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?

PURPOSE:

To apply information learned from the course to an analysis of how one can be ethical responsibility in their understanding and interactions with Deaf who are seen as both disabled and different.

STUDENTS WILL:

Write a 4 page (approximately 1,000 words) MLA style paper.

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 affects Deaf.
Explain the conflicts that arise 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 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, dont use I. This paper is not about you: so dont use I.
For your references, you may use your book, other books, web sites, or journals, and must be appropriately cited in your paper and a work cited page at the end of the paper.

THE PAPER WILL BE GRADED FOR:

Complete coverage of ADA, empowerment, audism, and conflicts in the Deaf culture, and your application of these ideas to the question of the benefits and drawbacks of being labeled disabled.
Appropriate citation of sources according to MLA
Length (a minimum of 4 pages, not including the work cited list)
Essay structure, grammar, spelling, and mechanics.