There is Always Hope Julie Rems-Smario, M.A.,M.S.

1. There is Always HopeJulie Rems-Smario, M.A.,M.S.

2. What Is ? • is a nonprofit organization, established for and by Deaf women in January 2003 • Our mission at is to end domestic violence and sexual assault against Deaf women and children through empowerment, education and services

3. HERSTORY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

14. Violence Against Women Exists in All Cultures Violence against women is different in each culture based on the language and values of their people

17. Juarez, MexicoOver 400 young women murdered .

23. Women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to experience domestic violence U.S. Department of Justice (1998)

24. Deaf Women in domestic and sexual violence situations are at greater risk for fatality because of lack of resources, access, and audism

25. Deaf VICTIMS of Domestic Violence • Amber Burroughs –Illionois • Darlene Vandergliesen-South Dakota • Kisha Sullivan-New York • Christine Bronk-Wisconsin • Tallie Marie Antolin-South Carolina • Heather Villalba-Maryland • Priscilla Vinci-California • Penny Williams-Utah

26. Domestic Violence? • Pattern of Power and Control behavior • Happens in all cultures • Power and control is based on language and values of people in each culture

27. Domestic Violence In Deaf Community • Deaf community also has aspects of domestic violence often overlooked by law enforcement, medical professionals, etc. • Deaf women have less options then hearing women for domestic violence services • Deaf community is unique because of its language and cultural norms that cross geographical borders • Domestic violence in Deaf community often overlooked by hearing professionals such as the law enforcement

28. ASL VOCABULARY FOR DV/SV • Victim • Survivor • Abuse • Domestic Violence • Sexual Violence • Child Abuse • Abuser/Batterer/ Perpetrator • Empowerment • Healing Process • Audism • Deafhood

29. Eight Aspects of Power & Control • Intimidation • Emotional Abuse • Isolation • Minimize, Deny, Blame • Using Children • Hearing Privilege/Male Privilege • Economic Abuse • Coercion/Threats

31. Examples of Domestic Violence in the Deaf Community • Overuses floor stomping/pounding on table or door • Signs very close to your face when angry • Criticizes your ASL skills or communication style • Makes you afraid with gestures, facial expressions, or exaggerated signs, then denies it by saying that is Deaf Culture to justify the behavior

32. Examples of Hearing Privilege Abuse • If you call the police, he interprets to manipulate the situation to his benefit • He doesn’t allow your children to use ASL or talk with you • He doesn’t allow your children to be proud of Deaf Culture • He puts down your ASL • He criticizes your speech and English skills • He excludes you from important conversations

33. LOSTDeaf survivor loses trust in self after trauma from domestic and/or sexual violence and loses trust in the system because of Audism “I am so exhausted from trying to teach the hearing system about my access rights that I cannot focus on taking care of myself. I feel like giving up” --Deaf survivor

34. OUR SYSTEM -- MORE STRIKES AGAINST DEAF SURVIVORSRevictimized by the system--Law enforcement, courts, shelters, department of children and family services, counseling, etc., due to audism

35. DEAF CULTUREDeaf culture is learned and passed down from generation to generation. Most cultures are passed down within families and at Deaf schools 90 percent of Deaf people are born to hearing parents, so only a small percentage of Deaf people learn their culture from their family. Most Deaf people learn their culture and language through interactions with their peers at school and in the Deaf community

36. AUDISM(from Latin audire, to hear, and -ism, a system of practice, behavior, belief, or attitude)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audism a term used to describe discrimination or stereotypes against deaf people: Judgement that a deaf person is incapable simply because he or she cannot hear Assumption that the cultural ways of hearing people are preferable or superior to those of deaf or signing culture Belief that deaf people are somehow less capable than hearing people--Audists can either be hearing or deaf

37. Audism is also another word for “hearing” superiority an attitude of thinking one person is superior to another person because he or she can hear better than him or her. Audism also happens during interactions between some deaf: Deaf people who do not value sign language and will not identify with the Deaf community may considerthemselves to be "better" than others who use sign language and are part of Deaf culture. This is often learned behavior taught by public schools, oral programs, and hearing parents.

38. AUDISM IN OUR SYSTEMThe hearing way of dominating, restructuring, and exercising authority over the deaf community Historically practiced by administrators of education institutes for deaf children, training programs for deaf adults, interpreters, and some audiologists, speech therapists, otologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, librarians, researchers, social workers, and hearing aid specialists. (Lane 1992: 43)

39. Least Restrictive EnvironmentNOT! • PL 94-142 enforced children with disabilities to attend public school as least restrictive environment—It is actually the most restrictive environment for Deaf children • Many Deaf children experienced isolation in public children without critical mass of Deaf peers often found at Deaf schools • During past 30 years Deaf children have been growing up up without strong foundation in either English or ASL • Without Deaf adults as role models, they generally lacked self esteem as Deaf individuals • Many Deaf children graduated not knowing how to advocate for themselves

40. Audism Impacts Deaf Survivors • Deaf survivors do not trust seeking help from the system because of years of experience with Audism and oppression • It is often easier to stay with their abusive Deaf batterer than to deal with the system

41. DEAFHOODvs Deafness Deafhood conveys an affirmation and positive acceptance of being deaf. Deafness-- a medical term which measures people deaf people in terms of their hearing loss as an undesirable medical condition. • Deaf persons have been treated as deficit human beings WITHOUT hearing and trained by the surrounding dominant hearing culture to regard themselves that way, which includes emphasized notion around the inability to hear and to speak. • Deafhood--Deaf people evaluate and liberate themselves from these internalized inferiority complex resulting from Audism and entertaining the notion of deficit. Deafhood is a process of self-liberation by Dr. Paddy Ladd in his book "Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood".

42. Deafhood Movement is parallel to Feminist Movement

43. The Family Dog(Deaf child of Hearing Family)by Susan Duport

44. MYTHBUSTERS ABOUT LIPREADING! Only about 30% of the spoken words can be lip read, and the rest is educated guesswork Educated guess work includes use of clozure skills Clozure skills requires extensive thinking-- Survivors are too traumatized, tired and/or stressed out

45. EXERCISE #1 YOU ME CROSS MISS ME KNOW SORRY

46. EXERCISE #1 Answer WE MUST HAVE JUST MISSED EACH OTHER. I AM SORRY.

47. EXERCISE #2 WOMAN SILLY MOUTH WIDE MY FACE ME UNDERSTAND NO

48. EXERCISE #2 Answer WOMAN WAS SCREAMING IN MY FACE I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HER

49. EXERCISE #3 DADDY MANY MANY HIT BLOOD ME SAW ME RAN TELL FRIEND ME AFRAID CALL POLICE MAYBE JAIL

50. EXERCISE #3 Answer DADDY HIT (WHO?) SO MANY TIMES TIL I SAW THE BLOOD. I WAS SO SCARED AND RAN AND TOLD A FRIEND ABOUT IT. MY FRIEND CALLED THE POLICE AND MAYBE DADDY WILL GO TO JAIL. Courtesy of www.DVAS.org