Abstract
It was like touching a ripple in a cold lake. Christine’s first time placing her hands on a piano led to introspective thoughts that eventually changed her perspective on what sound means. She realizes that sound causes a reaction, whether seen in physical and haptic vibrations or through the behavior changes in individuals. Christine uses society as her loudspeakers to visualize and feel sound. She emphasizes that sound does not have to be an experience solely for the ears, “it could be felt tactually, experienced as a visual, or even as an idea” (1). She now takes ownership of sound by implementing it into her artwork and day-to-day communication by understanding the similarities between sign language and sound. When communicating through sign language, Christine uses interpreters to make her voice feel heard. She describes sound as a form of social currency and asks herself if she is left out of society due to her inability to hear conventionally. However, she makes a strong claim that she can create music through ASL. The creative spacing and repetition of ASL can be used as the basis for creating this new form of music. Overall, Christine’s understanding of sound challenges the societal norms on what it means to hear and be heard. Research is starting to pick up on the continuity of experiences between hearing and deafness. Some Deaf scholars are trying to get around the notion that they are excluded from hearing by focusing on shared visual meaning (2). Furthermore, vibrations through tactile stimulation can be felt by all (2). Those without the capability to hear use vision to infer hearing and pick up on the social cues and “sound etiquette,” as Christine calls it (1,2). Bringing different individuals together through fluid definitions of sensation can help us “move away from purely audiological conceptions of sound” (2).
“Deaf Space Classroom” Inspired by Galludet University
This top-down view of a university classroom is designed specifically for Deaf students. There are many aspects of space that can be catered to Deaf students to improve their ability to perceive the world around them. First, space and proximity are vital as speaking partners need to visually perceive each other in the area they are in (3). For instance, focusing on wider hallways or larger rooms can allow students to observe a greater range of their surroundings, thus increasing visual perception. Space is also important to ensure that Deaf individuals can be mobile while communicating (3). We sometimes take it for granted that we can communicate concurrently while visually perceiving our surroundings. Deaf individuals have to constantly be aware of the visual stimulus in front of them and their speaking partner who is signing to communicate. Deaf individuals also have different levels of sensitivity to sound waves (3). Higher levels of sound can be a distraction or painful disturbance to individuals. When building a space for Deaf individuals and students, a lot of work goes into attenuating background sound caused by the building. As seen in the drawing above, circular seating arrangements are essential to allow Deaf students more excellent visual perception to accommodate each student in the class. The space allows students to have a broader visual scope to perceive each classmate with less strain having to move their heads back and forth to pay attention to each member who is using ASL to communicate. Deaf students must be able to visually perceive each classmate as they have limited ability to use audio cues to bring attention to a particular side of the room. Each student must face each other to reduce the strain of communicating through ASL. The room also contains glass walls that may or may not have mirrors. These walls help draw students’ attention to any movement on the sides of the room, improving the ability for students’ sign language messages to be observed. Lighting and color are also critical to amplify the visual perception of Deaf Students (3). For example, poor lighting or too much lighting can hinder the ability to distinguish objects in the room. It can also cause tremendous eye strain, making it difficult for the students to perceive ASL with total clarity in each sign.
“Inclusive Community Owl”
“I Can Hear You With My Eyes”
The above two charcoal traces were inspired by Deaf artists such as Alexis Borochoff and Amy Efron (4). Borochoff highlights the community that she found through art. Efron focuses on how she can hear the world with her eyes (4). Those who are deaf and hard of hearing should be included in society regardless of their abilities concerning audiological conceptions of hearing. Deaf people use their other senses to perceive the world around them. Vision becomes increasingly more important for communication with Deaf individuals. Thus, their attentiveness allows them to focus on objects or people in their visual landscape with great detail (4). One of the main goals of Deaf artists is to advocate for fluid definitions of sensations. They fight phonocentrism and audism, which portray spoken language and hearing as more significant than other means of communication (5).
References:
1 Kim, C. S. (1446046304). The enchanting music of sign language. https://www.ted.com/talks/christine_sun_kim_the_enchanting_music_of_sign_language
2 Friedner, M., & Helmreich, S. (2012). Sound Studies Meets Deaf Studies. The Senses and Society, 7, 72–86. https://doi.org/10.2752/174589312X13173255802120
3 Naturale, J. (n.d.). InfoGuides: DeafSpace: Principles and Elements of DeafSpace. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://infoguides.rit.edu/c.php?g=545353&p=6922725
4 Mitchell, B. (2017, July 11). Preview: With “Heightened Senses,” Deaf artists share their experiences. ARTS ATL. https://www.artsatl.org/preview-heightened-senses-deaf-artists-share-experiences/
5 Reporter, D. W. S. (n.d.). Deaf artist uses art for activism and awareness. Purdue Exponent. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.purdueexponent.org/features/article_4613f650-53cc-5cba-a757-c3f938e27444.html