I am hearing impaired, and my youngest son is deaf and has CP...As he grows older, I must adapt my frame of thought and understand that his personal culture is not the same as mine. When we label someone, we place them into a stereotype. Which is wrong. Tolerance is not an option either. First we must understand just what it is that makes them different. Then place that aside, and come to fully realize just how much they are the same. When I went to my first tournament in 1989, I had headgear on, and when I heard them call my name I went out and fought. Come to find out later, that I wasn't even supposed to have fought the person I did (he was 20 pounds heavier, and all muscle) due to the weight difference. I misheard the judges, and went against an opponent who fought like a true fighter. He did break some rules, by continuing to hit me outside the ring (several times), but hey, that's the way it goes sometimes... Anyway, being disabled means you have to adapt to alot, and with all due respect there is nothing wrong with other's doing their best to, not just accomodate, but to seek to understand that life is different for people with special needs. The cultures in which we live socially and personally are adaptable, contrary to popular belief. People can be dynamic and malleable, if they truly choose to be. We must strive to collectively change the way the people of the world see each other, and methods by which we define our own selves. We start by understanding that disabilities can either be disabling or enabling, depending on how you approach them. It's culture, a perspective on life, and means by which we can seek to understand each other on a higher level, in all things, even in the Martial Arts... Later!
Amen. The deaf culture in particular seems really strong. More so than other disabilities. My aunt has one leg, for example. I doubt she'd consider that a culture. (Granted she doesn't consider it a label either.) Perhaps it has something to do with how we relate to one another. My aunt having one leg doesn't overtly affect how she relates to people (though on a deeper level it presumably affects her view of herself which in turn affects everything else.) But with something like deafness, which has profound effects on how people relate to one another, the sense of culture seems much stronger. But I'm saying that as an outsider. So by all means, clue me in. I'm actually studying multicultural counseling at the moment (disabilities being considered a culture, as you suggest). So any feedback you have would be welcome. Regards, Stuart
Culture meaning that is has become integrated with who you are, and that you are not separable from it. It is understanding the commonality we all share, and approaching people and things from within those aspects, rather than from the outside looking in... Some other collective definition of a culture might be: a set of learned beliefs, values and behaviors the way of life shared by the members of a society. {www.saa.org/publications/sampler/terms.html} The accumulated habits, attitudes, and beliefs of a group of people that define for them their general behavior and way of life; the total set of learned activities of a people. {odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/GEO/glossary.htm} a common way of life of a group of people {www.uwlax.edu/mvac/PreEuropeanPeople/EarlyCultures/glossary.html} The complete way of life of a people: the shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a group; their customs, art, literature, religion, philosophy, etc.; the pattern of learned and shared behavior among the members of a group. {www.digonsite.com/glossary/ag.html} Cultures change over time, and peoples perceptions of cultures change, whereas with labels, they remain just that - a label... Your aunt, in her own right, is constantly changing her own personal culture, and how she adapts to different situations, not allowing other's to effect change in her unless it's positive change. She has gotten past the point of labelling herself, and has made it part of who she is... I am not sure of the quote, but it's from the movie by Christopher Reeve, about this girl who became disabled... Her mother said, and pardon my memory loss, something like this, "You can either allow this disability to hold you back, or you can let it set you free - the choice is yours..." So, you see, we have our own personal culture of attitude, beliefs and norms, that we accept for ourself, and then we are part of the larger culture, which is social culture. Take care!
