Charles Blake Heisler
4/29/03
A Time-Line of
Deaf History
This Time-Line at its inception is of course in theory for I do not
pretend to know when Man first had an ear from which to hear or not. In
fact, even today many do not have an ear which hears although they'd take
issue. What is not theory or hypothesized is the earliest accounts of
hurtful words used to describe the deaf community. Supposedly Enlightened
men imposing their rule or ideology against people who lacked one of the
five physical senses. Situations where Jewish Law stood in the way of a
deaf man owning property because of a skewed view of Gods Word. Instances
of Classical Greek philosophers questioning the intelligence of deaf people
because of their lack of Oral Language. Add to these the notion of demonic
intervention causing the deafness or God pouring out His Wrath upon the
offspring of sinful parents and one can easliy see why this world is as it
is. Now on a much brighter note I can point to positive gains that the deaf
community has experienced even though most would be considered only recent
in the overall scheme. In the 1750's, Charles Mechel De L'Eppe a Priest (Bridgebuilder),
established an association for the deaf of Paris. He went on to establish a
free public school for the deaf in (1771) and later compiled a dictionary of
Signs in (1788). In (1816) Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet toured Europe studying
deaf culture and education and met Laurent Clerc. Clerc was a student under
De L'Eppee and Abbe Sicard. Gallaudet and Clerc co-founded the American
School for the Deaf. In (1864) Gallaudet College was founded in Washington
DC. An interesting note here is that it would be in the year (1988) that
the College would recieve its first Deaf President, I. King Jordan. This
actually took place as a result of a student uprising protesting the Hearing
President that was in office. In (1990) the American with Disabilities Act
was passed which covered a wide range of issues, primarily discriminitive
hiring practices against people with Disabilities. In (1993) the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or (IDEA) was passed giving the
Dept. of Education power to establish a policy where-by granting all
disabled students the right to attend public schools and in a "least
restrictive environment". Of course there were many other positive
influences aside from those I've mentioned which have led the Community to
its present state. Before I continue with the next phase of this paper I'd
like to speak to not only my reader and or the Deaf Community, but to All!
Identity is crucial, in fact its the most important thing of all. Knowing
who you are and not letting the world and its agencies label you. It seems
these days that everyone answers to everything but their name. Its always
been the worlds way of controlling people, first it labels them and watches
as they divide into the labeled groups. Then once divided they're conquored.
Never let "them" pigeonhole You! Examples are "senior citizen", a buzz
political word which popped up in the 1980's. Ask yourself does this make
you and I "freshman" citizens or maybe "sophomore and junior citizens"? How
about the ever popular "victim" label. Are we not ALL victims and do we not
ALL share in affliction, victims of ourselves afflicted by our carnal
mind?
Okay, I mentioned another phase of my
paper and it deals with what I now realize as what must be a barrier in the
education sector of the Deaf Culture. The ability of the men and women who
wish to dedicate their lives to a career of helping Deaf students and
Interpreting in a variety of settings to earn a decent wage. Since my paper
deals with a historical progression of Deaf Culture there seems to be one
area which has not fared well and that is the earning potential of
Interpreters. My readings indicate that there is no set standard and ones
credentials will bare more or less weight depending upon the State where he
seeks employment. There are member orginizations at the federal level such
as the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and the National
Association for the Deaf (NAD) which have accredited credentials they offer
upon completion of certain criteria. However in some States neither are
required. I do believe however that this will soon change. There is work
in progress to combine the resources of RID and NAD and consolodate their
certifications. For an example of one States attempt to determine pay for
Interpreters I'll share what has happened in Bibb County, Georgia. Bibb
County Public Schools salary schedule for ASL/English Interpreters. The
contract time is for 182 days and 8 hours per day. An Interpreter with a
state level credential in Interpreting and Transliterating but with no
Bachelor's Degree can expect to earn in the range of $24,722.88 - $31,973.76
annually. A Bachelor's Degree will earn an additional $1000.00 supplement.
An Interpreter with a Masters Degree will be granted an additional
$2000.00. A certificate of Interpretation by (RID) or a certificate of
Transliteration will earn a $750.00 supplement. If a Bachelors Degree is
associated with the Interpreters and Transliterators certificate the $750.00
supplement will be accompanied by an additional $1000.00. The beginning
salary is based upon a range of $25,669.28 - $33,196.80. The peak range is
the Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration with a
Masters Degree. The range here is $29,658.72 - $38,251.04 (Elton 2002).
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee prepared a "Salary Survey of Sign
Language Interpreters in Post-Secondary Settings"(2000). They list many
Schools covering many States so I will include a sampling beginning with the
University of Arizona. Their salary range is $23.5 - $27.5K with the
average salary being $26.5K based on a 10mo. contract. The University of
Minnesota's salary range is $23 - $35.2K and both 10 and 12 month contracts
are available. Virginia Tech Universities salary range is from $31.6 -
$36.9K and for a 12 month contract. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Labor
published the following estimate for Interpreters and Translators. The mean
hourly wage was $14.16 and the annual wage being $29,450. I included the
salary information in my paper and even though some of the salaries seem
rather adequate, I believe they are the exception and not the rule. A low
salary and the ever increasing liability which goes with being an
Interpreter I fear may discourage some people from this Profession. The low
pay however does not reflect the importance and reward that goes with this
job.
(2003, April 29). Deaf Time-Line. ASLinfo.com. Retrieved 28, April 2003:
<http://www.aslinfo.com/trivia.cfm>
Govt. (1999) 1999 National Occupational Employment and Wage
Estimates-Interpreters and Translators. U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Retrieved 28, April 2003:
<http://www.bls.gov/oes/1999/oes273091.htm>
(2000, April). Salary Survey of Sign Language Interpreters in Post-Secondary
Settings. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved 27, April 2003:
<http://www.pepnet.org/pdf/salary_survey.pdf>
Elton, Amy- BA, CI and CT. (2002, March). Georgia School System Establishes
Equitable Salary Scale. Lead Interpreter, Bibb County Public Schools.
Retrieved 27, April 2003.
<http://www.rid.org/scale.pdf>