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he shared experience of being Deaf in a predominately hearing world-especially among those who have been deaf since birth or childhood-tends to create a bond among Deaf people in spite of national, racial, medical, or behavioral differences. Hearing people, by contrast, seldom identify so strongly with each other simply on the basis of shared experiences resulting from hearing. Nevertheless, it would be misleading to suggest that differences among Deaf people are disregarded within Deaf communities. The papers in this section-almost entirely from the United States-suggest that a range of attitudes, sometimes including an impulse to ostracize, exist within Deaf communities toward members of various Deaf minority groups. The opening paper by Tanis Doe (Canada) provides an overview of groups that experience varying degrees and kinds of oppression within Deaf communities in general. Some readers may be surprised to find Deaf women described as perhaps the largest group oppressed by other Deaf people, in this case, because of persistent sexist attitudes that tend to give women lower status than men and make it difficult for Deaf women to achieve prominence in Deaf organizations. A paper by Sheryl Emery and Jeanette Slone (United States) describes how the discrimination experienced by black people and by deaf people in America is compounded when a person is both black and deaf. They discuss their struggle to be perceived as professional adults in an atmosphere of negative stereotypes. In his paper, Anthony Aramburo (United States) discusses the importance of recognizing and appreciating the mixed allegiances of members of the black Deaf community. Thomas Kane (United States) discusses the subculture of gay people in America's Deaf community. In addition to providing information on the special values of Deaf gay men, Kane urges that the larger Deaf community try to overcome the prejudices toward this group that tend to be reinforced by religious groups and by American society in general. In her paper, Jean Modry (United States) points out that the main difficulty experienced by Deaf substance abusers is that the Deaf community itself does not provide sufficient rehabilitation or support programs for these people. Existing programs, she says, fail to be sensitive both to this group's substance abuse and to the linguistic and cultural factors affecting Deaf people. Modry suggests that the communication difficulties experienced by Deaf people in English-dominant treatment programs tend to reinforce the very sense of inadequacy that pushes many Deaf people into substance abuse in the first place. Beverly Butters and Nancy Kirkendall (United States) discuss the helpful role community colleges can play in enabling rural Deaf people to get together and overcome some of their feelings of isolation and social impoverishment. Roderick MacDonald (United States) then discusses how Deaf-Blind people have managed to overcome many obstacles to develop their own separate culture. The final paper in this section, by Editor's Introduction Bill Graham and Marymargaret Sharp-Pucci (United States), addresses the problems late-deafened individuals face in finding a place in the larger Deaf community. It is hoped that these papers will help inform members of Deaf and hearing communities alike about the concerns and needs of various deaf minority populations. Ideally, increased understanding will help overcome prejudice and lead to greater unity among all Deaf people. Although these papers are primarily concerned with minority groups in America, it can safely be assumed that similar groups, experiencing similar degrees of isolation and misunderstanding, exist all over the world. 463 THE DEAF WAY ~ ...

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