Hello from all of us!
It is exactly two weeks until we fly out to America and thought before we left the country, I should detail what we are going to do for our trip. Y'know, the who's, whats, wheres, whens and hows etc.
I will go right back to the start. Firstly, where would be THE place to go to research the Deaf community? Sri- Lanka was a first thought, China maybe? But then it became obvious. Which country started research in American Sign Language first, which country has world- renown deaf researchers and which country has the only deaf university in the world? America. This was where me, Arron Johnson, Mel Demetriou and Alison Wallace decided on as the place we would like to go to and research the Deaf community, American Sign Language and the provisions available for those who are deaf.
The trip is partly funded, very kindly, by UCLan University who under the travel bursary scheme are able to give the funds for students to go to different parts of the world and research their field of study in an international setting. All four of us are second year British Sign Language and Deaf Studies students, intent on gaining careers within the Deaf Community. We have experienced British Deaf Community and wish to broaden our horizons and discover how the American Deaf Community differs from it's British cousin. Similarly, experiencing a different certified language of the hands, from a different culture, will be entirely eye opening and we hope to learn more about the language itself and how BSL differs from ASL. The trip is a giant comparison, where we are going to throw ourselves in, roll our sleeves up and strap open our eyeballs and more than likely lose some dignity along the way. Most of you acquainted with a Deaf community will understand that that is how you get things done.
We have multiple activities planned and I will detail the itinerary later, before we fly. We are flying out to Miami on the 1st of June, then travelling to Orlando 8th of June to stay until the 15th. From Orlando we travel to Washington DC to stay two weeks amidst the thriving silent world of Gallaudet University, on the 29th of June, we continue our travels and make our way to Rochester to visit the National Technical Institute of the Deaf. From there, we move on up New York and fly back on the 12th of July. Throughout the trip, we will be meeting and greeting deaf organisations and individuals and will be taking some time out to see the sights of the these five cities.
So! Throughout the trip, I will be keeping you folks updated on what we are discovering through this blog, detailing our experiences of the deaf community in America.
