Audist..Racist..Crazy..Nazi..

These definition are taken from Wikipedia

Audist: Audism is a term typically used to describe discrimination against deaf or hard of hearing people, although it could also be expanded to include anyone with a difference in hearing ability. This discrimination can occur in a number of forms in a range that includes both physical, cultural, and linguistic variants. Further complicating the issue is the existence of intra-group discrimination, which can either mimic the pathways of inter-group discrimination or take entirely new forms. The term was popularly originated by author Tom L. Humphries in 1975^[1]; at the time the definition focused on the attitude that people who hear and speak, or hear and speak better, or have excellent English skills, are superior to others. The definition has since expanded to include more variations.

Racist: Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature (i.e. which harms particular groups of people), and which is often justified by recourse to racial stereotyping or pseudo-science.

Crazy: may refer to insanity

Nazi: Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus) was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany.^[1][2][3][4] It is a unique variety of fascism that incorporates biological racism and antisemitism.^[5] Nazism was founded out of elements of the far-right racist völkisch German nationalist movement and the violent anti-communist Freikorps paramilitary culture that fought against the uprisings of communist revolutionaries in post-World War I Germany.^[6] The ideology was developed first by Anton Drexler and then Adolf Hitler as a means to draw workers away from communism and into völkisch nationalism.^[7] Initially Nazi political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric, though such aspects were later downplayed in the 1930s to gain the support from industrial owners for the Nazis; focus was shifted to anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist themes.^[8]

These are just a few names I have personally been called because I support HB1367. Most will know that this bill passed and is headed on and the vote is coming this Monday. Today's entry will be about some of the things I have experienced this weekend in other areas of my life and how I feel they also apply to this bill.

Yesterday I sent out e-mails to my family and friends asking them to send their support for this bill not knowing what would happen. All I knew is that I had to try! Most of the time you do not take up a cause unless it has personally affected you and most people are not affected by hearing loss. I spent the majority of my evening, after I finished some homework, writing up my own "SUPPORT HB1367" e-mail to send off to the 100 Representatives and I was tired. Then I started getting responses.. People wanted to help! They wanted to know how they could support me and my family! I almost cried.. I have always said I don't have that many friends but last night and today has proved different. I thank you all and if I could, I would hug each and everyone of you..

I had to watch "A Class Divided" for my Sociology class and write an essay answering some questions that the teacher had given. I literally cried while watching it. What a great experience and kind of scary to watch all in the same. To watch people turn against each other or not stand up for what they believe in all because they have a different eye color, is frightening.. Yet I think we still have the samething going on here in America today. Some will say that HB1367 is pitting the hearing against the Deaf~I will disagree! I think the fact that this bill has been made into ASL against Oral is what is pitting us against each other. Why is it that hearing are made to feel inferior because we didn't choose ASL? I do not want anyone to feel inferior to Evan just because he is oral nor do I think they are inferior. I do not want to be made out as stupid or crazy because I chose oral for Evan but that is exactly what I feel. I keep having to explain over and over again that this is about Parent Choice not Deaf Community choice. I completely respect all of the stories and the past that some Deaf adults have lived thru but once again my story is being questioned about Outreach.
Why is this?
Why am I not believed?
Because I am hearing?
Why am I left, once again, defending my right to choose?

Then today at church the pastor said "Fear is the primary goal for vision drift".. That is what I think is driving ASL against Oral. Fear! Fear! Fear! Some are afraid this bill will end up shutting down ISD because they will lose more funds if Outreach is taken off of their campus. Some are afraid that "us" hearing folks will be like others they have encountered and be disrespectful of ASL. There are many more things I believe others fear but I will not assume to know, I have just taken those from some of the posters on Facebook that I have had conversations with.

To me the bottom line is Outreach Services does not and can not support ALL d/hh kiddos in Indiana. How can you when you are housed on ISD's campus and your employees are employees of both Outreach and ISD? I can't imagine any Deaf families would go to an Outreach if it was housed at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf and I say that because they support Auditory Oral. "Us" hearing parents are being forced, per say, to go to Outreach because these services are supposedly free to our public schools and then we are being turned away because we don't choose ASL.

Lastly, I speak for myself in this blog. I do not speak for any other family nor their experiences. You may disagree with me and that is okay. I am very open to hearing your opionons and will be respectful as long as you do the same for me!