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Michaelangelo Graham
Professor Robert Augustus
Sign 202
June 12, 2016
My Blog
When I took Deaf Culture in this semester, I understand how deaf people go through in
life. Some people who were born hearing can hear and some who were born deaf cannot hear or
hard of hearing can hear a little, but, what surprised me was those were born hearing from before
and whatever sickness they encounter, ends up the loss of hearing. I was shocked and scared at
the same time. How would you get sick like a fever and ending up being deaf, it was not fair,
but, it was a way of life out of punishment or fate. This blog I wanted to admire from Clerc from
his fifty-two day journey on the Mary Augusta Ship and I want to do the same thing except ten
pages long it is only five pages; it is more like a journal, and I encountered some unusual
complication during my life growing up.
When I was born my birth time was in two thirty in the morning at Kaiser Hospital. I
became the fourth child from my family, I have three older sisters and I was the only boy, in
which my mother decided not to have any more children because she really wanted a boy in the
family. When I was growing up my siblings and I always have fun around the house so we can
never be bored and we enjoy our company. I realized I could hear so I was glad that I was not
deaf from birth, my siblings can talk to me and I hear and try to understand what they try to tell
me.
When I was five years old, I could never talk because in order to want something I point
at things, my mother and my sisters could give me something to drink or a snack but sometimes

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food if I was hungry. But my sisters were fed up with my pointing and told me if you want
something you need to speak up. I was furious because I do not want to talk, I was might as well
become mute. Few months later, I still point out the items I want, my sisters including my
mom, decided to ignore me until I need to speak something out. I try to speak but it was hard, I
continue to try and keep trying until I finally could talk out loud and say something. My family
was thrilled because I was able to speak. Now I can talk, I could finally say an item what want
and I could talk to my mom and sisters. Years have gone by, I began to go kindergarten school to
learn, and I was a little scared because I did not want to leave home and sometimes I ask my
mom to ride with me on the small school bus when she walked out I begin to cry which I felt all
alone in this world. Since little bit at a time I starting to feel comfortable and understanding how
grown-ups go through when they were little back growing up.
When I went into elementary school, I meet some new people in my class, I was a little
shy at first and I starting to open up and getting to know the students in my classroom. When I
was learning, my teachers wanted me to go to a private room with a new instructor. I first I
thought I was in trouble, but, I was not; they bought out a big binder of pictures and they want
me to think how would this story begins and ends. I was starting to get a little confused, but I
was glad that I was able to help them out with these pictures with no words or sentences. I think
this might help me out with learning abilities, but, when I do not understand was that this new
instructor was supposed to help me with my speech. I did not know how to react and I thought
this was suppose to my learning session, they told me it was a learning session, only this was a
speech lesson. I understand how deaf people go through when they also need to learn the oral
speech, which include reading lips in their lesson and that made them feel less uncomfortable
and more frustrating in their lives.

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I also did not realize that the elementary school I was attending, turns out that I was in a
special needs program. I do not understand, I thought only people with Down syndrome and
handicap people go into this program and not speech impediment until now. I feel like I was the
odd one this classroom, I am glad that I was not, I meet some people who have low learning
disabilities except for me I manage to go to those upper classrooms because the ones I attend into
were easy session and I transfer into the higher learning abilities.
There was this student who was a girl and for some reason she could hardy speak, she
does not talk only AAHH!, I think she was disabled, but, I also think if she was deaf, or hard
of hearing and no one not even my classmates did not want to be near her. The relation with the
deaf is difficult because not that many people who rarely hang out with the deaf community and
hardly ever learn sign languages. That for some reason they only stay with their own group of
people.
A few years later, my family kept moving to different places, living in apartment
buildings and it was hard to find a home in this situation. My mother was searching which
school has special education classes. Whenever I go to new different schools, I still need to
continue working on my speeches. Then all of a sudden, they just give up on me; I did not
understand, I was trying so hard and I was starting to get a little better, but the school polices
decided to end this program and wanted me to continue in regular classes. When I started to go
another different school, there was no more of any speech program and I hope I can fit in with
the crowd. Even though I was a little odd with my speeches I need to take my time speaking
with other students when I talk to them. When I read the quote from Veditz it reads They have
tried to banish signs from the schoolroom, also they proclaim that signs are worthless and of no

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help to the deaf. It makes me wonder if they also gave up and ended on speech therapy and
they only wanted to focus oral speaking.
During my four years of high school, I attended in with the special education classes I
was a little nervous at first, but, few days later, I was picked on and making fun of from other
students. I was so upset, because why are they making fun of me, I was thinking was one of the
students was jealous of me because I was smart or are they making of me from my speeches
when I talk. When I go tell my teacher they sometimes help out, but, for the teachers assistants
some were nice but some did not care and they also help out the students were mean to me and
wanted to see me get upset. I do not know why these teachers assistants do that; they should
have a bad reputation for being me to me and not doing their job for making fun at me, they
should have been fired and/or loss their job as teachers assistants. I told my mom what happen
during school and for some reason I think she told me was maybe these classmates also have a
rough time, it was like they need some other way to manipulate with someone to make fun at
others and not to themselves. I think the deaf community may have been the same way as much
as I have, they were making fun of and manipulate to figure out they are also outcast and not part
with the social life.
When I was reading the book wonderstruck, I noticed that one of the main character
whose name was Rose who turns out to be deaf and she was home schooled I did not realized
few of my cousins were also home schooled their names were Josh and Jordan, including Joseph
and Jessica own children as well. I guess they did not have the budget for the school programs
and decided to have their own learning program, just in case if they had found the school
programs they were looking from the beginning.

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Once I finally graduated from high school, I started to go college at Rio Hondo. I was so
glad that nobody from high school will never tease or make fun of me again. I realize that some
colleges never allow any disturbance whats so ever. I found in one of the degree you need to
learn a second language, I knew that my family are Mexican, but, I hardly spoke Spanish, so I
decided to learn something new and try American Sign Language. Few months later, I went into
student campus center, it is where they have a big television, pool table, some video arcades and
snack bar; when I sat down on the sofa, there was this guy wearing a black jacket, I was asking
him, Where did you buy the jacket? from the person face in confusion he pointed to his ear and
shook his head no, and I understand that he was deaf and I also noticed that man next to him was
his interpreter. I reply back with a sign saying I sorry, when he noticed I was able to sign
back, he was surprised and asking me if I knew language from before and I answered him I am
in ASL 1 class. To my point of view he felt comfortable and smiling at me when I was able to
sign back to him his name was Andrew and I met a deaf person for the first time. A few months
later and I hardly see Andrew and I was worried if he never comes to college anymore, one day
my sister and I were walking towards the library on school campus and I saw Andrew walking
towards us, I was nervous and was not sure if he was mad at me. I let my sister translate and
asking Andrew if he was upset at me for not signing to him very often, but, from his response to
his signing, my sister interpret his signing and translate to me and said I does not matter if you
sign or not, as long I made a friend I am happy. To my amazement, my mouth dropped and I
felt more relieved than ever, when hang out a little while during a break and we have something
in common we play videogames, like horror movies and were both into World Wrestling
Entertainment.

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When I go places like the mall or on the subway, there was this kid who was giving away
stickers and on the note it reads I am deaf please give money for donations at first I did not
know how to sign until I took sign language classes and I was able to sign back to them. When I
saw those kid giving out stickers or pens with the same note, I decided to sign back to them,
when the person was coming back I was signing to him, but, I noticed that this person did not
even sign back to me and make me realized it was a scam along. When I was reading one of the
books Deaf in America I understand that this situation happened before from the past to the
present, the deaf community now calls them Peddlers, it was also another name called
beggars, but, it was only for the hearing community. In order to get people to buy their item,
and they are not following their own culture rules, then it is a scam artist to get other peoples
money for a living. The deaf community would never allow this happen again and they need to
take action and end this scam situation once and for all, then everything will be fine again.
I understand how deaf people go through whither it is a gift or a curse to know these
history how the hearing community could only accept people that could hear and speak in oral
schools, but, during class session one of the classmates told the professor about the school she
was attending, the school program did not want a deaf child in their schools and decided to not
accept this deaf child and ask this person to leave the school district. To me in my opinion it was
missed up and I felt sorry from the deaf child. The deaf community will never give up and also
find a way to continue with their cultures and history. I really enjoyed Deaf Culture this
semester, it was fun and interesting, typing the questions and answering from the homework to
the Fifty-two day journey as a journal was very difficult, but, like the professor always says or
signs Welcome to college! I manage to complete this assignment, when getting into our

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groups was fun, we discussed on our homework assignments and think what you like about it
and what makes you think from this story point of view.