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 e9QCRf927911; Thu, 26 Oct 2000 08:27:41 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000 08:27:41 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <002701c03f48$65e3d880$35a51c3f@cbking> 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: "Catherine King" <cb.king@verizon.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:242] Fw: Sight, Sound and the Experiential Divide X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; Status: O Content-Length: 12326 Lines: 309 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0024_01C03F0D.B78EFCE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Kathleen says: "The Deaf make the argument that voicing reduces their ability to read,=20 because to voice well enough to be understood by hearing people=20 requires years of six hour days of training. Schools that teach voicing = use most of their school day on this effort. They argue that this is = why=20 many don't learn to read past the third or fourth grade--when so much=20 effort and time goes into learning to voice, no time is left in school = to=20 read and study content areas. The argument is that voicing is a = priority for hearing people, but actually harms the educational and intellectual=20 development of the Deaf. Many drop voicing when they leave school." Kathleen's note about how hard it is for deaf people to relate and adapt to the "normal" patterns of those who can hear is similar to the=20 experience of blind adults who have had their sight restored through new technology. (I noted these experiences in a prior note which I have copied below.) =20 There is a suggestion of an **experiential** divide between (1) the=20 researcher and (2) the deaf or blind person on the one hand, and our=20 **understanding** of that experience as both gathering and creating=20 meaning in the world on the other. That is, first our fundamentally different meaning-patterning experiences, and second our=20 understanding of that meaning-patterning as researchers who are necessarily understanding the world through **our own** habits of tactile meaning-relationships where meaning is, for us, already closely associated with hearing, seeing, etc. =20 This suggestion of an experiential divide is supported by some threads in cognitional theory (Lonergan, et. al). Meaning is the=20 issue, and we know that people get meaning through whatever=20 tactile sources are available to them--e.g., Helen Keller. As=20 difficult as it was for her, she finally began to understand the=20 meaning in the world and in herself through what tactile=20 resources she had--she could neither see nor hear. =20 The prior note about the blind getting their sight follows. I have added some to it: ". . . people who have been blind from birth, and who have had=20 their cataracts removed, it is known (see note), must go=20 through a tremendous effort to understand the patterns of=20 intelligence in the world that we think are just "there" when=20 we see." =20 But what is intelligent and meaningful about things in the world=20 are not merely seen (or heard), but are also understood--which=20 means the people who had their sight restored had to=20 encourage their understanding by wondering and asking=20 questions, and practicing within a new tactile receptive area-- even with basic notions of grasping the distance from one's=20 hands to their shoes, as if they were babies just opening their=20 eyes. =20 In other words, **all** of the meaning has to be re-associated=20 with the new tactile resource (in this case, seeing) and integrated=20 with the prior sense receptor, e.g., new sight must be integrated=20 with meaning patterns priorly associated merely with hearing or=20 touch. =20 Learning to re-pattern one's thoughts if one has not learned to=20 read at an early age is probably just as daunting an experience=20 as the new-sight people had in re-learning sight-related patterns that were only associated with hearing before. They are=20 habituated to old patterns of understanding meaning, and the new patterns must be learned and integrated in with the old ones. It is not impossible--just very difficult. Some newly-sighted folks gave up and rested with the "fog and=20 darks and lights" that they experienced when they first opened=20 their eyes. But some worked hard to recondition their=20 understanding of the meaningful with their new-found sense of=20 seeing. It was more about determination than it was about intelligence or ability.=20 The point for reading adults is that it can be done, that it=20 doesn't have to do with brain electricity as much as it has to do with the meaningful and the intelligible and how those things=20 relate to the particular tactile resource as a habit of thought. It is also about pressing one's questions to the limit, and that=20 regaining this process can be done, but it is not easy--or in the case of the blind people, just a matter of opening one's eyes=20 and looking at the letters. The form and the order of the letters must first be understood. =20 The meaning of the relationships of the lines and between the=20 letters is what is important--and with hearing the distinctions we begin to pay attention to. We don't see or hear relationships,=20 forms or patterns,--we must rather understand those things--and in vastly different ways depending on the tactile resource. These=20 resources respond to the seen and the heard only on a cursory=20 level, but become more and more meaningful by virtue=20 of our questions as we discover and develop the patterns through=20 our tactile resources. Note: Refer to Marius von Senden's SPACE AND SIGHT, p. 25. Regards, Catherine King =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0024_01C03F0D.B78EFCE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Kathleen says:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"The Deaf make the argument that voicing reduces their ability to = read,=20 <BR>because to voice well enough to be understood by hearing people = </DIV> <DIV>requires years of six hour days of training. Schools that = teach=20 voicing </DIV> <DIV>use most of their school day on this effort. They argue that = this is=20 why </DIV> <DIV>many don't learn to read past the third or fourth grade--when so = much=20 </DIV> <DIV>effort and time goes into learning to voice, no time is left in = school to=20 </DIV> <DIV>read and study content areas. The argument is that voicing is = a=20 priority</DIV> <DIV>for hearing people, but actually harms the educational and = intellectual=20 </DIV> <DIV>development of the Deaf. Many drop voicing when they leave=20 school."</DIV> <DIV><BR> </DIV> <DIV>Kathleen's note about how hard it is for deaf people to relate and=20 adapt</DIV> <DIV>to the "normal" patterns of those who can hear is similar to the = </DIV> <DIV>experience of blind adults who have had their sight restored = through</DIV> <DIV>new technology. (I noted these experiences in a prior note which = I</DIV> <DIV>have copied below.) </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There is a suggestion of an **experiential** divide between = (1) the=20 </DIV> <DIV>researcher and (2) the deaf or blind person on the one hand, = and our=20 </DIV> <DIV>**understanding** of that experience as both gathering and creating = </DIV> <DIV>meaning in the world on the other. That is, = first our=20 fundamentally</DIV> <DIV>different meaning-patterning experiences, and second our = </DIV> <DIV>understanding of that meaning-patterning as researchers who = are</DIV> <DIV>necessarily understanding the world through **our own** habits = of</DIV> <DIV>tactile meaning-relationships where meaning is, for us, = already</DIV> <DIV>closely associated with hearing, seeing, etc. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This suggestion of an experiential divide is supported by = some</DIV> <DIV>threads in cognitional theory (Lonergan, et. al). = Meaning=20 is the </DIV> <DIV>issue, and we know that people get meaning through whatever </DIV> <DIV>tactile sources are available to them--e.g., Helen Keller. As = </DIV> <DIV>difficult as it was for her, she finally began to understand the = </DIV> <DIV>meaning in the world and in herself through what tactile </DIV> <DIV>resources she had--she could neither see nor hear. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The prior note about the blind getting their sight follows. I = have</DIV> <DIV>added some to it:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>". . . people who have been blind from birth, and who have had = <BR>their cataracts removed, it is known (see note), must go </DIV> <DIV>through a tremendous effort to understand the patterns of </DIV> <DIV>intelligence in the world that we think are just "there" when = </DIV> <DIV>we see." </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But what is intelligent and meaningful about things in the world = </DIV> <DIV>are not merely seen (or heard), but are also understood--which = </DIV> <DIV>means the people who had their sight restored had to </DIV> <DIV>encourage their understanding by wondering and asking </DIV> <DIV>questions, and practicing within a new tactile receptive = area--</DIV> <DIV>even with basic notions of grasping the distance from one's </DIV> <DIV>hands to their shoes, as if they were babies just opening = their </DIV> <DIV>eyes. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In other words, **all** of the meaning has to be re-associated = </DIV> <DIV>with the new tactile resource (in this case, seeing) and integrated = </DIV> <DIV>with the prior sense receptor, e.g., new sight must be = integrated=20 </DIV> <DIV>with meaning patterns priorly associated merely with hearing or = </DIV> <DIV>touch. <BR><BR>Learning to re-pattern one's thoughts if = one has=20 not learned to <BR>read at an early age is probably just as daunting an=20 experience <BR>as the new-sight people had in re-learning sight-related=20 patterns</DIV> <DIV>that were only associated with hearing before. They are = </DIV> <DIV>habituated to old patterns of understanding meaning,</DIV> <DIV>and the new patterns must be learned and integrated in with = the</DIV> <DIV>old ones. It is not impossible--just very difficult.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Some newly-sighted folks gave up and rested with the "fog and = </DIV> <DIV>darks and lights" that they experienced when they first opened = </DIV> <DIV>their eyes. But some worked hard to recondition their </DIV> <DIV>understanding of the meaningful with their new-found sense of = </DIV> <DIV>seeing. It was more about determination than = it was=20 about</DIV> <DIV>intelligence or ability. <BR><BR>The point for reading adults = is that=20 it can be done, that it </DIV> <DIV>doesn't have to do with brain electricity as much as it has to = do</DIV> <DIV>with the meaningful and the intelligible and how those = things=20 </DIV> <DIV>relate to the particular tactile resource as a habit of = thought. =20 It</DIV> <DIV>is also about pressing one's questions to the limit, and that = </DIV> <DIV>regaining this process can be done, but it is not easy--or = in</DIV> <DIV>the case of the blind people, just a matter of opening one's = eyes=20 </DIV> <DIV>and looking at the letters. The form and the order of = the=20 letters</DIV> <DIV>must first be understood. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The meaning of the relationships of the lines and between the = </DIV> <DIV>letters is what is important--and with hearing the distinctions = we</DIV> <DIV>begin to pay attention to. We don't see or hear = relationships,=20 </DIV> <DIV>forms or patterns,--we must rather understand those = things--and</DIV> <DIV>in vastly different ways depending on the tactile=20 resource. These </DIV> <DIV>resources respond to the seen and the heard only on a cursory = </DIV> <DIV>level, but become more and more meaningful by virtue </DIV> <DIV>of our questions as we discover and develop the patterns = through=20 </DIV> <DIV>our tactile resources.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Note: Refer to Marius von Senden's SPACE AND SIGHT, p. = 25.</DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Catherine King <BR><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0024_01C03F0D.B78EFCE0--
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