Do Deaf Individuals See Better?

Enchanced Vision in The Deaf

Category: Cognitive Neuroscience

Chris

Everyone’s heard that losing a particular sensory modality causes the sensitivity of the other modalities to be heightened. Blind people are supposed to hear and smell really, really well, for example. While this is something that’s been talked about for ages, there are actual neuroscinetific reasons for thinking that it might be true. When an area of the brain that is designed for one function or set of functions goes unused, or is underused, that area can be co-opted by other functions. But testing to see whether people with sensory deficits (blindness, deafness, etc.) actually have heightened perception in their other sensory modalities isn’t all that easy, as a review article by Bavelier et al. in the November issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences points out. The article is on heightened visual perception in deaf individuals, and the authors note that across the deaf population, there are deaf people who have better vision, and individuals who have worse vision, than nondeaf people. The reason is that there are a lot of causes of deafness, and so it can be difficult to isolate the affects of deafness on vision specifically.

In order to test the effects of deafness specifically on visual perception, the authors limit their review to studies of a small subset of the deaf population: “deaf native signers.” Here’s the description of this group, and the reasons for using them from the article:

These individuals are born deaf to deaf parents; they are profoundly deaf; and they have no associated central nervous system damage. In addition, they achieve their language development milestones at the same rate and time as hearing individuals by virtue of being born within a signing community. Study of this population, representing only about 5% of the total deaf population, enables the effect of auditory deprivation to be evaluated, with minimal confounds from other factors such as language deprivation, abnormal cognitive development due to communication disruption, or comorbidity associated with deafness.

Within this subpopulation of deaf individuals, they don’t find that deaf individuals see better than nondeaf individuals over all, but that certain aspects of visual perception are better. Specifically, the deaf individuals seem to be better at allocating visual attention to the periphery of the visual field, even when the task they’re performing requires them to attend to something at the center of their visual field as well. For example, the authors describe studies in which deaf native signers are better at identifying the direction of motion of stimuli at the edge of their visual field, and that distracting stimuli at the edge of the visual field actually hurt the performance of deaf native signers on tasks that require them to attend to the center of the visual field more than it hurts the performance of nondeaf individuals. This latter finding indicates that the deaf native signers are processing the peripheral distractors more than nondeaf individuals.

They go on to describe several possible neural reasons for enhanced attention to the visual periphery in deaf individuals, discussing the evidence for each. They find that several brain areas associated with areas that process information from both the visual and auditory systems show changes in deaf native signers. These areas include the superior temporal sulcus, the posterior parietal cortex, and the medial temporal cortex, as well as parts of the primary auditory cortext that border on multisensory areas. These areas are shown in their figure 3 (p. 516):

If you want to learn more, you can read the entire article here.

Article: Bavelier, D., Dye, M.W.G., & Hauser, P.C. (2006). Do deaf individuals see better?
, 10(11), 512-518.

http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/10/enhanced_vision_in_the_deaf.php

The Best Current Estimate Of The Total U.S. Deaf Population

Note from Fookem and Bug: Note that the U.S. Census Bureau identifies two levels of hearing impairment: ” Have difficulty hearing normal conversation” (what most people would call ” hard of hearing”) and ” unable to hear normal conversation” ( what most people would call “deaf”) Estimated numbers were rounded off to the nearest thousand.

Have difficulty hearing normal conversation Unable to hear normal conversation Alabama 200,965 6.63% 16,950 0.56% Alaska 14,642 4.02% 1235 0.34% Arizona 154,612 5.68% 13,040 0.48% Arkansas 129,687 7.39% 10,938 0.62% California 1,078,325 4.87% 90,948 0.41% Colorado 121,141 4.95% 10,217 0.42% Connecticut 141,628 5.54% 11,945 0.47% Delaware 30,603 6.06% 2581 0.51% District of Columbia 23,253 4.81% 1961 0.41% Florida 746,601 7.39% 62,970 0.62% Georgia 274,992 5.75% 23,193 0.49% Hawaii 44,098 5.56% 3719 0.47% Idaho 42,813 5.99% 3611 0.47% Illinois 472,930 5.49% 39,888 0.46% Indiana 240,807 5.79% 20,310 0.49% Iowa 133,119 6.39% 11,227 0.54% Kansas 108,296 5.97% 9134 0.50% Kentucky 193,456 7.00% 16,316 0.59% Louisiana 184,847 6.12% 15,590 0.52% Maine 57,026 6.15% 4810 0.52% Maryland 202,613 5.58% 17,089 0.47% Massachusetts 263,867 5.60% 22,255 0.47% Michigan 393,577 5.64% 33,195 0.48% Minnesota 185,980 5.71% 15,686 0.48% Mississippi 122,094 6.55% 19,907 0.52% Missouri 236,023 6.14% 19,907 0.52% Montana 36,366 6.23% 3067 0.53% Nebraska 70,555 6.11% 5951 0.52% Nevada 49,980 5.48% 4215 0.46% New Hampshire 45,161 5.36% 3809 0.45% New Jersey 329,877 5.48% 27,822 0.46% New Mexico 53,876 4.97% 4544 0.42% New York 759,145 5.46% 64,028 0.46% North Carolina 313,978 6.27% 26,481 0.53% North Dakota 28,923 6.28% 2439 0.53% Ohio 480,444 5.87% 40,521 0.50% Oklahoma 162,125 6.99% 13,674 0.59% Oregon 132,574 6.15% 11,181 0.52% Pennsylvania 575,521 6.25% 48,540 0.53% Rhode Island 47,142 6.05% 3976 0.51% South Carolina 155,486 6.07% 13,114 0.51% South Dakota 32,138 6.45% 2711 0.54% Tennessee 246,900 6.66% 20,824 0.56% Texas 670,925 5.45% 56,587 0.46% Utah 57,453 5.06% 4846 0.43% Vermont 23,625 5.52% 1993 0.47% Virginia 265,180 5.77% 22,366 0.49% Washington 203,881 5.63% 17,196 0.47% West Virginia 106,508 7.69% 8983 0.50% Wisconsin 216,216 5.91% 18,236 0.50% Wyoming 17,647 5.46% 1488 0.46%

How many people use ASL in the United States? Check here: http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Publications/ASL_Users.pdf

The Deaf World Ends

What will you do when the nuclear missle hit this country? Or Mother Nature tears some piece of the earth, will it affect the Deaf World? Maybe the government starts to clean the deaf people off the face of earth like what Adolf Hitler did to a million innocent people. Most people in the world put their deaf pets to sleep even there is no law that protect the deaf animals. In Keyna, Africa and a few countries in the third world, they believe that Deaf people have the demon spirits because of the deafness cause so they threw the stones at deaf people. In China, it is against the law for the deaf to ride a bike. In Japan, deaf people are not allowed to drive. No animals, deaf or hearing, deserve this kind of horrible treatment. There are plenty unpredictable terrible things that happen to the world. Of course, it can happen to anyone, but it might cause the difficult situation worst for the deaf world. Make this picture, you live in a town with about 10,000 people, how many of them know sign language? Will the interpreters be able to come for the emergency? It might be impossible because they have to survive too. No way for us to use the sidekick or blackberry to contact your friends, family, or loved one because the satellite might be broken. How can we survive? They have American Red Cross but how many of them can be able to work with Deafies? Do we have Deaf volunteers? Not many! Where will we go if we see people running for their life, maybe they know where to go by following the instruction but will we get enough information or just follow them? We have to find for some details thru someone who can hear. Not in all case. If you believe that Deaf people can survive, then share your ideas! Is there a place where we can come and survive together?

In Remembrance…..Memorial Day

The History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day, perhaps more than any other holiday, was born of human necessity. Deep inside all of us lies a fundamental desire to make sense of life and our place in it and the world. What we have been given, what we will do with it and what we will pass to the next generation is all part of an unfolding history, a continuum that links one soul to another.

Abraham Lincoln pondered these thoughts in the late fall of 1863. His darkest fear was that he might well be the last president of the United States, a nation embroiled in the self-destruction of what he described as “a great civil war..testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” He began his remarks with those words as he stood on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th of that year.

The minute’s speech that became known as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address turned into what might be called the first observance of Memorial Day. Lincoln’s purpose that day was to dedicate a portion of the battlefield as a cemetery for the thousands of men, both living and dead, who consecrated that soil in the sacrifice of battle. Said Abraham Lincoln: “That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause which they gave the last full measure of devotion…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…”

About that same time in 1865, a druggist in Waterloo, New York, Henry C. Welles, began promoting the idea of decorating the graves of Civil War veterans. He gained the support of the Seneca County Clerk, General John B. Murray, and they formed a committee to make wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran’s grave. On May 5, 1866, war veterans marching to martial music led processions to each of three cemeteries, where the graves were decorated and speeches were made by General Murray and local clergymen. The village itself was also decorated with flags at half-mast, evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
Also, as the Civil War was coming to a close in the spring of 1865, Women’s Auxiliaries of the North and South moved from providing relief to the families and soldiers on their own sides to joining in efforts to preserve and decorate the graves of both sides. A woman of French extraction and leader of the Virginia women’s movement, Cassandra Oliver Moncure, took responsibility of coordinating the activities of several groups into a combined ceremony on May 30. It is said that she picked that day because it corresponded to the Day of Ashes in France, a solemn day that commemorates the return of the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte to France from St. Helena.

In 1868, General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic issued a General Order establishing May 30 as an official memorial day to pay respect to all those who had died, in war or peace.

On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

As already mentioned this 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day:

Mississippi: Last Monday in April
Alabama: Fourth Monday in April
Georgia: April 26
North Carolina: May 10
South Carolina: May 10
Louisiana: June 3
Tennessee (Confederate Decoration Day): June 3
Texas (Confederate Heroes Day): January 19
Virginia: Last Monday in May
Perhaps General Logan’s proclamation was simply the making official of what the nation yearned for and spontaneously began to form after the near total destruction of the Civil War. It is that sharing of loss, honoring the sacrifices of those who made possible the lives we enjoy today, and family connections across the generations that keep Memorial Day in our hearts…and always will.

Fookem and Bug want to say ‘thanks’ to the soldiers who protect and serve our country.

Frustrations, difficulties of hearing loss are many; Sudbury Star reporter experiences life as a deaf person for one day

 

Nicki Bumphrey (right), with the Canadian Hearing Society in Sudbury, demonstrates a TTY to Sudbury Star reporter Carol Mulligan during Deaf for a Day on Wednesday. john lappa/the sudbury star

Photo: John Lappa

Carol Mulligan
Local News – Thursday, May 24, 2007 @ 09:00

The event is called “Deaf for a Day,” but it doesn’t take nearly that long to understand the frustrations and obstacles people who are deaf or hard of hearing experience every day.

Imagine opening a new bank account or ordering a cup of coffee without being able to hear what people are saying, and often without being able to read or write.

Those were my challenges when I participated Wednesday in the Canadian Hearing Society’s awareness event.

One of five so-called VIPs outfitted with ear moulds and ear muffs, I got a taste of what it’s like when one of your senses is impaired. One in four Canadians already knows this because they suffer a form of hearing loss.

Aging is the number one cause of hearing loss, so it’s going to soar in the next decade when the number of Baby Boomers like me over age 65 reaches six million.

Each VIP was assigned a “buddy” – a Canadian Hearing Society employee who accompanied us as we set out to do routine tasks in the community.

Nicki Bumphrey, a deaf-blind intervener, has a heart of gold and her clients, all of whom are deaf or deaf and blind, are lucky to have her.

Bumphrey, who is fluent in American Sign Language, takes clients to appointments and helps them with other duties.

Bumphrey drove me to a branch of a national bank where a customer service representative was clearly uncomfortable dealing with me.

Because the deaf and hard of hearing suffer higher rates of illiteracy, my instructions were not to speak or write to the bank representative.

The rep kept turning to speak to Bumphrey when he and I hit an obstacle in communicating.

It was the same thing when Bumphrey and I visited a coffee shop and I tried my version of charades to order two cups of coffee. The woman behind the counter soon turned to my companion to ask her what it was I wanted.

It’s understandable why people with hearing loss are offended or hurt by the discomfort of people trying to provide service to them and by the fact they look to others to bail them out.

Bumphrey said some of her clients feel as if they are being treated like children rather than the intelligent, competent adults they are.

I could see I was being overlooked, not out of meanness, but because people were embarrassed or didn’t know how to deal with me.

Still, I felt as if people thought I was stupid or slow. Even worse, I began to feel stupid and slow as I resorted to the most basic hand gestures to make myself understood.

Glenn Thibeault, executive director of the United Way, related to the way I felt. He was another of the VIPs taking part in Deaf for a Day.

Thibeault’s tasks were more difficult than mine. He had to visit the Ministry of Health to apply for a travel grant, buy a couple of cups of coffee at a shop where he almost ended up with two breakfast bagels and purchase a pair of sport shoes.

While performing every task, people often addressed his buddy rather than communicating with him.

I learned how vital it is to address people with a hearing loss directly, face-to-face, and to speak loudly and clearly.

Most people with a hearing loss have some degree of hearing, and that was true in my case.

Victoria Baby, regional director of the Canadian Hearing Society, said her organization has a new vision. It’s all about breaking down barriers in the community.

“Deaf is not dumb,” said Baby, yet people with a hearing loss are often thought of as stupid.

The goal is to create a society where everyone is respected, have full access to services and can participate without social, economic or emotional barriers.

I support that vision and challenge businesses and services – and individuals too – to think about that the next time they are dealing with someone with a hearing loss.

For more on hearing loss, visit the Canadian Hearing Society’s website at www.chs.ca. cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

http://www.thesudburystar.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=540560&catname=Local+News&classif=

Man Faces 22 Sex Offence Charges

A 60-year-old man has apperared in court on 22 charges of sexual offences allegedly committed across Scotland between 1968 and 1983

Child deaf-mutes sold to China pickpocket ring

 BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police have detained the vice-principal of a school for deaf-mutes and other special needs children for selling 10 students to a ring that trained them to become pickpockets, the Guizhou Metropolitan Daily reported.

Police rescued the victims, the youngest of whom was 12, in Jiangxi and Henan provinces this month, the online edition of the newspaper said.

They went missing from their school in Liupanshui city, Guizhou, last month, the newspaper said, adding that the ring trained and required each person to steal and turn in 500 yuan ($65) per day.

Zhu Xiangyu, 52, vice-principal of the school and vice-president of Liupanshui’s Deaf-Mute Association, and four other suspects had been taken into police custody.

Hundreds of deaf-mute students had gone missing since 2005, the newspaper said.

China has about 1.8 million deaf-mutes aged 18 or younger, many of whom are unable to obtain an education or steady work.

Police vowed this month to crack down on gangs that exploit deaf-mute youths, highlighting the hardship of disabled people in a society that gives them little state support, especially in poor rural areas.

Earlier this month, the Legal Daily reported that police in

Hunan province broke up a gang of gun-wielding deaf-mute robbers who police said were behind hundreds of armed robberies across the country.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070524/wl_nm/china_pickpockets_dc_1

My 3-D Pictures

 

We made it for fun. Also, check my another artwork.

 

The Gesture

This, is the voice from silent hands;

This, is the voice not heard, but seen

Reaching across the empty space between

Words, and the action that the mind demands

When words are not enough; this is the gesture.

-Dorothy Miles, 1976