Deaf Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

In Deaf Culture, if a person is lowercase d - deaf, it simply means the person is unable to hear. If they are capital D- Deaf, it means they are a part of Deaf Culture. That is, they use the sign language of their country, they associate with other people who are Deaf, and to them, being deaf is not a disability.

They are proud to be deaf. You can be Deaf and still speak and sign, or use hearing aids or cochlear implants. It means you are proud to be Deaf, even if you can speak or use adaptive listening devices.

Answer: Football huddle

Paul Hubbard, a Deaf football quarterback at Gallaudet University, realized that players from other teams could easily read the signs when he communicated with his teammates. In 1894, he created the football huddle, where the team all stands in a circle and discusses the plays.

This allowed them to communicate without anyone seeing what was being signed. It worked so well that in 1899 he took the idea to Kansas School for the Deaf, and it caught on in colleges in the Midwest. Soon, football players of all levels, both hearing and Deaf, were using the football huddle.

Answer: Audism

Sadly, audism still exists today. Not providing full access is one form of audism. Other forms are mimicking sign language to make fun of Deaf people, or assuming that all Deaf people can read lips. If a Deaf person asks for an interpreter, it is considered rude to then ask if they can read lips.

It does not matter whether they read lips or can speak. If they want an interpreter, they should have an interpreter per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Answer: 35%

Two of the biggest challenges with lipreading is mustaches, and in hospitals, or everyone during COVID, masks. If the lips cannot be seen, they cannot be read. Another issue is very thin lips, or lips that simply do not really move when the person is talking. These things cannot always be helped. But what about those lips that are perfect and move well? It is still very difficult. Look in the mirror and silently say these three things:
1. I love you
2. Olive juice
3. Elephant shoes
They all look the same on the lips. M, P, and B look the same on the lips. F and V also look the same, for example.

There is a thing called listening fatigue, and it is real. Lipreading is exhausting, and the more tired one gets, the harder it becomes.

Answer: 3rd

The exact number of people who use American Sign Language (ASL) is not known. The estimates range from 250,000 to one million people. Also, while ASL is primarily used by Deaf people to communicate, there are also hearing people who use ASL. Some people who are non-verbal use ASL as well. If you want to learn ASL, it is best to learn from a Deaf person.

This is true for sign languages in other countries as well. The reason for this - It is our (Deaf people's) language.

Answer: Speak directly to the Deaf person like you would anyone else.

An interpreter is not part of the conversation. They are only there to close the communication gap between the hearing person's spoken language and the Deaf person's sign language. It is considered rude to look at the interpreter the entire time and constantly say, "Can you tell her..." "Ask him if..." etc. Look at the Deaf person as you would anyone else, then talk to that person.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

On April 8, 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed the charter for Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. This was the first college/university for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The founder of Gallaudet University was Thomas Gallaudet.

Gallaudet had a friend named Dr. Mason Cogswell. Cogswell had a child named Alice who was deaf. Cogswell sent Gallaudet to England to learn about the oral method of teaching the deaf. However, while there, he learned about British Sign Language. He wanted to learn this to teach the deaf in America, but the man who was in England was too busy. He suggested he go to France to meet Laurent Clerc, which Gallaudet did. He convinced Clerc to return to the United States with him and help him with sign language. American Sign Language is based on French Sign Language, not British Sign Language.

Answer: Deaf President Now

"Deaf President Now!" was a protest from March 6 to March 13, 1988, in Washington, DC, where Gallaudet University is located. The board at Gallaudet chose Elizabeth Zinser, a hearing person, to be the new president of the university. The Deaf people at Gallaudet were fed up; they wanted a president who was Deaf like them. Gallaudet had never had a Deaf president, and often the president could not even sign. How could they lead the people at this college?

The students and Deaf staff made demands. First, Zinser and chairperson Jane Spillman needed to resign. Next, they wanted the majority of the board of trustees to be Deaf. Then they wanted to be assured that the students and staff would in no way be punished for this protest. The demands were met, and on March 13, 1988, I. King Jordan became the first president of Gallaudet University. A documentary called "Deaf President Now!" was made about this historic moment in Deaf history.

Answer: False

This is a big myth and very wrong. Many schools teach reading via phonics. It is true that if you can't hear, phonics is not helpful. However, there are other reading methods. Deaf people are visual people. They can learn through a whole-language approach, much like one learns sight words that cannot be sounded out.

If you think about it, the statement is completely illogical. If Deaf people cannot read, what is the point of closed captions on TV shows and movies? Deaf people can learn to read, and many have also written books. For example, actress Marlee Matlin wrote her memoir, "I'll Scream Later," and David Wright was a Deaf poet.

Answer: Lack of interpreters

As far as religion goes, the Deaf are considered the third-largest unreached group of people. Religious organizations do not fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to the separation of church and state. Most are not willing to pay for interpreters, so unless there is a church that happens to have people who can sign (sometimes actual certified interpreters, sometimes CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults), there is no access for Deaf people so they do not go to any services.