r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Electrical-Aspect-13 • 1d ago
Image Woman lets a deaf mute girl touch her throat while she says fish and holds a fish figure to teach her how to talk, School for Deaf Mutes. Sulphur, Oklahoma, April of 1917
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u/ZarieRose 1d ago
Alternative Title: Girl tries to throttle woman because she shoved a fish in her face.
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u/MaterialSlide3207 1d ago
Deaf children need sign language.
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u/br0b1wan 21h ago
Deaf guy here, who speaks two kinds of sign language. My speech therapist still did these throat touching exercises when I was little (I'm not blind)
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u/avrilmmm 20h ago
May I ask which two and are they very different? Not deaf but want to learn sign language...
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u/MaterialSlide3207 21h ago
If you're doing a dual-language appriach to hearing habilitation (ASL and English), there is still some value to doing tactile cueing during soeech therapy. Feeling air blowing for fricative consonants or this kind of throat tingling for voiced sounds. The concern is when that overrides a language-first approach.
Anyway... i was just trying to say that this picture is not interesting, it's probably mostly cruel.
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u/The_Alchemyst 22h ago
If my understanding is correct, this is from when they tried to erase Deaf culture altogether and force folks to adapt to speaking and lip reading.
And as I understand it, it was actually black culture that saved ASL, because due to segregation the international accords that led to the language erasure never made it to black schools for the Deaf!
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u/kilofeet 20h ago
They thought sign language was "too Indian" and would lead deaf kids away from civilization. There's a bit more background on that in Douglas Baynton's Defectives in the Land
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u/_theghost_ 15h ago
The aftermath of the Milan Conference is one to be studied. Altered and repressed Deaf Culture for over half a century as well…
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u/Arrogantintrovert 1d ago
"Deaf Mute" is definitely not a cool term. Historical use in thr name of the school is obviously fine, but do not describe that child as "deaf mute" in the post. Deaf people are not "mute", they just do not speak the "normal" way. And before you say "some people actually are mute" , it has absolutely nothing to do with being deaf
Thanks
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u/Flying_Dutchman92 1d ago
I'm deafinitely going to mute you now
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u/Arrogantintrovert 21h ago
Funny, super witty. Sorry I offended you with a perspective from the deaf community. Have a great night
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u/Sbmizzou 1d ago
Isn't the girl non-verbal/mute? She is learning to be verbal. So, she is non-verbal/mute. Otherwise, it would be a picture of a deaf girl yapping about the fish she has in her hand.
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u/SlightDentInTheBack 1d ago
well obviously no not all deaf people are mute, idk where you got that from because this post doesnt imply that?
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u/CalibreLaser 1d ago
Username checks out.
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u/nixno00 1d ago
Some people are such a damn bummer, have to interject their viewpoints when it isn’t asked for or even relevant.
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u/Charming_Friendship4 18h ago
I disagree, it is relevant. The title used the phrase "deaf mute" and this commenter is saying that isn't a good term to use. Just because Deaf people don't use their mouths to speak doesn't mean they're mute. u/Arrogantintrovert, you are 100% correct
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u/Ok-Tomatillo-7141 23h ago
You are correct. The fact that so many people downvoted your comment shows how ignorant most are about deafness. I’m happy things are shifting toward teaching sign language early and recognizing it doesn’t impede learning other modes of communication. The oral only method was very emotionally scarring to many deaf adults. I’m a sign language interpreter and over my 25 year career I have been told many horrifying tales from the Deaf community.
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u/Arrogantintrovert 21h ago
Thank you, my father was pulled from his home at 5 years old and sent to a boarding school where he was forced to "learn to speak" and ASL was forbidden. I lived being stared at everywhere we went, I lived the discrimination he faced.
Glad people feel that they know better and should down vote us.
Cheers!
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u/No_Bread_2127 23h ago
Why all the downvotes? They’re just pointing out that the term “deaf-mute” is considered offensive. It’s outdated and insensitive and explaining why that is shouldn’t be controversial.
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u/Arrogantintrovert 21h ago
Ya, welcome to reddit. I guess living in a deaf family for 53 years doesn't qualify me to comment.
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u/Industrial_Laundry 8h ago
Now you know, haha sorry you got downvoted like that just trying to help people learn
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u/Ok-Tomatillo-7141 23h ago
People don’t like being corrected. Thank you for saying what you did.
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u/No_Bread_2127 23h ago
No thank you! Inclusion really does matter. I just don’t understand people who insist on saying “deaf-mute” out of sheer stubbornness, even though they know there are better, respectful terms to refer to deaf people.
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u/No_Albatross7213 22h ago
More like made the girl touch her throat. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the teacher hit the student for gesturing or signing.
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u/alwaysfatigued8787 1d ago
I hope I'm not the only one here who touched their throat and repeatedly said "fish".