Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e9PIoe906716; Wed, 25 Oct 2000 14:50:40 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 14:50:40 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20001025144205.007bddc0@mail.psnyc.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Claire Deroche <claired@lacnyc.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:240] Re: Society X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) Status: O Content-Length: 2124 Lines: 45 Dear Kate, I think in this type of discussion we need to understand the term, society, in a more nuanced way. It is true that any society is made up of individuals. These indivisuals may or may not hold discriminatory attitudes. So part of the work of justice and our work as educators is to foster those situations where individuals are motivated to change attitudes which lead to words or actions which harm others. However, any society is also a complex web of systems, many of which are unjust and discriminate against some individuals within that society who in one way or another do not "measure up" to categories which that society privileges. In this case, we are looking at the way our US society, through some systems, may discriminate against persons who are deaf. While you as an individual do not hold discriminatory attitudes towards persons who are deaf, nevertheless, US society still has many systems in place which discriminate against persons who are deaf. So, my belief is that I need to do two things. I need to bring to consciousness whatever discriminatory attitudes I may have towards persons who are deaf so that I do not act out of those unconscious discriminatory attitudes and harm in any way, however slight, a person who is deaf. Furthermore, I need to be willing to work to change discriminatory systems which impede access to the fullness of life for individuals within groups which are oppressed, in this case, persons who are deaf. Here is a simple way that we at the Literacy Assistance Center have done something to raise awareness and to make our services available to persons who are deaf: we publish the TTY and Voice Communication Assistant numbers within our agency address. By doing this we are saying that we want to have systems in place which do not discriminate against a person who is deaf. With care- Claire Deroche ****************************** Director of Outreach and Referral Literacy Assistance Center 84 William St., 14th Fl. New York, NY 10038 212-803-3335 phone 212-785-3685 fax TTY (800) 662-1220 Voice Communications Assistant (800) 421-1220 www.lacnyc.org
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