whites, within 10-20 years. I plan to blog on deaf Latino issues from time to time, so look forward to that!
Dan McClintock
12 January 2007
Where are the deaf women bloggers?
Um … all over the place, actually …
Janis
12 January 2007
Chris Leon is Puerto Rican.
It is interesting to note that Jill Bradbury did not select any gay/lesbian blogger on the list — so much for her claims to be all for diversity, hon.
R-
The One and Only Ridor
12 January 2007
Maybe there are deaf minority bloggers out there, but not ready to “come out”, especially when they read blogs present on Deafread.com. I am a deaf pagan woman blogger myself. I have to admit, I myself think, “wow, all that bloggers, they are smart and strong-minded. Do I want to put myself in the boxing corner to be knocked around?” I have a blog myself however I am still thinking “should I? Shouldn’t I?” when it comes to registering with Deafread.com. I think that’s what many deaf minority bloggers may feel for one theory.
Wolfers
12 January 2007
A woman here. Doh. There are plenty of female Deaf bloggers. (Teri, Jaime, Elisa, Karen, etc)… there are just so many that are NOT at Deafread. LOOK BEYOND Deafread to find those female Deaf bloggers. Not everybody did get accepted onto Deafread’s list…
First-generation Finnish-American, Feminist, Bisexual, Married, Deaf and Female. Those are my minority labels if you feel so inclined to put me in a certain group.
I don’t think it is necessary to hunt for those minorities– I think they are ALREADY among us. That is what is so wonderful about internet– nobody cannot judge you other than what you write about. So maybe Deafosphere is already diverse than you realize because of the power of anonymity which equals lack of discrimination.
gnarlydorkette
12 January 2007
Hmmm, last time I checked I was a woman and deaf too.
Karen
12 January 2007
[...] Live the Western Hegemony Jump to Comments ReunifyGally has an excellent post up today asking where bloggers traditionally considered members of “minorities” [...]
Long Live the Western Hegemony « SurdoBitch
12 January 2007
Wolfer, I hope you will hook your blog to DeafRead, but I can understand your concerns. I felt the same way last summer, too, but thought to myself, to heck with it and see what happens.
I sure would love to see more diversity of bloggers at DeafRead. I enjoy Jamie and Andrea’s blogs and was glad when Chrstine said she’ll start a deaf-blind blog, as I have always enjoyed her beautifully written articles.
The more, the merrier!
mishkazena
12 January 2007
No criticism intended to DEAfRead whatsoever, but it does need to be recognized that not all Deaf Bloggers are hooked up to DeafRead, for various reasons.
Like Wolfers, I too am a Deaf Pagan Female Blogger. I have a blog site also – “Deaf Pagan Crossroads.” While I have had individual posts listed on DeafRead, I am not hooked up to DeafRead – part of this being because my blog is of a spiritual nature, and this presents a “slippery slope” for the DeafRead administration. I understand and respect their views on this issue, and am appreciative for the opportunities they have given me to have individual posts listed.
One of the things I have noticed is that those posts which are listed in DeafRead have (as can be expected) gotten considerable more traffic than those which don’t. As an example, a recent post of mine which was listed in DeafRead garnered over 175 hits in one day, at a time when I was averaging less than 40 per day. Clearly, hooking up to DeafRead has its advantages in allowing for greater readership from a larger viewing public.
But this does leave me wondering…what about those blogs which for whatever reasons are not hooked up to DeafRead? Is this part of the problem – they remain relative “unknowns” to the majority of Deaf readers, thus prompting the very questions being asked in this post? Do they tend to cater to a smaller, more select readership who either knows the blogger, or has an interest in their particular “focus” or whatever?
Truthfully, the only blogs I myself am aware of are the ones that are hooked up to or have posts listed in DeafRead. I just joined the Deaf Blogosphere myself less than three months ago, so I’m still “learning the ropes” about blogging and the Deaf Blog Community, myself.
Naturally, I don’t expect my blog to draw in the same sort of stats as some of the other blogs do – it does focus on Deafness and Paganism, after all. Nevertheless, it would be nice if I could generate a little more traffic from the Deaf Community, so that they might indeed discover the diversity of Deaf Bloggers out there.
How can we go about doing so? Anyone have ideas that perhaps I am missing?
ocean1025
13 January 2007
*waves hand*
Solitaire, female, deaf, non-ASL speaker (yet!) and probably one or two other minority categories as well, but that should do for now.
Interesting commentary on whether or not one is ‘hooked up’ to deafread.com. I’ve found it very useful — lots of commentary, etc on the deaf related topics I choose to post about. I’ve gotten feedback I would never have otherwise, so I’ve found it quite worthwhile.
I suppose there are some other aggreggators like deafread.com for other things, but there seems to be an unusual degree of community in this one. In fact, I can almost treat my posts that will go on deafread as *comments* in of themselves to what others have said in addition to being posts in their own right. To me this is a fascinating development.
(Perhaps one of my other minority niches here should be my extreme geekitude and longevity on the net — a CS major and I’ve been online since 1987, which gives me quite an overview of the development of all kinds of forums in the last twenty years.)
I also think surdobitch raised a very interesting point. I dunno. My answer to this overall question has always been to publicly discuss those things that I find of interest. No one will notice you if you say nothing
(Yes, many times they will still not notice you when you do say something, but then at least you’ve done your part…)
BEG
14 January 2007
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