Commentary on Janet Pray and I. King Jordan’s ostensible paper: “The Deaf Community and Culture at a Crossroads: Issues and Challenges”
Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, 5:53 am ET Commentary on Janet Pray and I. King Jordan’s ostensible paper: “The Deaf Community and Culture at a Crossroads: Issues and Challenges” The editors of the Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation would have us believe that they are presenting us with a scholarly paper written by Janet Pray and I. King Jordan in Volume 9 of their journal. In fact, this is only ostensibly an academic paper, but not one in actuality. In truth, it’s an editorial filled with rhetorical sleight-of-hand. One need only look at the title to see an attempt to smuggle in the central premise of the piece. In reality, there is no such thing as a mythical “deaf community,” if by that is meant a community whose members are members by virtue of having a “hearing loss.” Having a particular physical characteristic does not make a person an automatic member of a “community.” There has to be a social basis of some kind to make a community, something that tie