PROMPT: In 1991 the American with Disabilities Act was implemented across the United States. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves disabled; however, they benefit from legislations created to end discrimination against disabled people. Discuss in detail how these conflicting beliefs can lead to feelings of empowerment and equality among the American Deaf community, while at the same time further imbed within mainstream society attitudes of paternalism and audism towards the American Deaf community?

In your paper you should talk about each of the following issues as you try to explain how being labeled “disabled” is both a good thing and a bad thing for the Deaf community:

• What the ADA is?
• How the American Deaf community benefits from the ADA?
• Explain empowerment as it applies to the American Deaf Community.
• Explain “audism” and how it effects Deaf.
• Explain the conflicts that rise within the American Deaf Community of being seen as both a distinct culture/a linguistic minority and a disabled group.

WRITING AT A COLLEGE LEVEL:

• College essays are always set up as an introduction, a body (for this paper, probably 4 or 5 paragraphs), and a conclusion.
• Your introduction should do 2 things:
  • 1) say what your topic is
  • 2) state your thesis.
• Telling your reader what your topic is consists of giving the relevant background information. Ask yourself: What does the reader need to know before I give my thesis?
• Your thesis is the sentence that you are going to prove is true by giving the information in the body.
• In your body paragraphs you will be using source materials. You must make it absolutely clear to the reader which material you wrote and which material you borrowed. You do this with documentation.
• Your conclusion is simple: restate the thesis and tell the reader what conclusions you have drawn from writing this paper.

OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

• If a paper is not about you, don’t use “I.” This paper is not about you: so don’t use “I.”