Community Organizing & Activism

The Deaf community has unfortunately had a long history dealing with misunderstanding, audism, and oppression. As such, there is a long list of things that one could organize activism efforts around. One thing that I feel passionate about is the misinformation and oralism advocacy promoted by hearing organizations and professionals, such as the Alexander Graham Bell Foundation (AGBF). The persecution of and lobbying against American Sign Language (ASL) and bilingual education for Deaf children that is carried out by organizations such as AGBF has been extremely damaging. It has contributed to factors such as the pathological view of Deafness, continued language deprivation in Deaf children, denial of Deaf culture, and the domino effects from language deprivation and educational inadequacy that impede many Deaf people’s opportunity, economic success, and equality.

As I have learned about the Community Organizing and Activism pathway as a Civically Engaged Scholar and thought about what I could do to become involved in organizing and activism, I have reflected on these issues I feel passionate about. The Community Organizing and Activism pathway includes “educating and mobilizing individual and collective action”1 and this education piece is where I feel I could help make a difference. If I were to organize a community activism project, I would enjoy helping with a public awareness campaign about ASL and Deaf Education.

Before I explain more specifics about this idea, a note: as a hearing person it is important for me to remember that I can help to break the cycle of paternalism that has plagued hearing-Deaf relationships as I seek to amplify Deaf voices rather than my own. In keeping with this, the first step for any effort of mine towards activism in the Deaf community would be to involve local members of the Deaf community and consult with them to ensure the project is welcomed and aligns with their goals. Additionally, I would ask them to review and approve any materials, information, plans, etc. that I had gathered. A good place to begin in my community would be by contacting the Sanderson Deaf Center. Next, I can amplify Deaf voices by using research and information from trusted sources like local Deaf schools (JMS, EDS, etc.), Gallaudet, Deaf leaders and researchers, The World Federation of the Deaf, the VL2 Brain and Language Laboratory at Gallaudet, and so on. My goal with this project would be to serve as a facilitator for good information and Deaf voices to be heard.

After completing my research on data driven facts relating to language acquisition, sign language, and Deaf education and having it reviewed by members of the Deaf community, I would develop the multimedia to be used in the public awareness campaign. My vision for the public awareness campaign involves printed materials posted in my local community (K-12 schools, civic buildings, grocery store bulletin boards, libraries, universities, billboards, and so on), video, and infographic “PSA” style ads/social media posts online. These would be a mix of facts about ASL and Deaf education, simple steps anyone can take to support ASL and Deaf education, and short interviews of Deaf experiences with ASL and education. When these were finished, I would submit them to Deaf consultants for revising and final approval and then distribute them around my community and online. 

I believe this community activism would help me meet my community involvement goals in the Deaf community. In the process of researching and learning information to share, I would become better informed about issues the Deaf community faces around ASL and Deaf education. I believe that would help build my support and commitment to the Deaf community as this has previously been the case as I have learned more in depth about various groups and people over my lifetime. The “closer up” you get to them, the more you can begin to understand them. Additionally, I would be physically more involved in the Deaf community as I worked with local Deaf community members to gather interviews and stories and hone the project. I also believe this project could be a step to help build trust between myself and the Deaf community. As Deaf culture tends to share traits with other collectivist cultures, it is tight-knit and not easy to gain membership in. Efforts to support and amplify Deaf voices and issues would be a helpful step towards trust and greater involvement moving forward. 

1 Weber State University. (2025). The Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement. Weber State University. https://www.weber.edu/ccel/pathways.html.

Posters/Infographics

The community partner that I decided to research for the Community Organizing and Activism module is The Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf (SLCAD). SLCAD is located in Salt Lake City. Before this assignment, I was generally aware of SLCAD and their mission through things I had learned in interpreting classes and in volunteering I had done for the SLCAD’s Annual Gala.  This assignment gave me a chance to learn more about them using the SLCAD website. 

Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf’s mission is all about helping abused members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing communities. They do this by providing resources, trainings, advocacy, and support for abused individuals. According to SLCAD’s website: “Sego Lily aims to foster a secure and empowered environment for individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind through culturally accessible services, advocacy, and education, promoting community safety and empowerment”.

According to data from the 2020 Utah DCFS Annual Report, there were 10,654 confirmed child victims of abuse and neglect in fiscal year 2020. This is a distressingly large number of abused individuals and it does not include the many cases of sexual abuse that go unreported until adulthood (nearly 9/10 cases) OR abuse perpetrated against adult women and men. Abuse is a serious issue facing our community. Marginalized and minority groups face their own set of additional difficulties escaping and reporting abuse such as language barriers, not knowing how to access resources, cultural factors, stereotypes, financial means, and so on. There is a great need to help bridge some of the gaps these difficulties cause for individuals seeking to escape abuse. This is where SLCAD comes in.

Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf is an organization run by members of the local Deaf community with various specialities- mental health, advocacy, and so on. They provide help in three main ways all with a specialized knowledge of Deaf culture, the language of the Deaf community - ASL, and the needs of the Deaf community: Direct Service, Training, and Education. They provide Direct Service to members of the Deaf community through advocacy services, medical advocacy, legal advocacy, support groups, counseling, and a 24/7 hotline. They provide Training to members and friends of the Deaf community on what abuse looks like in the Deaf community, Deaf culture, ADA law, interpreting practices in cases of abuse and the interpreter’s roles and responsibilities. Finally, they provide Education through workshops and classes for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals on a wide range of topics like self-esteem, what abuse looks like, healthy relationships, parenting, dating violence, stalking, and teen group. A large part of Community Organizing and Activism includes involving and educating individuals and communities and SLCAD does just that with their training and education services. They can have a big difference on outcomes by training doctors or counselors on Deaf culture and ADA law or by helping interpreters learn how to handle situations where abuse may be suspected or confirmed. SLCAD provides services directly to the Deaf community and helps organize and teach people in the community around them to be more sensitive and effective in working with members of the Deaf community. These are just a few instances of how SLCAD’s work is an example of Community Organizing and Activism. 

I can absolutely see myself being involved with this organization as opportunities present themselves. Their cause is extremely needed and worthwhile. Many of the day to day needs in the organization are fulfilled by Deaf individuals or members of the Deaf community with training in specialized fields (counselors, etc.), so my involvement likely wouldn’t be needed there. However, there are opportunities to help fundraise for SLCAD and support their mission that I will seek to be involved with moving forward (such as helping with their annual gala or other fundraising done independently). Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf is an important organization filling a crucial need for members of our local Deaf community and one I would be honored to assist.