Gallaudet SBG's Open Letter to Alexander Graham Bell Association

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Video Transcript:

Opening: Navy blue with the outline of SBG Bison logo in the middle with text underneath that reads: STUDENT BODY GOVERNMENT / Gallaudet University. The logo then fades to show three people. Left to right: light skinned passing male in a dark blue short sleeved t-shirt, fair skinned passing white female in a black long-sleeved top, and dark skinned passing female wearing a dark a grey polo t-shirt with Gallaudet logo on her left chest.

(Middle) Mary: Hello. My name is Mary Harman. I'm the SBG President of Gallaudet University.
(Left) Ethan: Hello. My name is Ethan Sonnenstrahl. I'm the SBG Vice President
(Right) Arlene: Hello. My name is Arlene Ngalle. I'm the SBG Director of Diversity

Mary: At Gallaudet University, we believe in the bilingual-bicultural approach. The purpose of this video is to translate the Student Body Government of Gallaudet University’s open letter to Meredith Sugar, president of Alexander Graham Bell Association. This letter was written in partnership with the Buff and Blue, who wrote the article “AG Bell President Sugar, you’re not so sweet” in response to your statement. Recently, you published a response of Washington Post article about deaf model Nyle DiMarco and his mission of promoting deaf children’s access to American Sign Language (ASL). In it, you say that ASL is a declining "communication option" and that it is your "hope to dispel the myths about deafness and spread the word that deaf children can hear and talk." Your words demonstrate a profound lack of cultural and scientific understanding of the deaf community.

Arlene: It is also our hope to dispel myths about deafness. What it means to be “deaf” has indeed changed, but not in the manner AG Bell claims. We welcome you to directly engage with those who were impacted by your letter right here at Gallaudet University, which has a rich and diverse student population of cochlear implant and hearing aid users, talkers, listeners, and American Sign Language users. We are a proud group of ASL-English bilinguals who know that ASL and English users (spoken and written) thrive and inspire, because we are living it.

Ethan: We are formally requesting that you and other members of the AG Bell Association come to the Gallaudet University campus to engage in a dialogue with the Student Body Government along with a variety of student representatives. We believe that we can reach a level of understanding and collaboration in pursuit of equity, inclusion, and diversity. As an organization that claims to represent the deaf and hard of hearing, you have a social responsibility to be collaborative with us.

Mary: Due to the gravity of this situation, a meeting should take place at some point next week. We anticipate a response by Friday, April 8th at the latest.