We Deaf people have our own culture. We have different values than hearing people. We do things differently than hearing people. That's fine. That's good! Here are some examples:
Language
deaf church - photo by fazekas istvan, hvgWe value our country's Sign Language! Sign Language is our heart language. Sign Language is beautiful and creative. It's a full and complete language. Some of our countries and Deaf school systems recognize the value of Sign Language; some don't. In Sign Language we can have complete and deep conversations. We can discuss politics, religion, war, peace, emotions, history, culture … everything!
The spoken/written languages of our countries are usually second languages to us. We try to develop some basic functional ability in them, but historically Deaf schools have not known how to teach us effectively. Our Sign Language is of much higher value to us than our country's spoken/written language.
Leadership
We value Deaf leadership! When our leaders are Deaf, they treat us as equals, not as disabled or handicapped. They know how to communicate with us. They know our rich culture and language. They show us that any of us could be a leader if God calls us. They allow us to try, make mistakes, and then try again. They know how to involve us in teaching and learning so that we really understand.
Social interaction
We value time with other Deaf people! Time with hearing people is difficult, stressful, isolating, and often frustrating. Time with Deaf people is relaxing. We feel connected. We have normal communication. We have normal relationships, complete with good and bad times, encouragement and arguments, successes and failures.
Education
We value Deaf schools! We learn best from each other – from other Deaf people. We learn best in Sign Language. We learn best in a Deaf environment. We learn best when we are free to discuss, free to ask questions, free to express ourselves, free to be ourselves.
Stories
We value storytelling! We love to tell each other stories. Sometimes they are just fun or funny or fascinating. But they are not only entertainment. They communicate information, values, ideas, and advice. We all know who the good Deaf storytellers are in our communities. We respect them. We love to watch them tell stories.
Eyes, hands, motion, rhythm
We value eyes, hands, motion and rhythm! These things are the basic elements of communication, language, and art in our culture. Voices, instruments, and sound are not very important in our culture. Our world is a rich, visual world!
Do you agree with these values? Would you like to learn how to start a Deaf church that follows these values? Contact the DOOR training program nearest to you!