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What is a Community?This part examines the research on the deaf community in terms of how it is structured. How do deaf people meet each other? How do you join the deaf community? How often do deaf people come together? What do they do in the evenings? How many deaf people are there anyway? Since "community" is one of the key terms it is worth trying to become clear as to the meaning of the term. Padden(1980) uses the definition of George Hillery(1974) : "1. A community is a group of people who share common goals and cooperate in achieving these goals. Each community has its own goals. A goal may be equal employment opportunities, greater political participation, or better community services. 2. A community occupies a particular geographical location. The geography of a community determines the ways in which the community functions. 3. A community has some degree of freedom to organise the social life and responsibilities of its members. Institutions such as prisons and mental hospitals bring together groups of people in one locality, but the people have no power to make decisions about their daily lives and routines. Thus we cannot call these types of groups "communities". Padden(1980, p 3) This definition is rather traditional and does not show modern-day life. Padden's own definition is better: "A community .... is a general social system in which a group of people live together, share common goals and carry out certain responsibilities to each other." (p. 4) Yet this is not enough for modern life in a westernised society. Luckman(1970) points out that the traditional communities are less appropriate for the industrialised world we live in. She says: "Instead of being a full-time member of one 'total and whole' society, modern man is a part-time citizen in a variety of part-time societies. Instead of living within one meaningful world system to which he owes complete loyalty he now lives in many differently structured 'worlds' to each of which he owes only partial allegiance. Most of modern man's existential universes are single-purpose communities." Luckman(1970, p 317). For many people the idea of a community has now become rather alien. Most people live rather isolated lives and do not know their neighbours. The loyalty necessary for participation in community life is rather weak. Some people can be involved in barbecues or village fetes - that becomes "community life" but the commitment of people varies very markedly. Because of easy transportation the location where people live is not so important, since people living in close proximity may not have loyalty and may exist in very different "everyday life worlds". Perhaps this is why it has become so difficult for hearing people to understand the nature of Deaf society where commitment and participation are stronger and where there is clearly more than a "single purpose community". This lack of comprehension of what a Deaf "community" might be like is one of our main themes. I believe that most workers in the field have failed to understand the strength and vitality of the Deaf community and have never used its skills. Other communities are often short-term. People meet only at certain times for a single purpose - a tennis club, for example. Other religious communities are more likely to have commitment to each other but often this will be made formal by having sub-communities. So there will be some people who come together to look after the poor or to visit the sick and so on. Again they will have a single purpose. The Deaf Community is more like a village. |
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