Found via Engadget > Textually.org > Orlando Sentinel.
Here is quick summary from Engadget:
Like many groups united by distinct traits, the deaf have long had their own culture, centered around local deaf clubs, where the hearing-impaired could meet and participate in community events. Now, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, deaf culture is in danger of being wiped out by some of the very technologies that have made it easier for the deaf to participate in mainstream life: email and text messaging — not to mention closed-caption TV. "Lost to the new technologies of e-mail and text-messaging are the emotions and inflections of deaf communication," the Sentinel article states. While the same argument could be made about the hearing, the deaf already face isolation, and advocates are exploring ways to keep them together as a community, while recognizing the double-edged sword presented by new technologies.Since the technology expanding through decade of 1970s and 1980s, the people of the Deaf found themselves using the phone TTY and closed captioning on television; to spend their pastime. Into the decade of 1990s and 2000s the technology evolved into Information Technology era, people of Deaf takes over the networking such as using internet on computer and pagers to communicate easily through mainstreaming.
People of the Deaf use their pager for two hot topics in social networking: email and instant messenger. Like the hearing people use their cell phone, Deaf takes their advantage to use text for communicating through the email and/or instant messenger instantly.
I don’t think our technology will fade Deaf culture in some specific ways. I believe the technology and Deaf culture are evolving. If Deaf culture does not act to change their actions for technologies, it could dismiss their culture.
The other way is technology could destroy Deaf clubs. Back in beginning of 20th century, there were huge number of deaf people attended the Deaf clubs to socialize, and caring each other during the time there are no technologies. The technology has created innovate and evolved through several decades. Deaf people find themselves to have advantage to use devices such as TTY, pagers, computer, closed captioned on television, and it is the biggest reason to decline the number of people to gather the Deaf clubs today.
Deaf events and organizations has been growing stronger than before, like USFFD, Deaf Chat Coffee, and DPHH Networking, big thanks to world wide web. We can keep in touch with their activities to enjoy our Deaf culture pastime.
Deaf Culture will, ever never dies forever.
