Jessica Halverson

College Writing 1
Mr. Markert
9/13/2014
It was the beginning of a new year, and we were taking turns sharing a little about
ourselves. When it was my turn, I nervously rushed through a quick introduction, Hi, my name
is Jessica I speak English and Sign Language, and I play hockey. My teacher, her head perking
up from its position of bored indifference, looked at me surprised
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. How do you know Sign
Language? I explained that my whole family knew it so we could communicate with my deaf
sister, Elli. Suddenly all the drowsy eight year olds were interested. Swiveling their heads in my
direction, their whirlwind of questions began.
Deaf? That means her ears dont work?
Is she in Special Ed or something?
How does she go to school?
I was overwhelmed and confused. Being a part of the deaf community had always just been a
way of life for me. How did all these people know nothing about it?
I do not blame my third grade classmates for their ignorance. No opportunities had been
presented to them to learn anything about deaf culture. However, to succeed in the world today,
one must understand other cultures, due to the diversity of our country. Most schools have
language, history, or English classes where students are exposed to this diversity. Different
countries, languages, and ways of thinking are examined in depth, yet deafness and deaf history
is never discussed. Many are interested in learning more about deaf culture when confronted

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with it, but the subject mainly goes unnoticed in the hearing community. Society encourages
people to familiarize themselves with different cultures, yet ignores deafness. People are
exceedingly ignorant when it comes to culture, and should be educated.
I have seen enough people staring in wonder or confusion at my family as we sign to
each other in public, to have noticed this problem within the general public. An adequate number
of people, from all of the thirty seven of the states we have visited, have asked the same
questions over and over for me to realize how uneducated people are on the subject of deafness.
The most common question being, Can they talk? to which I always respond with a laugh and
a few sentences in sign language. After Sunday night mass, we have grown accustomed
newcomers approaching our family to ask why our hands moved during the songs or prayers.
Some people are confident in their questions, while others timidly try not to hurt feelings. The
most recent experience I had with curious, uninformed people was when I worked with Elli, my
deaf sister, at the New Hope Pool just this last summer.
Elli worked in the locker rooms at the pool, while I was a lifeguard. She worked one day
a week, while I worked almost every day. Therefore, by the time she had her first day of work, I
had already had a chance to meet and befriend some of my co-workers, so they were moderately
comfortable around me. Elli was in her position at the front desk when one of the other
lifeguards walked in a little late. He did a double take when he saw her, gave her a small wave,
then bashfully turned his eyes to the ground and joined us other lifeguards in the back. Wow
that new baskets girl is really cute, he greeted us. I laughed and told him that was my sister. My
co-worker, his mouth stretching into a grin, drilled me with questions about her personal and
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love life.
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After he was set on getting a date with her that weekend, I decided it would be a good
idea to mention that she was deaf. Well looks like you got three days to learn sign language.
Better get a move on!
He looked at me like I had tentacles growing out of my forehead. Shes deaf? But then how did
she get here?
I blinked. She drove.
Deaf people can drive? inquired my coworker incredulously.
The sincerity of his question astounded me. Deaf people can do everything hearing people can
do except hear. I then introduced him to Elli, and assisted by interpreting their conversation.
Throughout the whole summer he asked me to teach him new words and phrases, so he could
communicate with her. Elli and I exposed him and many others to deaf culture, but I will never
grow accustomed to the ignorance some people have of the non-hearing.
Deafness is overlooked in society, yet many would disagree on the grounds that some
schools offer Sign Language as a class. According to the Minnesota Department of Education,
the statewide student enrollment for Sign Language classes, excluding all-deaf schools, is 3,500
students, compared to the 126,000 Spanish language statewide student enrollments. The
enrollment difference shows the small number of students taking sign language as a class. Not
very many students are learning sign language, and therefore not many students are even
conscious of the deaf community. Also, most of the students I have spoken with who take a Sign
Language class have no idea what is going on, due to the silence of the teacher. In the classes,
they teach basic signs and phrases. This is a great skill to have, however, the ability to talk about

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the weather, and the ability to understand why and how deaf people live the way they do are two
completely unrelated skills. To understand a culture, one must learn more than just small talk.
Along with communication, traditions and social norms are key figures to a functioning deaf
society.
Some readers may also challenge my view, that deafness should be understood and
incorporated into society, by insisting that it does not matter. Deaf people and hearing people
have been successful in their separation, both creating functional societies separate from each
other, and the need for unity does not exist. However, I would disagree on the grounds that deaf
society is a community centered directly in the middle of hearing society. Both societies are
already knitted together, but the hearing community is quite unaware. Deaf people are forced to
venture into the hearing world on a daily basis, going to the grocery store, the bank, the
community pool, and are often confronted by the confusion and misunderstanding of those who
do not understand them. Hearing people do not realize that the person standing next to them at
the library, or sitting across the hallway on the bus, or crossing the crosswalk in front of them,
could be deaf. It is important to understand deafness, not only to avoid looking ignorant, but also
if something dangerous happens, there needs to be some way to communicate effectively. Maybe
while they are walking across the street, the person in front of you does not see the car speeding
toward them. Proper education on how to call the attention of a deaf person is needed to prevent
a potentially disastrous outcome. Learning about deaf culture can help the hearing society
understand part of their community.
There is an easy way to cure our society of its ignorance. If we start incorporating more
deaf culture into schools, the younger generations will grow up fully informed and
understanding. If every school can provide an in depth Sign Language class comparable to
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English classes, where they study not only the language, but also the history, culture, and social
rules, deafness will be accepted into society, and the hearing and non-hearing world will be able
to intermingle successfully. By making deafness a normal part of our society, we can break down
years of separation and strange looks. Deaf people going to buy their groceries will not have to
deal with the frustrating ignorance toward them. For no longer will my family have to patiently
explain the significance of our hand movements to uneducated starrers, or put up with borderline
insulting, yet well meaning questions. Todays society encourages acceptance of different
cultures, and deaf culture should be included in that approval of diversity.














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Works Cited
Brenda Cassellius, Ed. D., and Ursula Lenz. Status of World Language
Education in Minnesota. Minnesota: Minnesota Department of Education, 2013.
Print.
















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Narrative Essay AssignmentComp II

The paragraphs will flow in the following order:
1. Introductory anecdote. Tell a story of a single incident with a beginning, middle, and end. Pose
a problem or conflict and show its resolution. This is a Roger level story.
2. Expositionexplain the significance of the anecdote, and what it means. State your thesis
toward the end.
3. Narrative summary. Broaden the reach of your initial anecdote to show that its typical of your
experience. Refer to how Brent Staples does it in his 3
rd
paragraph. Remember you are
summarizing other experiences that also justify/warrant your thesis. Give enough details to
distinguish them from your anecdote but still relate them to your thesis. This is a summative
paragraph, much like the Mario Puzo description of Coney Island we read two weeks ago. It is
up the Abstraction Ladder from the Roger-level anecdotes youll provide in Paragraph 4.
4. Another Roger-level anecdote. Unlike the first one which opens the paper, this one youll have
to transition to in order to connect to the previous paragraph and avoid an abrupt change.
5. Introduce a Naysay in this paragraph. Were not necessarily dealing with a controversial topic
here, so your nay say could be friends or family instead of some authority. Dont forget to
account for the evidence the naysayer would use to defend the claim. Youll want to respond to
it in a few sentences as well, so this could be a fairly long paragraph, say a page or so.
6. Concluding analysis. Bring it to a close, reiterating your thesis through a paraphrase. Obviously,
you need to extend your earlier analysis to cover the variations in experience that youve written
since paragraph 2. You dont want to merely repeat what you said there. Here you are
summarizing your experience and drawing lessons.
Killgallon Additions: Footnote the following in your paper: 2 absolute
phrases
Observe all filename and document formatting protocols: use the Assignment Template in
D2L/Content!
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