The Buzz about DBC
By Jeanine Wiesblatt
As published in the Buff and Blue magazine at Gallaudet University
September 2008
During the summer you might be vacationing, travelling, working or just being a couch potato. However, there were two major events that had happened this summer. One is the National Association of the Deaf conference in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Deaf Bilingual Coalition conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To write about both events, it would take half of BNB issue! The knowledge and understanding of what DBC is all about will cause a positive domino effect for one and each of you.
DBC was founded by John Egbert, who wrote Mindfield (in Bison Bookstore) who experienced oppression and discrimination as a Deaf individual based on his experiences struggling with oralism ideology. He was formerly a victim of Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf’s brainwashing tactics and puppet games. When he learned about ASL and Deaf Culture later in adulthood, he realized how much he missed out and changed his attitudes and thinking especially realizing that being Deaf is not a medical malady. He decided to get in touch with some well-known individuals in the Deaf community such as David Eberwein, Ella Lentz, Barbara DiGiovanni, and Tami Hossler and later, David Reynolds and they are presently a core team of the DBC.
The main point of the DBC is to fight against tyranny from
associations and corporations that promotes anti-ASL approach in
language and communication development in Deaf babies. These
organizations and companies refuse to acknowledge the potential social,
psychological, educational and language development in deaf babies that
uses ASL. It is important to understand that DBC does not focus on
battling against speech, cochlear implants, or hearing aids. What they
strive to do is basically provide opportunities for parents to
incorporate ASL in their communication methods with their babies
regardless of audiological interventions. AGBAD is targeted by DBC due
to its strong stance on their refusal in providing information or
acknowledging about ASL or the Deaf community, taking advantage of
their high membership numbers and fundings to monopolize parents of
deaf babies by providing programs and workshops based on only
audio/verbal approach as the sole method of communicating with the deaf
babies/children. The DBC’s primary mission is to either have
organizations such as AGBAD to change their attitudes and approach
which is very unlikely would happen or to make parents as a whole
become aware of why ASL is the best language for Deaf babies and to
provide support in positive attitudes in accepting their Deaf
child/children as being culturally Deaf instead of medically Deaf. The
equal opportunity for services and programs to incorporate ASL will
definitely change the lives of deaf children eventually. There are so
many Deaf/HOH people that are presently very upset and disgusted with
their own oppressive experience being denied access to ASL and Deaf
community just because their parents did not receive such opportunity
and resources to look into this due to their innocence in believing in
organizations such as AGBAD.
DBC had its first gathering in Alexandria, Virginia in July 2007
with approximately 20 attendees to make visual noise among attendees of
the AGBAD’s medical and audiological conference. After this, we all
discussed different things that we would like to see from DBC in the
long run, and how important this is to the Deaf community. The first
thing the DBC did was to educate the community about its goals and
clarify its role in advocating the right for Deaf babies to obtain ASL
as a language. There were many blogs and vlogs made by DBC core members
and its supporters that are posted in www.deafread.com and
www.dbcusa.org . There’s even a DBC group in Facebook that you can view
and join if you wish.
Because DBC made strong connections with state associations and NAD
and is now building chapters and memberships, it became “loud” after
the Miluawkee AGBAD conference in which Deaf people in the deaf
community became more familiar with their activism. This is the first
nationwide recognization in DBC’s work in promoting awareness of the
importance in supporting DBC for their quest in fighting against denial
of ASL for Deaf babies. You can check out their website for further
information on this and to contact them from the website to inquire
what you can do to support or to get more information in general. In
addition, there are many other events nationwide related to hearing
screening, early childhood intervention programs and such that DBC is
participating to have its own booth to provide information for parents
and professionals alike, and you can share this with your family
members.
For your information, Maryland/DC chapter will be on your way as
soon as possible! Do it only if you want ASL in Deaf babies, their
future depends on you.
Note: This article can be viewed as a PDF document.
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