One portion of deaf culture that I have heard about in the past, but know very little information on, are deaf clubs. Deaf clubs were originally established during the 1920s through the 1950s to bring Deaf people together. During this time, being deaf was still considered a disability that was to be “normalized” within the hearing society, thus little effort from communities, companies, and the government was made to encourage social gathering of Deaf individuals. In addition, Deaf people often worked in jobs where no other Deaf people worked. Thus, being Deaf seemed to be a sentence of social isolation. That is, at least, before Deaf clubs.
In a world of hearing, Deaf clubs provided the Deaf with a place to fulfill their social needs. They were safe, unique spaces where Deaf individuals could go and communicate with other individuals through sign language. However, these clubs were not limited to just chit-chatting between friends, but these clubs also organized activates to promote a sense of community. They organized sports teams, hired Deaf performers, held film screenings, holiday parties, and beauty pageants, and etc. In addition to this, Deaf club’s also provided the Deaf youth with an adult who often provided guidance, a meeting place for future spouses, and overall a place to seek aid and friendship. Deaf clubs were also extremely important in the development and creation of shared signs, further contributing to the development of Deaf society and culture. In general, the clubs were located close to large cities, which is where deaf schools were commonly located, or near communities with a high Deaf population.
Interestingly enough, before Deaf clubs became popular for deaf individuals, these clubs were held in rented spaced and frequently changed locations. It was only after they gained popularity and dues were collected from the members that permanent accommodations were obtained.
Luckily, by the mid-1960s these viewpoints began to change and the Deaf communities, which were originally viewed as a disabled group, were identified instead as a cultural and linguistic minority. However, also during this time, Deaf Clubs began to decline in popularity. The civil rights movement promoted equal treatment, and as such, more Deaf people began working white-collar jobs for companies that focused on hiring other Deaf people, thus diminishing the need for Deaf clubs. Alongside this, the emerging presence of technology has also been attributed to the decline of Deaf Clubs. With advances in technology, new devices were invented that specifically mitigated the lifestyle differences between the Deaf and the hearing. Inventions like the TTY in the 1970’s and wider use of Closed Captioning for movies increased the opportunities of entertainment within Deaf society, thus deaf clubs were not as imperative for entertainment services. Furthermore, Deaf people turned towards a more private lifestyle and they lost interest in the traditional group activities that were accompanied by Deaf clubs. Today, there are some Deaf Clubs still in existence, however, the numbers have decreased dramatically. In America, the majority of them are within the Midwest and the south, but their membership is small and only decreasing with time.
Deaf Clubs Today: Do They Still Have a Role to Play? The Cases of Cyprus and Greece https://muse-jhu-edu.newman.richmond.edu/article/425304
https://ifmyhandscouldspeak.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/deaf-clubs/
Comments
Thank you for enlightening us on the existence of Deaf Clubs. I had not heard of these social groups before, and it seems as though their presence had a greatly positive impact in the Deaf community. Today, although our society accepts and welcomes Deaf people into the workforce, generally speaking, I could see there still being a need for a sort of social group for the Deaf community. As you stated, Deaf people keep to themselves more, a club or organization between the Deaf community and the rest of society seems to be imperative. By having such a group, we would bridge the social gap between Deaf people and people who can hear, and create a more welcoming society for the Deaf community. If a group like this were present, there would be a greater sense of community and appreciation among all society members.
Hey Eli! I've really appreciated reading through your posts and think that it is really great that you can learn ASL and also explore the history of deaf society. I had never heard of these clubs, but it seems like they were a real linchpin in the community and pivotal to the early development of these social networks. It is sad to hear that their membership has declined over the years, but I also hope that there are now more outlets for the community that did not exist before. I felt a bit of a personal connection to this because my aunt is deaf, and I have always struggled to communicate with her fully because I do not know sign language (but my dad and my cousins do). She went to a school for the deaf in my state and was able to develop a community there and also find work opportunities that otherwise might have been unavailable to her before.
This is a really interesting development. While I'm glad that technology has advanced to make entertainment for the deaf community, I think there is a huge loss in social connection and community building with the decreasing number of Deaf Clubs. I can see this happening generally in the modern world in general. The more advanced technology is, the less people reach out to others in-person to build relationships and do fun bonding activities.