Quiet Journey

Quiet Journey: Understanding The Rights Of Deaf Children by Joanne S Cripps
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here or not but I have taken up learning American Sign Language. I go every Sunday and meet with a study group and we are helping and learning from each other. As we were talking one day about Deaf culture, I was very saddened to hear how isolated a community they are. I thought it would be interesting to learn about Deaf Culture through a variety of resources. This was the first book that I read. It isn't quite textbook style but it is formatted like a textbook in that is has different chapters relating to different areas ie. School, family life, resources in the community etc. The main point that was scattered throughout the book was that Deaf people and their families,etc need to be aware of their rights as well as the importance of learning sign language. This book was written by a Canadian author from Ontario and at the time in early 2000, there were only 3 Deaf schools in Ontario. I found this appalling... I thought there has to be Deaf people everywhere, not just in the areas of these 3 schools. It turns out there are Deaf people everywhere but they tend to be together in communities and are very protective of said communities. Since sign language is really taught as another language option in school, and not all schools either, the amount of people that are hearing and can communicate fluently in sign is very limited. So while I am on my signing journey, I am going to immerse myself in Deaf culture. I want to read about families that are both Deaf and hearing. I want to read about the do's and don'ts when talking or being around Deaf people. I want to hear personal trials and tribulations and successes regarding sign language and Deaf culture. I want to learn so much about this language because I have wanted to do so for a very long time but was unable to teach myself for reasons you may understand. I watched the series Switched at Birth and there is TONS of signing in that show and it was a really great show. I also find sign language such a beautiful language. When you can watch people signing together and having a full out conversation it's such a beautiful thing and there's so much emotion AND sign language is very blunt and to the point. There's no skirting around things, people who sign just tell it like it is and I love that because that's how I live my life. While I am working on finishing the 52 book challenge from time to time you will see a book review about Deaf culture and it's really quite interesting... maybe it will spur your interest to take time to learn something new! Happy trails guys and a HUGE thank you to the people that come back every month and read my reviews on various items. Being accountable to you guys means a lot to me and definitely gives me a purpose.