AG Bell Protest by the DBC

AG Bell Protest: last summer the Deaf Bilingual Coalition (DBC) protested at the AG Bell “Talk for a Lifetime” conference. DBC has been holding local community meetings across the U.S., and this five-part vlog series spotlights the Bay Area meeting on August 24, 2007. Barb DiGi and DE presented to a large audience at DCARA’s Deaf Community Center. Each part is approximately four minutes each. 

Meeting footage by Ella Mae Lentz, Judy Gough, & Steve Longo, edited by DE
“The Greatest Irony” concept by Amy Cohen Efron
“The Greatest Irony” cartoon by Maureen “Moe” Klusza
Original footage by Aidan Mack

Part 1: How DBC Came Into Existence

Part 2: Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT) & “The Greatest Irony”

Part 3: The Protest Weekend

Part 4: Plans for 2007-2008

Part 5: Participants’ Comments

33 comments

  • LaRonda 17 years ago

    It only takes a spark to get a fire going! Whoo! Very inspirational 5-part series.

    Although I watched the AGB Protest this summer as it aired on DeafRead, I wish I attended the information sharing at DCC locally. I could feel the energy still through those videos. I would have liked to see more credit given to Amy Cohen-Efron for her key part in The Greatest Irony vlog. I did see her name flash across the screen once, but it seems she should be given more due.

    Great set of video clips everyone! Great job!

    ~ LaRonda

    Reply
  • Darla 17 years ago

    Love it! Wow! Please give us more. We want more discussion, debate, rapports, brainstorms on Vlogs! Some day soon this will stir up something greater, huge, immerese force against AGB. Keep on post up, and we will keep up protesting. I am with you all the way.

    Love this! Gimme more!

    Reply
  • terry 17 years ago

    see u all at milwaukee… show our deaf community stronger!

    Reply
  • joe 17 years ago

    Ya all……

    tick tock….tick tock….tick tock… KABOOM!!!! Powerful message!!! UNITY TIME!

    Reply
  • DE 17 years ago

    LaRonda,

    Thank you for suggesting that Amy Cohen Efron deserves more credit. I have revised the introduction to include her, Judy Gough, Moe, and Aidan Mack. My apologies to those who I left out the first time. Sorry!

    The Deaf Community ROCKS!

    DE

    Reply
  • Sharon 17 years ago

    Not know if I overlook the date of AGB Convention in June?????

    Will please post the date so everyone will be able to schedule our vacation….especially for those who are not working at Deaf Schools or univeristies…

    All Vlogs are valuable informations…

    Thank you

    Reply
  • John F. Egbert 17 years ago

    LaRonda,

    I agree with you about Amy Cohen Efron. She inspired me to form Deaf Bilingual Coalition.

    Not only Amy inspired me, she inspired the whole Deaf Community!

    John

    Reply
  • GUILLERMO PALOMINO 17 years ago

    HELLO, DEAF COMMUNITY!!!

    I INTERESA OF INFORMATION OF DEAF OK

    THIS IS GUILLERMO, I AM DEAF MEXICAN, I AM WORK I AM THEARTH WITH DEAF SCHOOL PRIMARY AND SECUNDARY IN TIJUANA AND ENSENADA OK BIG SMILE
    SALUTE
    GUILLERMO

    Reply
  • Stephanie 17 years ago

    This was fascinating and very informative!! What a wonderful movement. I am a hearing interpreter. An interpreter friend told me about this site. It would be so cool if it were captioned, or voice interpreted so I could share it with friends who aren’t fluent in ASL, but who have interest in these topics.

    Reply
  • LaRonda 17 years ago

    DE,

    What is so cool about you is that you really pay attention to the vibe and feel of the deaf community! Nice of you to make those additions. 😉

    ~ LaRonda

    Reply
  • Joey Baer 17 years ago

    We are in process of finding a way to voice over the important vlogs above. DE will keep you posted on this.

    Joey

    Reply
  • Deaf Socrate's Trail 17 years ago

    Well, it is very unbelieable after all what these people had said about AGBELL! You convienced me and got a better clear picture of what happened. Barb DiGi and De gave me well explanation. I wish I could be involved with all of DBC in order to understand better but I was there and observed that day=Saturday.
    I just hope DBC takes requirement of time to build up the strength cause. I feel strongly that DBC movement might impact AGBELL in a long run! Money is big question. I often believe that MONEY can buy the power if DBC is ready to raise the fund, it is very expensive to expense. DBC needs a lot of money such as 100,000 or more if DBC puts well intention then DBC would get a lot!

    Reply
  • DE 17 years ago

    Hi- thank you, everybody, for the comments.

    Sharon, check http://www.agbell.org for more details on the 2008 Convention. I think it’s the last weekend of June. See you there!

    As for Colorado, the contact info went by too fast in vlog #4. Justin Buckhold is the contact person- jbuckhold@gmail.com. Those of you in Colorado, join in on Sept. 28-29, 2007 (yes, this month!)

    Stephanie, like Joey said, we are working on adding voice-over, etc. It’s a long process, but I agree with you- hearing allies & people, especially parents of Deaf children, need to hear the truth! Thank you for your support, Stephanie.

    Darla- you bet! More coming!! And we are entering a golden era where the Deaf Community is united for justice! Thank you.

    Guillermo, SALUTE back to you! Mexico is doing well in the area of Deaf Education- your federal government is bringing in bilingual experts in the interest of transforming your country’s education of the Deaf! Hand-waves!

    Bye for now- and remember, our Deaf babies’ lives are already turning out for the better thanks to ALL our efforts to confront the injustices perpetuated by AGBAD.

    LANGUAGE, LIFE, LIBERTY, & THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!

    SIGN FROM THE START = SUCCESS FOR A LIFETIME!

    SUCCESS IN LIFE FOR ALL DEAF BABIES!!!

    DE

    Reply
  • Sandra Goldstein 17 years ago

    I enjoyed the videoclips.

    In the future presenters should not wear black shirts with black background. Look at DE. Boy, it seemed to me that he has no body except face and arms and hands. If he knows there is a black background, he should wear any color except dark brown and black. If there is a white background, he can wear a black shirt.

    Sandra

    Reply
  • Misha 17 years ago

    Hello to DE and Barb DiGi,
    I’ve been following DBC and protests against AGBell this past summer by viewing the series of VLogs, etc.
    I’ve been insprired by DBC being formed just recently.
    I’d like to know the information how to get DBC to help the Connecticut, perhaps CAD which I’ll talk with eventually to get involved with DBC and whatnots. How would I do that? Can you send me any information in regards of DBC?

    Thanks,
    Misha

    Reply
  • Nanci Bazzell 17 years ago

    Goose bumps all over me! Have been waiting for this for the past thirty years…. am a Deaf teacher at Los Angeles Unified School District in California…..filed a lawsuit against the school district for not providing me access to communication in my work envirnoment for the past ten years… If I will win the case in October, there will be major changes with a Deaf task in LAUSD. If not, another twenty five DHH teachers will become plaintiffs for the January hearing. We no longer wish to be oppressed by the hearing “oral” movement. Enough is enough! It has never worked! Lack of communication is caused for the academic delay in Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. By the way I applied for a LAUSD infant specialist. I was turned down….why?? They are seeking an oral specialist….is that a discrimination?? Just wondering…. goose bumps, again! Anybody watching “All My Children”???

    Reply
  • Nanci Bazzell 17 years ago

    Pardon my grammar….the goose bumps got in the way. YUK YUK

    Reply
  • John M 17 years ago

    I love your action without talk!! We look forward to changing the world and need to educate to the hearing world. I can not wait to see a concrete wall to fall down (Berlin wall). Rumble Rumble Rumble…. We show our hands without handcuff. Our province of Ontario, Canada will help and join with you on the next rally at Mikluwee (sp?)

    Reply
  • Mark Maki 17 years ago

    Awesome!!! Thank you for showing all videoclips and definately inspired and excitement to see that is starting to do something to take action movement!! I believe that media will get attention and educational to our country that will improve for future Deaf generations to come!! Keep up!!! I am with you all the way!!

    Reply
  • Linda Kennedy 17 years ago

    I am considering setting up a new possible Deaf Bilingual Coalition of Arizona to help plan a big protest at AGBA in Wisc next summer. What I would like from you is where should I start? I have never done anything of this sort, but I feel very strongly one is needed in Arizona and I am willing to roll up my sleeve and start one here. I also was considering setting up a fundraising to help ofset the costs of DBC in our fight against mighty AGBA!
    Any suggestions especially who to contact for help and suggestions. I will appreciate any help u can offer small or big.
    Linda Kennedy
    P.S to contact me, my email address is xx@aol.com (author revised address to prevent email spam)

    Reply
  • ASL Supporter 17 years ago

    PAH! PAH!

    More and more deaf people now voice our protest against oralism and show our concerns about protecting those helpless deaf children from those die-hard oralists and hearing professionals who’ve forced us to speak instead of sign.

    In the old days, many deaf people like my deaf father who could not speak was placed in a slow learning class at deaf schools. My deaf mother who attended an oral school for four years before enrolling at a state deaf school grew up as an angry person.

    Reply
  • Bobby Lopez 17 years ago

    Hey Joey,
    I wish DEAF people could protest just like “Jena 6”.

    Reply
  • bufferzones 16 years ago

    Hi Joey,

    I have been a quiet viewer of your amazing blog. I am wondering if I could get contact information of the organizers of the DBC so I can start a similar initiative in NYC!

    Thanks,

    Chris

    Reply
  • Deaf Socrate's Trail 16 years ago

    I just look up many different webs I think DBC needs ACLU because it is involved with child’s right and also CRIN means Child right Information Network You might find many interested issues and also involve what is Child right, In this country we do not have legazlied for child rights’ and I view AGBELL is real anti child right or anti human right for all children who are denied to access to learning ASL and AVT represent real against human rights for children otherwise it is a new form of child abuse because AVT encourage parents in wrong way!

    Reply
  • John M 16 years ago

    Hello David E.

    I would like to have a whole infromation about AVT and Greatest Irony. Can you email to me with attatchment? I would bring to our Ontario Association Deaf ( Canada) and would believe that OAD would like to be a parntership. I am a Large of Director for OAD. How do we can work together?

    Reply
  • Tara (MO) 16 years ago

    Amen! Let’s work together and prove them wrong! We can do it as much as they think they can do it!

    Loved how this guy said put them in jail for a year and half, lol!

    Reply
  • Ron Fields 16 years ago

    Hello,
    A brainstorm for Milwaukee… Let’s get DEAF or ASL EXPO event near AGB event.

    Reply
  • Manuel Martin 16 years ago

    How could we get some of those T shirts?

    I am the program director for ASL for Friends of RI School for the Deaf and use this example often – hearing babies signing is wonderful!! Fantastic!!!….but don’t let Deaf babies use their natural language…..it’s terrible for them!?!?!?

    Reply
  • Cynthia K 16 years ago

    I am hearing, but I don’t understand why it’s “ok” for hearing babies to use sign to tell mom and dad what they want, but ASL suddenly becomes a problem for Deaf to use (it IS the native language!)!

    Reply
  • Nancy 16 years ago

    I finally found the time to review. Maybe it is my puter?? but I kind of wished some of the stuff had been captioned.

    That aside: that cartooon by Maureen Kulsza really hi the nail on the head and I have been using that to explain to the local deaf people that that is a problem. Our question is now, what?

    Sure, you have ideas and they all cost money.
    How can we help?

    N

    Reply
  • Thinker in Austin.. 16 years ago

    I am anxious to head over to MILKWAUKEE, I mean, Milwaukee in June 2008.

    After reviewing the Participants’ Comments video, I have to say…

    David O Reynolds, I agree with you about our necessary to redefine what Deaf Education is all about.

    Penny Browning (I know you from way in the past), I support what you said about dialogs and panels. I bet you that the AGB people will not want to participate. Know why.. They are chicken feet knowing ASL people like us will walk over them.

    Ethan Bernstein, I agree with him that we all shall keep this simple, very simple and to the point. Because we have many uneducated D/deaf people around us, we would rather to have them to feel comfortable and have understanding the purpose of all the whole concept of this.

    Reply
  • KH 16 years ago

    HI,WOW, you know what the black people went thru a long time ago that they were not allowed to read and write. now all of them are allowed to read and write. the same concept for the deafies that are not allowed to use ASL and lipreading,facial expression and body language… HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE ,the ASL USERS WILL WN THE to prove AGBELL wrong … AVT(AGBELL) WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE FOR THE DEAFIES BY INCREASING LACK OF CONFIDENCE, EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS , LOW ESTEEM,INSECURITY AND IDENTITY PROBLEM. I WAS ONCE AN ORALIST FROM THE AGE OF 6 TO 11. ASL IS A BIG HELP TO DEVELOP MY CONFIDENCE AND SECURITY TO LEARN MORE, HAVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS, SOCIAL SKILLS AND TALK BETTER AS WELL.:) PLEASE agbell, SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE AND ACCEPT THE TRUTH ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF THE DEAFIES WHO WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU .. YOU NEED TO DEVELOP YOUR LISTEN SKILLS .. LISTEN TO THEM CAREFULLY AND WISELY. DO NOT EVER DO SOMETHING STUPID,AGBELL!!!!!!…….THANK YOU ILY all …..YOU DID A GREAT AND BRILLIANT JOB… YOU PEOPLE ON VLOGS ARE IN OUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS TAKE CARE KH.

    Reply
  • Linda Slovick 16 years ago

    Hi Joey!

    I finally posted my video of the DBC Rally at the Milpitas Alexander Graham Bell Convention. It’s at:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDeARF6lSX8

    Enjoy!

    – Linda

    Reply

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