JERRY:  Hello! Frontrunners is pleased to invite a special guest from Copenhagen. He will be explaining about the history of Deafhood. But first, I would like to know who you are and what do you do?

 

PETER: Hello! My name is Peter. (demonstrating his sign name like a saw cutting on the top of his right wrist) I am born in Finland. I got married to a Danish woman, so I moved to Denmark and have been living here for 9 years already.  Next, how did I get so interested about the Deaf history? Well, I grew up at a deaf school back in Finland. I was however never taught or exposed about Deaf history until I moved to Denmark.  As I get much older, I realized that there’s still so much to be discovered about the history way before my time.  It wasn’t until after the spread of cochlear implants, retro-oralism, and new issues. Therefore, I came to understand the importance of rediscovering and analyzing our Deaf history – in the areas of culture, historical events, and such. With more data from our past, we would be able to stand up strong and fight for the preservation of Deaf culture.

 

JERRY: Understanding the dangers of cochlear implants, retro-oralism, and others; how are you going to apply your research for future goals, 5-10 years later for instance?

 

PETER:  Well, I am only trying to show that the Deaf people have got a long, vibrant history. We need to carry that on into the future in order to prove that Deaf people have always been here for years and years with beautiful culture and events. A collection of historical breakthroughs of Deafhood can hopefully be shown to reduce the threat of vanishing Deaf culture in the near future.

 

JERRY: Wow, that’s really great what you are doing. This is important! I wish you good luck then!

 

THE END