Reaction Paper to “Through Deaf Eyes”
Kimberlee London
Introduction to ASL 1
Spring 2011
Francoise Fishel
Sign language is language that uses visual hand patterns to convey a meaning without using any vocal. It truly is a wonderful way of communication, although it was not always accepted in society. Wherever communities of deaf people exist, sign language develops. There was no stopping the advancement and the flourishing of the deaf culture. The movie “Through Deaf Eyes” was an inspiring documentary on deaf people and their struggle and triumph in society throughout history.
I enjoyed watching the movie, “Through Deaf Eyes”. It was inspiring to really watch the way that deaf people were communicating. The way that they signed was like an art form in itself. Their facial expressions were so dramatic and full of detail. One thing that surprised me was how hard it was to lip read. Some of the people interviewed in the movie would sign without lips moving, some would sign with lips moving, and some would sign and speak. We discussed in class the difficult level of lip reading, but I did not think much of it until I tried to read the lips of the signers without them using speech. I can see that skill taking much practice. I always wondered to myself when people are deaf, does that mean that they cannot speak or use their voice. One highly educated woman in the movie signed that she prefers not to speak because sometimes people would assume that she was hearing but really, she was deaf. She spoke and had a wonderful, clear speaking voice. I wasn’t expecting that. I do understand now why even if some deaf people can use their voices, they because it seems like it would lead to a one-way conversation. Although the hearing person would understand what the deaf person was conveying, the deaf person would not be able to understand the hearing person without lip reading or using sign language.