User:Dmitchellpsych/Deafness in France

Deafness in France is a topic that is relevant to individuality, education, and community. France has a long-running history of involvement with DHH (Deaf or Hard of Hearing) individuals, especially during World War II. There were reportedly about 6,000,00 hearing impaired adults in France (11.5% of the adult population) as of 2011 and, while FSL (French Sign Language) is the main signed language in France, ASL (American Sign Language) is studied and used commonly, and French Cued Speech, a mixture of spoken French and FSL, is also not uncommon.

Culture

 * A significant issue comes up in the medical domain, as the majority of diseases and conditions, especially cancer, have greatly delayed diagnoses in DHH individuals.


 * DHH individuals in France are made by society to be as much like fully hearing individuals as possible with things such as cochlear implants and speech therapy.
 * In France, DHH individuals are starting to normalize their condition and even celebrate it.
 * Places where sound isn’t needed are becoming popular, such as various festivals and communities having extensive visual stimulus and sign language communication.

Education

 * Since 1989, France has had standardized secondary language in primary ed, and it cannot be a sign language like it can in other countries.
 * Since 2005, many DHH students have been under an equal rights policy that puts them in mainstream schools.
 * 99.6% DHH students take English as their first foreign language, and the majority who learn a second foreign language generally choose French Sign Language.
 * Many DHH students in mainstream schools withdraw from their secondary language courses and instead try to master French, a strategy popularized by a 2003 study by Ivani Fuselier‐Souza.
 * French cued speech, AKA signed French, is a mixture of FSL and French that supports teaching hearing and non-hearing students simultaneously. It relies partially on lip reading.


 * A study published in 2020 by Daniel Daigle, Rachel Berthiaume, Agnès Costerg and Anne Plisson on the spelling errors of DHH French students showed that, while the amount of spelling errors wasn’t much different, the severity of each spelling error ran much deeper due to more fundamental misunderstandings.

History

 * Up to the mid 18th century, the care of Deaf individuals was primarily under the purview of educators, and slowly switched to doctors. In present day, it is a more even split.
 * Forced “sterilization” during WW2 of deaf individuals in line with Nazi policies.
 * Right to work in factories during war, controversy around women and foreigners.
 * In 1942, the French prime minister Pierre Laval worked out a deal with the Germans where every 3 workers he sent to Germany, a prisoner of war would be freed and released back to France. Primarily deaf workers were sent, and many ended up becoming prisoners of war themselves, mainly those who could not learn quickly to interpret spoken German.
 * Deaf individuals actually used wartime to show their merit and help equal the playing field in France.
 * After the war, deaf characters actually started popping up commonly in theater.
 * Foreshadowed the fight for sign to be recognized as a real language.

Organizations
- FNSF


 * Involved in 89 different organizations, this federation tries to make the rights and views of DHH individuals in France more considered and helps oversee some processes.
 * Involved in meetings with the Ministries of National Education, Social Affairs, The National Consultative Committee for People with Disabilities, the High Authority of Health, of the National Institute of Prevention for Education and Health, of the National Monuments Center, of the Superior Audiovisual Council, and several others.
 * Values Culture, Unity, Participation, Self-representation, Consistency, Patrimony and Solidarity.
 * Hosts multiple camps across Europe, and especially in France, to help facilitate education in FSL.

- IVT


 * Run by Emmanuelle Laborit and Jennifer Lesage-David.
 * Based in Paris for 40 years.
 * Uses theater and acting as a base, but contributes heavily to education in the DHH community.
 * Runs dozens of shows and trains hundreds of DHH individuals each year.
 * Has in person and online courses regarding language, culture, other forms of art, and others.

- Deafi


 * DEAFI, founded in 2009, is a french communication organization that is helping the state of the deaf community in france by improving the state of communication. Webcams, opportunities.
 * DEAFI is aimed to make people move away from it and facilitate independence.
 * DHH individuals have difficulty finding jobs in France, even with laws that mandate employment of disabled individuals.