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Through Deaf Eyes: Two UCSD Authors to Appear
in PBS Documentary
Inga Kiderra | March 26, 2007
Two UCSD faculty members appear in the national PBS documentary “Through Deaf Eyes” that will air tonight at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
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| Tom Humphries |
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Tom Humphries and Carol Padden contributed to the making of the film not only by serving as interview subjects but also through their influential writing on Deaf culture.
The two-hour film explores almost 200 years of American history and the experience of the hearing impaired by taking a look at language, politics, technology and some very loud
rock ’n’ roll.
Humphries is associate director and associate professor of education studies, as well as associate professor in the communication department. Padden is an alumna of UCSD linguistics and a professor of communication.
Humphries and Padden have written four books together
– “Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture”
and “Inside Deaf Culture, along with two textbooks
on American Sign Language.
In the film, Humphries and Padden discuss a wide range of issues: the significance of deaf residential schools, the influence of Alexander Graham Bell on deaf education, and a concern about the future of the Deaf community.
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| Carol Padden |
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“Through Deaf Eyes” aligns the broad sweep of U.S. history with the experiences of deaf people, showing how major social, economic, medical and technological shifts in America have changed deaf lives.
By telling the stories of people both ordinary and eminent, like Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordan, and incorporating six short films by Deaf filmmakers, “Through Deaf Eyes” conveys a broad range of perspectives on what it means to be deaf.
The Deaf community, as a minority group in a hearing world, has had little voice. Its history is under-represented in literature, and outside portrayals have presented a misleading picture. But being deaf is far from being the uniform (and tragic) experience that most hearing people imagine.
For many, the lack of hearing is not the essence of deafness at all: What is central is being a part of a culture.
“Deaf culture,” says Padden, “is a type of culture that is not really tied to a particular land or country. It’s not tied to a particular religion. It’s not tied to a particular skin color. It’s tied to a particular way of being, of living and communicating. And being with people who have come to understand the world the way you understand it – visual people.”
| Additional Information |
Click here to learn more about the film.
More information about Humphries and Padden. |
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