


International Deaf culture: read the signs

Mija Gwyn Ramp Up 24 Oct 2013
Mija Gwyn using sign language, hands blurred with movement.

International Sign is a very effective communication method for Deaf people from differnet language backgrounds. Credit: Kelly-Ann Plummer (Photo courtesy of Deaffest)


Mija Gwyn gives some unique insights into Deaf culture and communication across continents.

This week is National Week of Deaf People in Australia. What does this mean? For us Deaf people it is an opportunity to celebrate our culture and community, including the many unique qualities of our community that may not always be immediately apparent to a newcomer.

I was pondering some of those qualities when I flew to Sydney last weekend. This year, the Deaf Society of NSW kick-started NWDP by hosting the 2nd International Conference of the World Federation of the Deaf. A few hundred Deaf people from all over Australia and the world flew into Sydney last week for the conference, which culminated in a Deaf Arts Festival and an International Deaf Film Festival on the weekend. At those events there were Deaf people from dozens of different countries who were using International Sign in addition to Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to communicate.

International Sign is one of many examples of the rich heritage and culture of the Deaf community. It is a common myth outside the Deaf community that there is only one universal sign language used across the world. This is far from the truth; there are hundreds of unique sign languages. Countries that have the same spoken language may have different sign languages. For instance, ASL (American Sign Language) and Auslan are very different languages even though English is spoken in both United States and Australia.

International Sign was developed so participants in international Deaf events such as Deaflympics and World Federation of the Deaf gatherings could communicate more readily with each other. International Sign is composed principally of a limited signed vocabulary, gestures and mime. Although it is not comparable to a fully developed sign language, International Sign allows Deaf people from different countries to communicate with each other more easily than two strangers using two different spoken languages.

The Deaf community possesses distinct qualities that make International Sign a successful method of communication. Deaf people generally demonstrate a remarkable degree of adaptability. Some of this is due to our everyday dealing with hearing people ('hearies', as they are often referred to within the Deaf community) who are not familiar with sign language. Many hearing people are enthusiastic when working out how to communicate with a Deaf person; others are perturbed and have to be gently coaxed into communicating with us using alternative methods.

Part of this adaptability also comes from the fact that the Deaf community represents a microcosm of the entire population. There are Deaf people from all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic groups, religions, and gender identities. Those Deaf people are all linked through their shared experience of deafness, and most importantly, their shared language. The small size of the Deaf community and limited numbers of Deaf education programs means that Deaf people who come from very different backgrounds come into close contact with each other.

Because Deaf people come from so many different backgrounds, we emphasise the importance of clear communication. The communication strategies used by Deaf people are so effective that hearing people such as Bruno Kahne are now providing training to hearing staff so they can emulate those strategies.

Furthermore, as not all families with Deaf children learn how to communicate with their Deaf children fluently, we become accustomed to turning to each other for support, advice and information. As a result, Deaf people form very strong connections amongst each other that can be akin to family bonds.

That is not to say that the Deaf community is a utopia where personality clashes and squabbles don't occur. However, I believe there is a stronger sense of cohesion and more willingness amongst Deaf people to support each other. When I lived in the UK for two years a Deaf person who I was to yet meet offered to let me stay at his already overcrowded flat for a month while I was looking for a job, simply because we had mutual friends in common, and because he knew what it was like to be a Deaf newcomer in a unfamiliar country, and wanted to support another Deaf traveler.

My hearing friends often comment enviously about how close my circle of Deaf friends are whenever they come to an event with me. Perhaps, as Bruno Kahne did, we all could learn something from Deaf people and celebrate Deaf culture not just this week, but every day.

Mija Gwyn is the coordinator of Deaf Arts Network (Vic) at Arts Access Victoria, and the Community Activities Coordinator at Vicdeaf. She recently returned from two years living in the UK, where she coordinated Deaffest, the UK's leading Deaf arts and film festival. You can follow Mija on Twitter at @oxymoronia.

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