A Letter to the Editor of the New Scientist magazine
There was an article, "Falling on deaf ears," in the publication New Scientist that spoke of cochlear implants, and this spurred me to write a letter to the editor. I thought that it would be nice to post it here, so here it is!
Dear Editor,
This is in regards to the article, "Falling on deaf ears," of your August 28-September 3, 2004 issue, vol. 183, no 2462.
Working towards my doctorate, I am always thinking of ways to exploit technology in order to bridge the overpowering gap separating the Deaf from the hearing. Being profoundly deaf myself, the stakes are very high. If no technology is able to transcend the communication barrier between the spoken word and sign language, the future of my people, the Deaf, a truly tribal group, is in severe jeopardy. We have to separate ourselves from the disabled "macro-group" and become a distinct cultural minority, albeit smaller. That way, we would be able to embrace one of the most overlooked, yet important, language - American Sign Language (ASL).
Research done on the brains of culturally Deaf people (that is, fluent users of ASL) has shown that the structure of the brains of Deaf people differ somewhat from the "hearing" brain. The brain's plasticity enables it to "reallocate" the unused auditory part of the brain and use it for other functions. I strongly believe that is why I find it very easy to understand, and immensely enjoy, Stephen Hawking's work. I would know that because my Deaf brother studied Cognitive Science for his PhD.
ASL is a 4-dimesional, spatial language. Because of that fact, and the fact that there is no other language that approaches the 4-D complexity of sign language, it would serve the hearing majority in this world very well if they integrated sign language in their communication modes. For example, it would be so much more elegant for math teachers to incorporate sign language to describe the appearance of sine waves and the difference between its amplitude and period.
It is essential that I am able to have my sign language automatically translated into voice, and to be able to use voice recognition software to understand anyone I might bump in on the street. That would effectively surmount the obstacles that have always kept the Deaf disabled. Dr. Jose Hernandez-Rebollar of George Washington University's AcceleGlove shows the best promise of meeting that lofty goal, and I am actively working with him to ensure our place in the society of the future. Augmented Reality will be the answer, not cochlear implants.
Thank you,
Jason Lamberton
PhD Candidate, George Washington University
President's Fellow, Gallaudet University
Dear Editor,
This is in regards to the article, "Falling on deaf ears," of your August 28-September 3, 2004 issue, vol. 183, no 2462.
Working towards my doctorate, I am always thinking of ways to exploit technology in order to bridge the overpowering gap separating the Deaf from the hearing. Being profoundly deaf myself, the stakes are very high. If no technology is able to transcend the communication barrier between the spoken word and sign language, the future of my people, the Deaf, a truly tribal group, is in severe jeopardy. We have to separate ourselves from the disabled "macro-group" and become a distinct cultural minority, albeit smaller. That way, we would be able to embrace one of the most overlooked, yet important, language - American Sign Language (ASL).
Research done on the brains of culturally Deaf people (that is, fluent users of ASL) has shown that the structure of the brains of Deaf people differ somewhat from the "hearing" brain. The brain's plasticity enables it to "reallocate" the unused auditory part of the brain and use it for other functions. I strongly believe that is why I find it very easy to understand, and immensely enjoy, Stephen Hawking's work. I would know that because my Deaf brother studied Cognitive Science for his PhD.
ASL is a 4-dimesional, spatial language. Because of that fact, and the fact that there is no other language that approaches the 4-D complexity of sign language, it would serve the hearing majority in this world very well if they integrated sign language in their communication modes. For example, it would be so much more elegant for math teachers to incorporate sign language to describe the appearance of sine waves and the difference between its amplitude and period.
It is essential that I am able to have my sign language automatically translated into voice, and to be able to use voice recognition software to understand anyone I might bump in on the street. That would effectively surmount the obstacles that have always kept the Deaf disabled. Dr. Jose Hernandez-Rebollar of George Washington University's AcceleGlove shows the best promise of meeting that lofty goal, and I am actively working with him to ensure our place in the society of the future. Augmented Reality will be the answer, not cochlear implants.
Thank you,
Jason Lamberton
PhD Candidate, George Washington University
President's Fellow, Gallaudet University
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