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🔊 Nothing About Us Without Us, Still a Reality in 2025


I’m not here for politics. I’m here for people — advocating for equal rights: financial security, education, healthcare, careers, and retirement.


Last weekend, I asked: “From Milan 1880 to Digital Milan 2025 — what’s changed? What hasn’t?”


Let’s talk about technology, inclusion, and the voices still being left out, especially in the Deaf community.


🎞️ Watch: Deaf President Now! (Amazon Prime)In 1988, Deaf students at Gallaudet University protested when a hearing candidate was selected as president.


They were told Deaf people couldn’t lead. But they said:✊ “We will be heard!”


They marched, signed, and carried banners:🪧 “Honk if you support a Deaf President.”

And the streets erupted with support.


✅ Within one week, the board and president stepped down.Dr. I. King Jordan, a Deaf man, became president and led for 18 years.


📉 And yet… in 2025:

  • Deaf professionals are still sidelined.

  • Leadership promises are broken.

  • Deaf charities drift from Deaf priorities to chase wider disability funding.

  • Deaf staff work in basements, while hearing staff sit upstairs.


🧠 Real Example: AI Company, Easter 2025

  • Deaf people flagged inaccurate signs in an AI tool.

  • Their feedback? Deleted.

  • The issue? Blamed on the AI, not the lack of Deaf linguists or advisors.

  • Claimed “40% Deaf staff” but CEO, CTO, and CCO? Hearing. Not fluent in sign language.

Representation is not tokenism.

True inclusion means Deaf leadership, not just numbers.


📉 The Broader Picture

  • UK Deaf schools: 75 in 1970 ➡️ fewer than 20 today

  • Deaf Studies BA launched in 1993 ➡️ now rare in UK universities

  • Sign language AI is booming ➡️ but Deaf people are excluded from leading it


📚 Recommended Read:📝 Jeff Panasuik – “The Digital Milan: The Commodification of Sign Language AI”👉 Read here


🚫 Let’s Name It: Audism

Why do so-called “inclusive” services still refuse to learn sign language? Why are Deaf people excluded from birth to end-of-life care?

This is audism. And it must end.


🧏‍♀️ Final Words

This isn’t just about 1988. Or 2025.

It’s about respect, dignity, and equal rights.

🗣️ “Nothing about us, without us.”It’s a demand, not a slogan.

💬 What does real Deaf inclusion look like to you?

Share your story. Let’s make sure we’re heard.





 
 
 

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