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LIN D A WAR B Y AND M I C H A E L C LAN C Y he deaf and hard of hearing community includes a wide diversity of individuals with varying communication styles. Within this community is the Deaf culture, those people who communicate with sign language. Why the capital "D" for Deaf? Using "Deaf" as a proper noun is an important part of the identity of Deaf people, for whom the term "disabled" fits uncomfortably. If you have a group of deaf people communicating fluently in sign, and one hearing person, who is not, then who is disabled? It depends on your perspective. For Deaf people, the issue is clear. Belonging to "The Deaf Community" and using sign language lie at the very core of a Deaf person's identity. So while deafness is a description of a condition, "Deaf" is viewed as the name of a cultural group (like the British, the French, etc.). Members of the Deaf community have common interests, concerns, and needs. A number of these are addressed in community adult education. The Adult Education Centre for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Persons in Sydney, Australia, provides a range of courses that promote the development of individuals and the community. These include reading and writing, computer skills, assertiveness training, stress management, Deaf studies, and lobbying skills. However, community adult education is not limited to a standard range of short courses offered regularly to a large population. Deaf people in Australia are a small, dispersed population, many of whom share negative experiences of education and are reluctant to venture near a classroom. Nevertheless, any analysis of the condition of Australian Deaf people indicates that many are undereducated, have low literacy levels, and have poor access to information. As individuals and as a community, they have lacked many of the tools that provide the basis for self-determination. An important role of adult education within a community is to use the educational model to work with the positive community-building activities of that community. An additional goal of this Adult Education Centre (AEC) is the production of educational resources. The AEC has demonstrated that there is a market for materials such as sign language videos. So how does an educational center support the promotion and collection of Deaf history and culture, and at the same time produce educational resources? The New South Wales Association of the Deaf is the umbrella organization of Deaf Adult Education in the Deaf Community clubs in New South Wales. They are concerned with promoting many of the issues and concerns of Deaf people, including Deaf rights and culture. The Adult Education Centre and the New South Wales Association of the Deaf have negotiated an agreement to work jointly on a project that will record and preserve Deaf culture, produce an important educational resource, and at the same time lead to important learning outcomes for those involved in the project. Working together, both of these organizations have undertaken the Bicentennial Collection of Deaf History on video--an oral history told in sign language. This history is composed of stories told in a visual language that does not convert easily to written English. Videotape has been used to record the life experiences of senior Deaf people. In this way, both organizations are working together to produce a cultural treasure that will grow in significance with the passing years. The Adult Education Centre has provided the organizational structure for this production . The AEC's role has involved facilitating meetings, setting priorities, developing the budget, and supporting applications for grants. The AEC also provided video production information, negotiated with the production house, and provided the function of executive producer. The AEC's role has also included a training component-training interviewers, providing information, introducing an oral history consultant, reviewing pilot programs, and training in making editing decisions. Involvement in a project such as this is a real hands-on learning experience, as real and as relevant as classroom learning. In addition, the AEC provided the important financial investment in the project. While we are seeking funds from other sources, the AEC is underwriting the project. If there is no funding, the AEC will sell the videos at a price that would recover this investment. The New South Wales Association of the Deaf provided the link with the Deaf community. Deaf leaders were involved in areas such as planning the project, selecting the interviewees, providing the interviewers, briefing the interviewees, and organizing timetable details. They reviewed...

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