Building an ASL community | Marvin Miller | TEDxIslay

Building a town for sign language users, which would be the first of its kind, has been Miller’s dream since he attended schools where everyone used sign language. It was to be called Laurent, after Laurent Clerc, a French educator of the deaf from the 1800's, and be located in South Dakota. It raised some controversies, especially among those who think that technology like cochlear implants is the future for deaf people.

Marvin graduated with honors from Gallaudet University's Masters in Sign Language Education (MASLED) in May 2019, and he has bachelor's in Deaf Studies from Gallaudet in May 2017. Marvin developed and has been teaching Deafhood 101 and 201 curriculum for the past seven years.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Oh, yeah... we must build a town.

That town would be
for all sign language users,

a fully integrated, accessible
and bilingual... for all.

I don't mean just for Deaf people.
I mean for all people!

Hard of hearing, people with cochlear
implants, deaf and hearing people,

it doesn't matter, all of them.

Let me start with why
we should build this town.

I'll give you some statistics and facts.

In education, for instance,

according to Wikipedia,
25 % of the world population

currently receives no formal education.

That's 25 %, again,
with no formal schooling.

What about deaf people?

According to the
World Federation of the Deaf,

a whopping 80 %
receive no education in the world!

Twenty-five percent against eighty
percent? Wow, that's not even close!

Secondly, in employment ...

Before the Americans
with Disabilities Act passed,

according to
Andrew Houtenville's research,

about 63% of disabled people
were unemployed.

So, when ADA passed, we all were excited.

Several years later, the number
increased to 65% of unemployed.

Not that I agree that Deaf people
should be categorized under disability.

No, but that's how they do it.
That's okay for now.

In Federal government, there's data
on disabled people who are employed there.

Office of Personnel and Management
actually tracks this kind of thing.

Statistics are broken down by disability
such as mobility impaired, amputees,

blind, low vision, mental health issues,
mental retardation, deaf, hard of hearing.

Numbers were broken down
into pay grade levels from GS-1 to GS-15,

levels determined by pay
and responsibility scale.

Higher GS levels, means
more management responsibility.

From GS-1 to GS-7, deaf people were much
in line with other types of disabilities.

However from GS-8 to GS-15,

deaf people drop in numbers, just
above people with mental retardation.

So, now... not only that.

This is America.

There's over 510,000
elected officials according to Favp.org.

Again, over 510,000.

These elected officials are at federal,
state, city, and county levels.

We're not including appointed
positions, just elected ones.

Again, all in all,
there's 510,000 elected officials.

How many people live in America today?
We have 307 million Americans.

If you divide these two numbers, you get
something like 0.0000168 or so.

So, we take that number.

Now, there's no hard data on how many deaf
people use American Sign Language daily.

There's no hard data out there.

My educated estimate
is about 400,000 deaf people

who use sign language daily.

So, 400,000 multiplied with that ratio
makes 665 elected officials

who should be our own people
using sign language daily.

So, how many do we actually have today?

Zero. Yes, seriously, zero!

My dear friend is in the process
of adopting a foster deaf child.

Wow, I was thrilled.

He was telling me something incredible.

He has two boys, children of deaf adults.

While they were starting out
with foster care system,

the people at the foster
care system were grateful.

They told my friend that deaf kids
were absolutely the last to be adopted.

The last ones!

Even before other kids who require
greater physical care and daily attention!

They would be adopted first
before the deaf kids.

So, all these statistics
are giving us a hint.

So now, we look around.
Think about it.

Do we even own residential deaf schools?

Do we own them, run them,
make decisions there?

Does "our" schools even reflect
our community and values?

No. The state owns them.

Now, look.

Back to the fact we should have
665 deaf elected officials.

Let me emphasize that this is America.

Think about what makes America so special,
and in the History, why America was born.

People came here
looking for religious freedom. Yes.

This country was a huge experiment
in liberty and self-governance.

That was the very foundation
of this country.

That's the American Dream.

In Europe, there were many detractors
sneering at the idea

that common people could self-govern!

"No way, that's impossible," they said.

Why? The royalty for ages
had money and resources

to train and educate their children
to govern and rule over the common folk.

They couldn't imagine educating millions
to self-govern themselves. No way!

We all know what happened,
America succeeded in a big way,

all this based on the very idea
we can govern ourselves.

So, okay.

The fact we have zero deaf officials,
that's taxation without representation!

Pretty smart of us
to keep on paying taxes, eh?

Well, I do the same thing anyway!

So with all that in mind, wow!

Not to mention that the other key
to the American Dream

and how to make it work
requires having values

in free, appropriate
public education for all.

The reason why that is so important

is so all can learn
how to be a public servant.

The Founding Fathers felt
being a public servant

was the noblest thing to do.

The role of public servant
is so important.

And the deaf people get left behind.

Truly, our way of life is dying.

All over, deaf clubs
are weakening and closing.

Once proud, deaf
residential schools are closing

leaving us with probably
only five great deaf schools.

Even with that, there are still challenges
and worry with our schools today.

So, what do we do?

With these facts of decline
and despite advances in technology,

we are becoming more disconnected.

See, like this great, awesome
crowd of people here.

I wish I could see you,
bump into you all daily,

chat, laugh together and more.
I really wish for that.

But, t's not happening.

When we meet together like this,
we talk like mad and savor each moment.

That's such a huge boost.

Let me illustrate what a healthy community
and its social fabric would look like.

That's a healthy web.

That's what a strong,
healthy community looks like.

Every point and line that cross
each other, that's each one of you.

We are all connected, woven
into each other into one beautiful web.

Unfortunately in America, even
hearing people are also struggling.

Why? Suburban sprawl.

This country is designed
for automobiles.

As a result, people live further apart.

Many hearing Americans
are also struggling,

lonely in the suburbs, disconnected.

People in Europe have
a far better social fabric.

Their night life is incredibly rich with
all that eating and drinking together.

They can walk almost everywhere.

So their social fabric
is stronger than ours.

It's ironic that hearing people
are becoming more like us,

the deaf community, separate.

But we're more spread out!

Yes, the community
is strong in some areas.

We've a social network
all over the country.

We know many of our own people.

Now, let me illustrate how
our deaf community looks like here.

That's us.

That's us, incredibly
strong in some areas.

In the middle,

but so sparsely connected elsewhere.

Actually, that's a picture
of a spider on caffeine.

Is any of you drinking coffee?

You can see the effect
on the web itself.

So, now, look at that.

Imagine... Would that web
catch insects easily?

No, insects would often
just fly right through!

And if something big came,
these lines would just break!

Yet, that's us!

We're so dependent
on very few leaders and people,

all spread out, with no political voice.

We're barely holding together and worse,
we punish each other harshly.

yelling at each other for being apathetic,
saying things like,

"We just don't do enough! Come on!"

All that yelling at each other ... Huh!

We are just not physically
connected that way!

Sure, internet use is skyrocketing,
Facebook, Twitter.

These can never replace
our physical connection to each other!

Never!

They can enhance, add to our social
fabric, help strengthen it.

But these services can't exist without the
physical connection we've with each other.

I want to tell you a story about
my 11- year-old daughter, Stefania.

We moved to Indiana from South Dakota,
from a small town to a big city.

We lived in apartment.

One night, after being there
for a while, we sat down together.

She said, "Dad, when I grow up,

I want to move back
to Salem, South Dakota."

That was the small town we lived in.

I was like, "What? Why?

That town has only 1,300 people
and it's not quite beautiful" -

no offense to all people
and friends in Salem!

I love them, I really do!
The town is just not picturesque.

So I asked her "Why?"

She simply said, "I was free there."

"I could ride my bike,
go to store, get bread and milk for you.

I could go to the town' swimming pool
and over to my friend's home myself.

Here, whenever I want to visit my friends,
I've to beg you to drive me there."

Wow.

She was talking about a town
I thought was not so special.

And she never forgot that.

So, when you all become older,
what are you going to do?

When you can no longer drive, what then?

Sure, there're two deaf
nursing homes in the U.S.,

retirement communities here and there.
I've seen most of them.

Almost all, if not all... Isolated,
disconnected from the cities.

You can't walk to these
places from anywhere.

These centers are separate, like islands.

So, life quickly passes them by,
and they are there, marking time.

Residents often have to beg for visits.

"Please, I'm lonely.
Can you visit me more?"

We all become
so busy with life, we forget.

That realization had
a profound impact on me.

No way. That can't happen to me.

But, we have to ask ourselves,
"Are we worth it?"

Really, are we? Are we worth saving?

There's a long list of problems
in our Deaf community.

So, why don't we just give up?
Just exit the world stage?

No. We are worth it!

Why? We have a lot
to offer to the world.

And we all know it!

We know it!

If we are truly worth it, then,
we just have to do something.

Malcolm X once said,

"To achieve social equality, we must
achieve economic empowerment first."

First, invest, create wealth,
support each other, build on each other,

and grow from there.

Let me illustrate this
with a story, a pond.

Now, you have this home
on lake front, a huge lake.

You have it near wherever
you live. A really big lake!

You extend a garden hose
from the house into the lake.

You extent the hose to the big lake
and turn on the water.

The flow starts.

How long will take for the water
level in the lake to rise noticeably?

I'm telling you. Never!

So, take the flowing hose.

Well, dig a hole and put the hose there.

Bam! You see the water rise.

Wow! Let's bring in a backhoe
and expand our pond.

Now, that one hose represents one of you.

The money you spend every single day

flow into the world
that doesn't even notice you.

Enough! Take that hose,

and bring each one of us together,
water flowing into the newly formed pond.

Whoa, now we can add a diving board here,
and even add sandy beach and trees!

We can make this pond
into whatever we want,

according to our vision and dreams.

We must start here with a small pond.

Some of you may cringe and say,
"This pond is too small and muddy.

Ugh, I'd rather be at the huge beautiful
lake over there that has everything

just like a big city."

That's fine. I can understand that.
But we have to start somewhere!

So you want all that
nice living in a big city?

You know what?

New York City started
as this cute, tiny port town!

Today, it's home to millions
and huge glittering skyscrapers,

center of everything.

We just have to start somewhere
and build this bilingual signing town.

That's how we will see ourselves

change from a weak broken web
to a strong beautiful web.

You see that? By being
physically together in a small town.

Not just for Deaf people! No.
Hearing people, interpreters, and more!

We would gain incentives to connect!

Let me give you an example,
someone learning ASL.

(Awkwardly) "Hi. My. Name. Is..."

Oh, many of us just don't have
the patience for that.

When we see one of those,
most just run away.

It's true - just admit that -
and it's perfectly understandable.

Now, in this town, you own a business,
let's say a hairstylist salon.

You're motivated to see
your business grow, right?

When that person learning ASL comes in.

(Awkwardly) "Hi! I. Need. Haircut."

What are you going to do?
Send them away?

Or are you going to welcome them
with open arms into your store?

Why? Their money is
as green as the rest of them.

That's an incentive!
Just one small example of incentive.

For instance, if someone starts
a franchise like McDonald's

in this ASL town where we do not drown
in a sea of spoken English, and feel safe,

he will create new opportunities.

This would have a huge
impact on McDonald's system.

Why? The franchisee would have to work
with McDonald's and go through training.

They will learn all about interpreters,
providing access and working with us.

They'd be learning
something valuable from us.

This would promote greater interaction
between us and the rest of the world.

"Oh, Deaf people can do this!"

And you know what?

They'd ask the franchisee if they could
recommend more deaf and signers.

Oh, yes, they will.
That's just one example.

Seriously, just imagine
yourself living in that town

where you won't be pigeonholed
into limited roles we have today

such as teachers, counselors, etc. No!

You can be and do anything you want.

A deaf person came
to our ASL town booth one day.

A survey asked people what they wanted
to do if they lived in this town.

They were like, "Um ... Of course,
I'm a school teacher"

as if this was a dumb question.

I asked if teaching was
their real passion.

"What do you mean? Uh..."
A light bulb went on.

"Can I start a kennel?"

"Sure! Why not?

"Oh, wow."

That was an important eureka moment.

You can pursue your passion,
without having to settle.

All these new businesses create new
connections forging a stronger bond.

Imagine our own local school
run by our own people.

Would that school be
just for deaf people? No!

It'd be a bilingual immersion program
in American Sign Language for all!

Hearing and deaf kids all together!

Kids would be expressing themselves
with ASL and English so fluently!

Our kids and grand kids will grow up
in a different world, a much better one.

Our posterity will build something
even bigger and more incredible,

something we can't even imagine.

I promise you that.

So, will you join me?

Will you help me build that town
and grow it into something amazing?

With that success, we'll see new projects
like this spring up across the world!

Thank you.