31 October 2014

Theory, Sources, Suffering, and Respect


I was talking to a friend recently about my research work, and I had a bit of a realization. It wasn't completely 'new' to me, but it hadn't hit me with such force until I chatted with her about it.

First, just a quick update as to where I am with it all - my short term aim at the moment is simple: read, read, read! I really need to get a strong, deep context in place for the resources I have already found. There's no point in finding all these newspaper articles, court transcripts, and prisoner petitions about Deaf people if I don't know about the times they were written in and the structures of organizations that were involved. I know a good deal already, but I want to know more, to really place myself in the time.

The other thing I'm doing is clarifying and narrowing my approach - my methodology and theoretical framework, I suppose you'd say, if you were taking a social science perspective. The thing is that I can't seem to find any theoretical construct or schema that applies itself to the topic I am looking at in a helpful way. I've thought about about Foucault, and his extensive work on the rise of institutions and power, but still at too early a stage with him to say comfortably that I should incorporate him into a framework of analysis to be used. In fact, to be honest, I am wary of *any* theory or schema or construct that I've come across, in the sense of using it as a tool to analyze, or a lens through which to look through. There's something about that method that strikes me as prediction of your findings before you've even looked at what's there.

So for the moment I prefer what I'm thinking of as the 'pure history' approach - identifying, gathering, analyzing and evaluating historical sources, with a particular emphasis on sources that at least partly reflect Deaf people's own experiences. And there are obviously well-worn methodological categories I will be employing, and ways to interpret this information. 'History from below', critical reading of sources 'against the grain', and so on. In terms of a theoretical base, I really can't think of anything more effective, more explanatory and more satisfying to me at the moment than simply.... a Deaf Studies perspective. Seeing signed languages as real languages, Deaf people as heirs to and possessors of an authentic culture, which was formed during the time under study. Perfectly simple - in my mind at least.

Anyway - back to the conversation with my friend; and to the sources that I'm cathering. What really excites me in these sources are the glimpses into life for Deaf people in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A police statement reveals details about family life; a newspaper article about a trial shows how the Deaf witness or accused communicated - and how that was perceived by hearing people.

But a problem with this is; *very few* of these sources arise from, shall we say, peaceful, non-problematic circumstances. Police records, prison records, court records - these files and documents come into existence through conflict, disagreement, and often violence and abuse. The historical record seems almost silent about Deaf people's day to day, hassle-free, happy and productive working lives... and it's what to do with those fragments of discord and conflict that I need to think deeply about.

I recently came across a Circuit Court file from the 1920s , where a Deaf girl had been raped near her home in Co Clare. the girl, who had been  to St Mary's, rushed back home to her father where she wrote out what had happened to her on a piece of paper. The father wrote back to her asking who the attacker had been, would she recognize him again; the girl told her father she would have to go live with her aunt for a time, possibly out of fear of her attacker, possibly also from the shame that such a crime may attach to the victim in those times (and indeed, are those times really gone)? Now, these details - the story of this young woman, assaulted in such a horrific way, her conversation in writing with her no doubt devastated father - were not given in detail in the local press. In fact the girl's full name was not even mentioned. Only in the Circuit Court file in the National Archives did I find all this detail and more, written up in police statements and court transcripts.

But I also found... the piece of paper that the girl and her father used to communicate. That extraordinarily private moment between father and daughter, because of the unique circumstances of Deaf-hearing family communication at the time, was captured and preserved, probably seen by no one for eighty or more years. And I get to see it. To touch it.

I've thought a lot about the importance of documents like these - the fact that I am honored to be able to access such intimate and sensitive details about people long dead and buried - but I have found out so many similar stories, so many handwritten testimonies of violence and abuse from Deaf women, that I wonder am I able to handle it. A straight hearing male, separated from these Deaf women by a century or more. How can I even begin to think I can tell their story? But if I cannot, what can I do with these documents of pain and suffering?

For now all I can do is liaise with the Irish Deaf Women's Group. Ask the experts how to sensitively deal with these women's stories in the context of my work. And  to pass on whatever I can to them so that these stories are given to those who may be able to benefit from them and remember proudly the ones who told them in the first place.


And one thing I must do, constantly, at all times: give thanks for the privilege of sharing, separated by time and place, these most sensitive stories of suffering. And in all my interactions with these sources and those that I can make aware of them - to show respect.

08 September 2014

Access for US Deaf Prisoners - NAD Statement

A very recent press release from the US National Association of the Deaf on prisons using inmates as interpreters, rather than qualified ASL interpreters...

20 June 2014

Cork Archives - Preliminary Visit

Hello all! I'm here at the Cork Archives - ah, you're wondering why the white gloves ...! I'm wearing these because here in the Archives you could be dealing with old documents that are 100 or even 150 years old. SO if you handle them roughly, you could damage them. So you need to wear the gloves to gently turn over the pages. Plus, the human hand secretes tiny amounts of oil that can spread into the paper and damage it over time. So the gloves are worn for safety. It's going great here far, it's been very interesting. I came down to check out the Cork Lunatic Asylum (mental hospital) Case Books, which are records kept of each patient beginning on arrival. Patients were monitored and logs kept over time. There are many volumes of case books and I'll be working my way through them bit by bit, but for these two days I'm really just seeing the lay of the land in regards to the kinds of info the records contain. I'll go more in depth with it later on, but I did come across a record of one Deaf woman. Six pages of a report that covered her life in the asylum, from her arrival in 1899 to her death there in 1922. Notes were made every 6 months or so on her progress. I've been transcribing these reports, but there are no photos of the woman in this one. Hopefully I'll locate more as I go on. So it's been really interesting so far, but with some chilling moments of shock, contemplating the lives of these people, stuck in the institution all day, doing nothing, and how that affected their behaviour - and eventually, their state of mind. More ISL updates to come in the future.

18 June 2014

A research visit...


Very excited to be travelling to Cork and Belfast in the next week for some exploratory research (and a presentation). I am going to be checking out admission registers and casebooks of Cork Lunatic Asylum and Gransha Asylum, Derry, and looking for Deaf people who were admitted. It's just a preliminary peek at the records but I anticipate that it will be quite a thrilling and emotional experience.

16 June 2014

Nursing Clio - Adventures in the Archives: Searching for the Past



Nursing Clio - Adventures in the Archives: Searching for the Past

I have commented the following: "A great, powerful post. I have just begun postgraduate research into the lives of Deaf people in Irish institutions in the nineteenth century, and there is something uniquely affecting about coming across not just letters, petitions and statements written by Deaf people who were incarcerated, but also the handwritten notes passed between barristers and Deaf witnesses or defendants at trials. These pieces of paper were more than just a record of a conversation; in many senses they *were* the conversation, and to hold these in your hands – with the wider life experiences, often brutal, of the writer in mind – is both thrilling, and a sober reminder of a responsibility, a deep privilege and duty to tell their stories respectfully and with dignity."

08 June 2014

Presentation in Deaf Village Ireland

Hi all,

I will give a presentation about my postgraduate history research, in ISL, in the Deaf Village Ireland (Ratoath Road, Cabra) on Wed 25th June, interpreters provided, all welcome. Deaf and hearing! :)


29 May 2014

Research Blog 29 May 2014 - Reading, Researching and Planning

I talk about my  progress in the last while on my blog, including my first visit to PRONI and discovering files on Deaf Women Prisoners, as well as my upcoming presentations at the Deaf Village Ireland and the Kinghan Church, Belfast.



English transcription to follow...

15 May 2014

A Letter from an angry Deaf female workhouse inmate...

A letter from an angry Deaf female workhouse inmate.

[Source: 1906 Sep 29 - Dundalk Democrat]

I have met Anna Eakins before - both in the Irish Deaf History Archives and on RTE's 'Hands On' recently (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2w4PmegUvs).


Here we see another example of a poor Deaf woman dealing with a harsh institutional system - but with the benefit of a good education and impressive literacy.

01 May 2014

Out Of Sight – The Documentary

Out Of Sight – The Documentary

"Geoffrey has never had a mental disability. His family sent him to Meanwood Park Mental Hospital in Leeds because they couldn’t cope with his deafness. He didn’t get out again for 22 years."

This clip features the testimony of a Deaf man placed in a mental hospital.

"This collection of videos takes in Storthes Hall, Stanley Royd, Meanwood Park Colony, New Church Hospital, Carstairs and former service user experiences..  Documentary about the introduction of the Community Care Act in April 1993 and the closure of many of Britain's older mental hospitals. This report reveals how thousands of people, who were locked away in such institutions for long periods of their lives, were never mentally ill in the first place. They were incarcerated for being deaf or pregnant or simply unwanted, but, once committed they were automatically deemed insane, and had no way of escaping. Includes the personal testimonies of a number of victims of this cruel and outdated system."

A full transcript into English is at: http://www.meanwoodpark.co.uk/insight/out-of-sight-the-documentary/

Many thanks to Julie Wolfers for the link to this documentary.


24 April 2014

The Deaf Thief from Drogheda ... and the Norwegian Sailor

ISL version of a story about Henry Brady, a Deaf man living in Drogheda, Co Louth in 1896, arrested for stealing a watch belonging to a Norwegian sailor!
___________________________

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

I'm back, here to sign another story to you about Deaf history, prisoners, courts and all the rest! I've just come across a great new story, that happened in Drogheda - where I live, so of course I was really interested to find out what happened!

This story is about a Deaf man who was arrested for stealing a pocket watch. So what happened?

On 7th September 1896, the Petty Sessions court was held in Drogheda. The Petty Sessions were the lowest of the courts, the equivalent of today's District Court, for hearing small matters. A defendant was called, Henry Brady, a Deaf man from Drogheda, accused of stealing a pocket watch from a Norwegian sailor. But the start of the hearing was beset by communication issues; first off, a defendant who was deaf; secondly the Norwegian sailor did not have a word of English! It looked like communication might be impossible. But further inquiry showed that the Deaf man could read and write, thus was able to communicate with the court. As for the Norwegian, his ship was in Drogheda port, and him and his fellow sailors were about town; his captain was able to speak English, and agreed to interpret for the hearing. With these communication issues resolved, the hearing began.

The first witness called was the policeman on duty, who gave his evidence. He stated that on the previous night, a Sunday, at about 11.15pm, he was on patrol when the Norwegian approached him in an upset state, but unable to communicate. Through gestures the policeman understood that his pocket watch had been stolen. Earlier that night, the policeman had seen the Norwegian in the company of the Deaf man, Henry Brady, and suspected Brady had taken the watch. The policeman soon came across Brady and followed him down the street. Brady noticed he was being followed, and quickened his pace; Brady eventually ducked into a lane, and the policeman ran to catch up with him. On turning the corner he saw Brady dropping some item before running off.

With the darkness of the night, the policeman had to use a match to light the ground, where he came across the Norwegian's watch. it was now clear that Brady had been the thief. He caught up with Brady and arrested him; following a written caution, Brady made a written statement and was placed in gaol.

After the policeman had given his evidence, the Norwegian sailor was called, along with his interpreter. He stated that the previous night he had met Brady at the railway station and accompanied him in a friendly manner down as far as the bridge near Shop Street. There, they met two young ladies and spent some time with them - though who knows how these four communicated with each other, through gesture or other means! They walked a little way down towards the church where the girls left them.

At this point the Norwegian checked the time - but found his watch was gone! Brady had already gone off at this stage. The sailor found a policeman and attempted as best he could to convey what had happened.

At this point the written statement of the Norwegian was given to Brady in the dock to read over and was asked his response. He read it and wrote a single line at the bottom, which read: 'I am guilty.' Brady had admitted his theft to the court. The judge then wrote to him a single line of his own: 'One month's imprisonment'.

Brady was then removed to Drogheda Gaol to begin his sentence.

_____________________
Sources... Drogheda Independent 12 Sept 1896. 
Drogheda Argus 12 Sep 1896. 
Drogheda Conservative 12 Sep 1896.
Dundalk Democrat 12 Sep 1896.



19 March 2014

How to use Irish News Archive ...

Hi all. Now, some more ISL information for you if you're interested in researching Deaf history.

One place to look that's packed with rich and plentiful references to Deaf people is newspapers. In times gone by, old newspapers had long, detailed articles that covered Deaf people's experiences in court, or talking about the Cabra Deaf schools (St Mary's and St Joseph's), class reunions and so on.

You can go to the National Library which pretty much has all the newspapers published in Ireland to date, or you could try a website called IrishNewsArchive.com. Both resources are good, particularly the website. You pay 10 euro for a 24 hour period of access to the site, within which you can search, explore, read articles, and save them. Just last night I paid the money and have since found some new information already!

So now, let me show you how to use the site...


12 March 2014

Institutions - Which Ones? ... and Reflexivity

)

Sorry for the top of my head being cut off in the last vlog!

To clarify: What are the 'institutions' I will be talking about?

I'll be looking at both state and private (charity) institutions.

1) Schools
2) Courts and Law
3) Workhouses
4) Prisons
5) Mental Institutions / Lunatic Asylums


At the moment I am beginning to focus on ideas around reflexivity in my research - who am I? So here are some aspects of who I am...

 - I have been an interpreter for 9 years
 - I do not come from a Deaf family
 - I've been working with the Deaf community for about 15 years
 - I did a Master's thesis in DCU about Deaf politics
 - I worked on Hands On as a researcher for two years
 - I worked in the Irish Deaf Society as Administrator
 - I received my Interpreting Diploma from CDS in 2005, so I've been a professional interpreter for 9 years now.

So that's me; a quick summary anyway. What I'm hoping to do now is investigate who 'I' am a little further. The biases and baggage I may bring to my research, and also the crucial discussion of power when it comes to research processes and production.

Obviously the aspects of 'me' I have outlined here will all need examination and dissection over the coming months! I'm looking forward to it!

10 March 2014

A summary of my research at this very early stage...

HI all,


A very quick ISL video (with English voiceover) summarising my research ideas at this stage. English voiceover is not great, so apologies - it'll be clearer next time!

Cormac