ADA Reflection

I took the short quiz as part of this assignment to see if I was familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I scored 8/12. I answered incorrectly questions 3, 6, 10 and 12. Just by taking this short quiz has opened my eyes to things that I take for granted. I had a difficult time answering number 3, I don’t see deaf people as having a physical or mental impairment. My kids have a friend that is deaf and they communicate with him by writing back and forth, they don’t look at him as having a disability. I answered question 6, always required. I would have thought that parking lots were required to have the first required spot accessible for vans. Question 10, I did not realize that all videotapes produced by the County must

According to the ADA website, ADA is defined as “a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including deaf and hearing impaired people. There are four sections in the law: employment, government, public accommodations, and telecommunications. Each section of the ADA lists services that should be provided for deaf individuals.” The deaf culture doesn’t want to be fixed, they just want society to respect their right to live as deaf people. The ADA applies to the deaf by having laws requiring the public and private sectors to make accommodations for person who are either deaf or hard of hearing. The deaf need the ADA, because discrimination would prevent them from participating in everyday life. Without the ADA the deaf would most likely be denied from businesses, hospitals, schools, and

Diversity is a great asset to any organization. Deaf people don’t want to be changed, they would just like to have the same opportunities to participate in society. Callis states, “I believe creating cultural awareness from the top down is the most effective methods of establishing two-way communication between businesses and the deaf community.” I choose this American Sign Language class to fill a cultural understanding requirement for my bachelor’s degree here at IUPUI. I have enjoyed every minute of this class learning about the deaf culture, and especially learning their language, American Sign Language (ASL). I have learned that ASL is a visible language that is linguistically independent of English. This class so far has gained my appreciation and a new respect for deaf people. I am not able to use my right ear to hear people through a phone or hear them whispering to me. Growing up I had a terrible time with my ears, as an adult, I finally learned that my ear canals are slightly differently than everyone else’s. I look forward to learning more about the deaf culture and