They discovered that the website was privately registered by a hearing parent of a deaf boy with bilateral cochlear implants who uses the LSLS/oral method. This individual is a strong advocate of auditory-verbal/LSLS/oral education. Various pieces of evidence, collected in this video, suggest she set up this site to back a change.org petition supporting two Florida bills that some groups argue will funnel funding for all deaf children to private AVT/LSLS schools for the deaf.
Obviously, administrators of thedeafcommunity.org must be much more transparent and forthcoming in order to better determine the validity of this website and petition.
But in the meantime, the sum of the existing evidence leads to several questions asked at the end of the video: Is thedeafcommunity.org unifying, or is its language divisive? Is it ethical for a hearing person to set up and run a website professing to speak for the entire deaf community? Is thedeafcommunity.org being driven by a specific agenda? Is the change.org petition supporting SB 1240 and HB 1391 credible when it carries the name of a website whose origins and moderators are not transparent?
NOTE: We are working on ASL and Cued versions of this video. Please check back later or e-mail tscongdon@hotmail.com to be notified when your preferred mode becomes available.
Blogger's note: Please contact tscongdon@hotmail.com in the event if the video at Youtube has been removed under the investigation of a compliant. I have also downloaded the video via YouTube Downloader so I can send the Tina Congdon's video at the request. The purpose of posting it on my blog is to educate people that there are people who will do anything to deceive the public to gain political influence against a minority group.
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