DEAF UTOPIA

DEAF UTOPIA

Is Utopia possible? Is Deaf Utopia possible? If architects have discussed and predict that there might be an urban utopia, then why not a deaf urban utopia?

A world which would consist of hearing and deaf at equal number, in which everyone would know how to communicate in sign language. The language would be declared as the universal language for communicating among people from different countries. In such a strategy, there would not be an extra time allotted for the deaf to spend time on learning the sign language. That in fact, would be the only language that they would have to learn, whereas the hearing would have it compulsory in their education systems to learn this mode of universal language, along with other optional language choices. From the book, ‘Martha’s Vineyard’4, it stated that in an island, the vineyard, near Massachusetts coast, contained with a high deaf populace. This occurred due to the early settlement in 1600s, who carried a deafness gene. Over the years, after generations, deaf population evolved, which eventually lead to the development of sign language, known as Martha’s Vineyard sign language. This thought, illustrated in the book, was believed to have invoked the development of American Sign Language (ASL). It was quite disappointing that the deaf utopia existed until the deaf population in the vineyard declined in 1950s. If this culture in deaf population had continued and increased to an international level, things would have been different, examples stated below.

The roads would contain electric cars, focusing as a solution to various issues such as pollution, exploiting and degrading the non-renewable resources and the problem in which the deaf cannot drive due to the loss of hearing ability. The pedestrian pathways would consist of mirrors placed at certain intervals so that the deaf can make themselves aware of anyone or anything approaching from behind; the green parks and landscaped zones could have some acoustic mirrors placed at the edges of the park; there could also be a large balloon like element placed at the centre of the town, to grab the attention of the gathering, in case of any natural emergency.

The entire town or city could have buildings and skyscrapers built entirely with endless and entangled ramps from the ground to the basement levels or the topmost floors of the towers; the structures would be constructed using translucent and transparent materials like transparent concrete, glass, perforated screens, timber, etc. It would include all the design regulations discussed in the previous section.

The main announcements could be made through a speech, simultaneously signing through it, which makes it easier for anyone, even the viewers that view internationally.

4 Deaf History on Martha’s Vineyard