Transportation for the Deaf

I have been on a summer hiatus, doing some traveling and working in Turkey for Deaflympics and some other small trips within the United States. Now that I am back, I want to be more committed to this (blogging). While visiting Baltimore today, I remembered a facebook post that I came across recently.

Disclaimer before I share the post: I have a Reduced Fare SmarTrip card for DC’s metro because I have a disability (just for being Deaf). This means that the prices for my trips are the same as what Senior Citizens pay for theirs. More information here: https://www.wmata.com/service/accessibility/reduced-fare.cfm

[Image description: SmarTrip Metro Card. Derrick’s portrait is on the upper left corner with a “M” Metro logo next to it. The card number is covered in red box for privacy. EXP DATE: 6/9/2021. Name: Derrick Behm. text at bottom of card: “SmarTrip Enabled, not transferrable. Must be confiscated if in possession of other than person identified hereon.” Background is blurred, but fingers are holding the card.]

The post:

“So I was feeling a little guilty about getting reduced fare (1/2 price off for people who are disabled) for the commuter train today, because I don’t generally feel like I really have a “problem”. But then when I went back to the train station to go to work from the disability certification office …
I’m sitting there waiting for my train, but I don’t know which gate to be at. I go to the gate it usually comes through, but nothing. I go back to look at the announcements, and it says the train is at this gate. So I go down to get on the train, but it’s not on the track it was supposed to be on. The doors are closed, so I couldn’t even get on if I wanted to. I’m confused. It leaves. It was my train.
So I go back into the station and think about what to do, because I’m in Baltimore and I need to be in DC pronto. If I wait for the next train, the same thing would probably just happen again. Finally, I decide to just take Uber because the cost I save on riding the train with reduced fare way negates the cost I have to pay for Uber anyway.
While riding Uber for the hour it takes to drive from Baltimore to DC, I thought about my experience riding the commuter train for the last eight years. I thought about how much I actually have to plan all the traveling I do, like only getting on at easy-to-navigate stations along the route to make sure that I never miss the train because I didn’t hear the announcement. I thought about how long it took me to order my reduced-fare ticket because I had to write back and forth instead of just talking directly to the attendant (but the attendant was very nice, anyway, thankfully). I thought about how I had to get yet another audiogram in order to prove I was really deaf to get the discount, and the audiologist barely even said a word to me and basically tried to sweep me out of his office as quickly as possible — and when he did say something, he opted to speak instead of write, even though I told him over and over again to write. I thought about that one time I missed my stop because I fell asleep and couldn’t hear the announcement, and none of the conductors bothered to wake me up to tell me that it was the last stop. I thought about how, when I went to tell the conductors that I missed my stop and we were already halfway back to DC, they all looked at me with the most pitiful stares I’ve ever seen — and let me tell you, I’ve seen quite a few.. I thought about that one time I had to get off the train to board a different train, and the only reason I knew I had to get off the train was because literally everyone was getting off the train. I thought about how when the train dropped us off at an earlier stop than mine, I didn’t know what to do because no one wanted to explain it to me, so I just followed everyone else into taxis and hoped I’d get where I needed to go. I thought about how, if I want to know if the train is delayed while sitting on the train, I have to go online and hope they updated the service status (but they usually don’t) — or look outside the window and hope to glimpse one of the signs saying how many minutes the train is delayed by (but those signs are near-impossible to see and read in a moving train). I thought about how many conductors selling me a ticket have sighed exasperatedly and rolled their eyes at me when they realized that I was deaf.
I can’t say I feel guilty anymore. I mean, you guys, my life is pretty amazing, but it’s also full of a hell of a lot of annoyances. Not because I’m deaf, but because the way the world works, more often than not, leaves me out because I don’t hear. In the end, that’s what makes a person disabled — not that they “can’t do something”, but that the world doesn’t work for them in the same way that it works for everyone else.
So, in the end, I was right: I don’t have a problem. The problem isn’t mine; instead, it’s how the world works.”

[End of transcript]

 

I have several stories similar to this. One of them… [the excerpt below is signed in ASL, and the video can be found here]

 

On New Year’s Eve 2007/08, five of us—including my brother—went to NYC to see the ball drop. It was a fun, long, exhausting day, and on our 1am Metro-North train out of Grand Central to Beacon (upstate NY), I just wanted to sleep. My eyes were already irritated from wearing eye contacts for too long, so I took them off. My brother would be the one driving home from the Beacon train station, so I didn’t need my eyes for driving or anything, but if you must know, everything becomes blurry beyond two feet.

So, when my brother, Cory, woke me up with a jarring shake on the train, asking me if we were at our stop (Beacon), I was so disoriented. I looked out the window, and everything was blurry, but that didn’t matter because even so there was no sign in sight, but somehow I registered that this was our stop and nodded. By then, it was too late, the train started moving. The five of us missed our stop. Of course we didn’t hear the announcements of stops, we were all Deaf.

I wear hearing aids. While I cannot always make out what the announcement says, I at least would be able to hear something to pay attention or wake up—but that early morning, my hearing aid batteries died with 2007, just when everyone screamed their welcome to 2008 and killed my batteries.

At the next stop, we had assumed it would be Poughkeepsie (a city with urban grid) and got off. But it was New Hamburg, a stop that none of us had ever been to. It was essentially in the middle of the woods and some homes—in other words, nowhere. It was 3 am.

It was the time of sidekick 2 or 3—I can’t remember which. We didn’t have phone service (because we were all on the “Deaf plan” where we have no phone service and only use text and data), so we couldn’t call home and wake up our hearing brother. Everyone at home went to bed after we told them that we got on the train safely.

Cory had me ask someone what time the next train going in the opposite direction would come. I was tired and mad, especially so because I couldn’t hear or see, but somehow we found out that the next train would come at 5:30 am. This was not good news because we didn’t want to wait for more than two hours in the freezing January weather.

Remember, this was before Uber. Also remember that calling for taxi was not a “Deaf friendly” thing to do since there are no TTYs or VideoPhones at places where you are most likely to call for a taxi. In other words, we couldn’t hail a ride to get back to the Beacon train station.

There was a police car by the station, and we were getting a bit desperate. I think maybe Cory thought I was young and cute enough to ask for free rides (I was 16 but looked 14), so I asked. He shook his head, “Only in handcuffs I can give other people rides.” Cory actually offered to be handcuffed, but the policeman didn’t budge and told us off.

Frustrated, the five of us decided to walk down the only road out of the station, hoping to find some convenience store or something, but there were only homes. Cory and a friend wanted me to go knock on a house that had a party still going (lights on inside, many cars outside, etc), and ask for a ride. I flat-out refused, I was already mad at this point.

[side note: even after telling them that you are Deaf, 99% of the time speaking to hearing people, they will talk back as they normally do, blurring one word with the next with no additional effort in communicating with gestures or speaking clearer. When I was young (and ignorant), I would tell people that I was Deaf and keep trying to talk and hope that the other person would improve how they talked so I could understand… 99% of the time it didn’t work and 100% of the time it irked me. This is one of the big reasons why I stopped talking—it forces people to recognize that I need another way of communicating. On that morning, I didn’t want to experience this—especially so being vulnerable without my glasses/contacts and hearing aids.]

Cory and his friend actually knocked on two houses and asked for rides, and they told them “sorry.” We gave up and turned back to the train station. As we approached the station, we saw the train come, and we ran… but train left just as we got on the platform. As you might imagine, I wasn’t happy about that, but the girl I was with managed to bring some humor in the situation and I just let go of the whole thing. Nothing we could do but call it an adventure.

We waited another hour and got on the 6:30 am train. The train conductor almost had us pay another ticket, but I forget how we convinced him to let us off the next station without paying. I just remember feeling a huge relief when I got home and put on my glasses for the short time before going to sleep at 7:30 am.

 

Some takeaways from this blog so far:

1. The world operates on a system that does not benefit people with disabilities (i.e. voice announcements are not accessible for Deaf people. Visual announcements alone are not accessible for Blind people. Both voice and visual announcements do not benefit DeafBlind people).
2. Technology 10 years ago sucked, and today it is so much better for us (I love Uber, for instance), but we still have so much to improve on. I believe 10 years from today will be much better if we continue advocating for a system that benefits EVERYONE.
3. In the meantime, it is justified that “able-passing” disabled people get the Reduced Fare SmarTrip Card; and it is not justified that this card compensates for lack of trying to make public transportation accessible for everyone.

 

 

After reading that facebook post I shared above, I came across another post by another guy in the UK, who also shared his frustration about trains. His link:

https://thedeaftraveller.com/2017/08/22/are-uk-trains-deaf-friendly/

He talks about how trains can improve—in other words, he is telling how the world should work better to accommodate Deaf people.

 

In closing, I want to give credit/my support to WMATA and other agencies that work daily to ensure that public transportation services continue to improve for the benefit of everyone, including people with disabilities.

Gentrification and the Deaf Community

(the video has no captions yet, but it is the ASL version of what is written below:)

Disclaimer: “Gentrification and the Deaf Community” is a multi-layered case; hence, the opinions and commentary I share may not reflect in entirety the intersectional Deaf community’s experiences. I recognize that as with many marginalized groups, understanding power dynamics and advancing the community’s wellbeing requires community engagement and progress by both, people who are marginalized and people who hold the power to create change.

 

In the last blog entry, I established that our existing problems with gentrification today stem from our problems with the impact of our HISTORY… what happened 50 years ago. With the White Flight, most cities in the United States were abandoned and left to fall into disrepair, and we are dealing with the consequences of these actions today. We need new sewer systems, better transportation systems, utility services… and all these improvements are made possible (funded by taxes) by increased demand to live in the area, job growth, homes being gentrified and the area becoming denser (i.e. multiple apartments/condos) to make room for newcomers and the growing population.

I also established that in a capitalist society, the health of a neighborhood depends on its ability to grow and improve. To maintain affordability of an area, the number of housing should keep up with the demand. If there is NOT enough housing, the prices of the area will increase to meet the demand and people with more money will get these houses.

Lastly, gentrification is BAD only because of the DISPLACEMENT of local residents who have lived in the area for many years and the new amenities (jobs/stores) that only serve the newcomers because they have money instead of the long-term residents. There is a whole generation of privileged, white, millennials who NEED jobs that their middle-class suburbs lack. They cannot afford the wealthy hubs within cities or surrounding cities (think: Bethesda, or NW DC… or San Francisco) so they move to “affordable” areas (think: NE DC, Capitol Heights MD… or Oakland). They also create jobs for themselves and spend their money at hipster shops and bars. They drive up the costs, and long-time residents don’t feel like they belong anymore… but if residents were lucky to own something back then, they could sell their homes and profit so much. Start over somewhere else. Sometimes this change is traumatizing because it means leaving a community that they rely on for support and survival. (and it is also insulting to have people just come in and tell you how YOUR neighborhood should behave and look).

Now, how does Deaf culture fit in this picture of gentrification and displacement?

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While most of the Deaf Community’s culture and identity are passed down through generations of Deaf families or educators, most Deaf people experience Deaf identity as a horizontal identity. With more than 90% of Deaf people born to hearing parents, many Deaf people discover their identity and culture through other Deaf peers we meet throughout life. A similar comparison can be made with the LGBTQ community, where most have straight parents but learn from and identify with peers like them.

What is different with the Deaf community, however, is that we also share similar experiences with other people with disabilities—people who experience barriers because of how they sense the world (whether it is with limited mobility or simply having one less sense, like being blind). Additionally, the Deaf Community has another layer of intersectional identity–we are also a linguistic minority in which our most accessible ways to communicate (visual/tactile) are often victimized by language colonization and genocide. American Sign Language (ASL) is the fourth most taught language in the United States, but the majority of Deaf children are still being deprived of their access to ASL.

While our experiences as Deaf people vary, one thing we all share in common, the value and importance of accessible communication. Also like the LGBTQ community, we seek to be close in proximity with other people who are like us, who understand and accept us for who we are, and who don’t seek to “fix” or to make us “normal”—but not to neglect the fact that many of us still live alone in entire communities.

Many of us are still subjected to shame for being Deaf… Doctors and educators frame deaf children’s right to language as a “parent’s choice” where parents know best and get to choose how the deaf child should communicate. Oftentimes, parents are overwhelmed by the choice and chooses the method that is most familiar to them, fitting to the family’s desires (usually this means using a combination of communication methods, speech therapy, and ultimately, reaching a goal where the Deaf child can speak clearly with their voice). Like VL2 at Gallaudet states, “before language and literacy comes clear access to input.” So… as long as our hearing is imperfect (cochlear implants or hearing aids do not work like eyeglasses, they don’t correct hearing perfectly), our access to verbal input and communication will always be limited. Our access to input is always from visual and/or tactile methods. Many of us have learned to embrace this as a part of our identity, and we don’t want to be made hearing—despite being shamed so often by hearing people who want us to talk and hear like them.

Truth be told, in my understanding of the hearing world, the Deaf community has always been a victim of a literal “gentrification.” Our ears and vocal cords are constantly under scrutiny to be IMPROVED. Our “broken” ears are to be capitalized by doctors and audiologists who have their salaries paid by cochlear implant [who in turn profit from insurance companies] and hearing aid companies [who profit from our purchases]. The other definition of “gentrification” is actually “the process of making a person or activity more refined or polite.”  I believe that in a system of audism, “the notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or to behave in the manner of one who hears,” the hearing society wants to make deaf people more refined or polite by being able to communicate the same way as them.

In an actual, physical space, it is nearly impossible to escape this constant gentrification on our bodies, and ever so rarely we are able to escape this and create a place that we call our own—where we can “be.”

As a place where we could go and “be,” we have stories about Deaf clubs—along with their old wood and cigarette smells—where Deaf people traveled long and far just to be with other people and communicate in our native language, American Sign Language. But, to my knowledge, most of these clubs have long ago disbanded due to financial woes and lack of organization. To this, some say that we have just moved online, resorting to videophone calls, vlogs (video logs), and Facebook—but it is not a place to “be.”

Throughout the United States, there are still “clusters” of Deaf people who live in the same area. This can be attributed to Deaf education (i.e. Deaf schools, a large deaf program at a public or charter school, Gallaudet University, National Technical Institute of Technology, etc.) or employment opportunities (i.e. support services for Deaf clients, video relay service companies). One such “cluster” is in Washington, DC and Maryland because of Gallaudet University, Maryland School for the Deaf, and the Affirmative Action for Individuals With Disabilities in Federal Employment.

Our clusters have been displaced as a result of gentrification. One prime example is California School for the Deaf (CSD), Berkeley. Long story short, the school, built upon the Hayward fault line in Berkeley, was pushed to move to a new place where it was “safer” for deaf students. According to the community there, the state-owned campus was sold to U.C. Berkeley for one dollar (yes, only $1 dollar), in exchange of getting a brand new campus with state of the art buildings in Fremont… only to find out that it is also on a fault line. Today, with the prices in the Bay Area continuing to rise, many Deaf families find themselves challenged to afford living in the area and to be close to CSD Fremont.

In Washington, DC, Deaf people who are privileged to have jobs with the Federal Government or good-paying jobs at Gallaudet University are able to afford living in DC and thrive within our cluster. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for the rest of us to live in DC, near our Deaf community that we rely on for socialization, communication… and life.

Take me as an example. When I worked at Gallaudet, I was making less than $50,000 a year. I am fortunate to have parents who were willing to help with the down payment for our fixer-upper house in Trinidad. Afterwards, we had to rip out the cloth wires and the lead plumbing and replace them with something that was safe to use. I also have to rely on my four to five other roommates in our 3-bedroom, 1.25-bath, house to be able to pay my mortgage. I made this move because I wanted to live close to Gallaudet, and owning a house was a way to maintain this proximity. I do wonder, however, if in the future there will only be a few of us living close to Gallaudet. I’ve been told stories about how “rich” the Deaf community was in New York, New York—but today I only know a few who live in NYC. How I understand it, the Deaf community there is not the same as before. They got priced out. The Deaf schools are smaller than they used to be, and are usually full of Deaf students from hearing families. Many of them “failed” in their public schools (in other words, “failed” at speaking and communication, delaying language skills, and falling behind peers) and now in Deaf schools they spend years overcoming these setbacks. [Unfortunately, many Deaf schools all over the country face that today—being a “dumping ground” for neglected or frustrated deaf students who were not given a healthy language environment to grow in hearing schools.] People I know say the NYC Deaf community is “spread out,” “small,” or “often overlooked, but they’re there!”

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To maintain DC’s cultural assets, such as the Deaf community, DC first needs to recognize the importance of maintaining the Deaf community/culture’s assets. This includes the healthy growth of educational and employment assets for the Deaf community. With education and jobs (whether its vocational or office work), the Deaf community will continue to be valuable taxpaying citizens and contribute their knowledge and skills to the larger society. This requires ACCESS to input, language, and communication—and yes, that means embracing American Sign Language as a true language that Deaf people have the right to use. (NONE of that “Listening and Spoken Language,” which is not a language and another way of saying hearing and speaking with voice is the “right” choice or “first” choice for the Deaf, an oppressive tactic for conformity). Here, Gallaudet University and the Clerc Center could really benefit from DC’s support and partnerships. This could be anything from exchanging resources, knowledge, and network. In turn, the Deaf community will benefit.

DC also has to recognize the intersectional identities and needs within the Deaf community. How do other cultures that we relate to create spaces for us Deaf people, too? For example, as a gay Deaf male, I want to be able to attend gay events and be gay without constantly feeling stuck because I am Deaf. I’ve had people find out that I am Deaf and then give me an “OH, you’re Deaf… okay,” smile, thumbs up. Awkward stare ensues, and then they turn away to mingle with someone else. It’s even worse if they continue to talk to me as if I didn’t tell them I am Deaf , and I still can’t understand them…

Once, a guy I met at Town Danceboutique was unsure how to communicate with me. He went home and taught himself some ASL through YouTube, and when we met again two weeks later, he was able to sign enough to have conversations with me (and to be fair, I was really patient especially after perceiving his efforts). We ended up getting together more often, but when he brought his hearing friends with us, it was exhausting to educate all of his friends about me being Deaf (they weren’t like him).

Experiences like that make me really appreciate being on Gallaudet campus where ASL is the primary mode of communication. This campus belongs to US, I can sign with my barista, understand side conversations, and strike up a conversation with any stranger… as opposed to standing in line at Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse and wondering what the couple in front of me are talking about. There was also this time when I saw this DOEE guy next to me at Ebenezer’s drafting up a landscape plan for a house and I tried to make a conversation because I LOVE landscaping. I used my voice, but then he started talking back and I couldn’t understand a thing he said. I asked him to write it down, but he became so awkward with that. The face that lit up when I asked about the plan became stoic as if he was stuck in DC’s traffic after a long, boring day. I flustered, the conversation was cut short, and we returned to our laptops. Ebenezer’s has a deaf employee and most of their baristas know how to do basic communication with Deaf patrons, but it is my desire that DC was more like Gallaudet’s campus, where people are inclusive when it comes to communicating (not to say that Gallaudet is perfect in that, though). It is a process, and as I am willing to find ways to improve our lives (by educating others), it is inspiring to see hearing people who stick through awkward communication situations, being uncomfortable for the sake of learning and growing, and taking their share of burden to build an inclusive community.

With a vision to be an inclusive “town-and-gown” district, Gallaudet’s 6^th street project includes plans to develop around four acres of land for public and university use. Many Deaf people are excited to show the world our assets (believe me, there’s a lot! Fun tidbits—NASA and DeafGain)

But at the same time, we are very nervous about how our beloved home will be used by hearing people. We have a fence around Gallaudet’s campus, and we feel that it protects our community—the 99 acres in the world uniquely attributed to the advancement of the Deaf community, where we can “be.” We are nervous that our space will be exploited and used by people who don’t make the effort to respect our culture and language. We recognize that having a 8-foot institution-like fence is no way to show off our assets, but as we share our culture and resources with others, we want DC to recognize, respect, and nurture our Deaf culture.

It starts with advocating for ASL in schools and communities, especially for Deaf people, recognizing that ASL belongs to the Deaf community but can be used for communication by anyone (benefits everyone). It starts with the city being genuinely inclusive by giving us some of the stakes in the community (opportunities, employment, and ownership). It starts with spreading awareness about our community and celebrating our identities. This way, we will grow stronger together with the city.

Market Terminal Development

In my v-log about Gallaudet’s fence, I mentioned that “a lot is going on” across from Gallaudet, by Union Market. I thought I would share an update with links.

While some vendors at Union Market are good with hiring Deaf employees and training hearing employees how to communicate with Deaf customers, I still don’t know of any Deaf-led or Deaf-owned businesses in the area (nor on H Street corridor and Ivy City). If you know of someone, please do let me know!

Update of what is going on around Florida Ave. Market Terminal (Union Market/6th Street):

Upcoming Developments:

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the_4495_residential_units_headed_to_union_market/12352

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the_4500_units_planned_for_noma/12378 (this is in NOMA, which is next to Union Market. 300 M St and 301 N St are both very close to Union Market and Gallaudet)

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the_683_units_on_tap_for_the_h_street_corridor/12101 (H street, keep in mind that Whole Foods recently opened with a lot of units)

http://dc.urbanturf.com/pipeline/637/Crummell_School_Redevelopment/ (Crummell School is a National Historic site, and will be restored along with the development)

This is about an extra 10,000 new units close to Gallaudet.

Coming soon to Market Terminal:

Blue Bottle Coffee (upscale coffee roastery based in San Francisco. from roast to cup in less than 24 hours)

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/12/14/exclusive-edens-lands-buzzy-coffee-company-for.html

Latin Market (Market and Culinary Center by famous Chef Jose Garces) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2016/06/02/chef-jose-garces-is-bringing-a-latin-marketplace-to-union-market/?utm_term=.692cbe47e259

Pluma by Bluebird Bakery (Local DC based bakery) http://www.popville.com/2017/04/pluma-by-bluebird-bakery-coming-to-union-market-area/

Trader’s Joe (grocery store) http://dcist.com/2016/11/trader_joes_is_opening_up_near_unio.php

Currently being renovated (statistics of the area is very interesting!):  http://papadop.com/archive/Listings/4.%20MARKETING/1300%205th%20St%20NE%20FlyerF.pdf

The Eleanor Bowling Lounge: http://www.popville.com/2017/04/the-eleanor-bowling-lounge-bar-grille-coming-to-ivy-city/ (this is in Ivy City, but I had to include this! It is on Gallaudet St. and Kendall St. intersection)

Many more are being opened, but it’s hard to keep track of everything. Many stores don’t announce their opening until they confirm an opening date and start advertising.

Already opened (not including the shops in the Union Market building):

Masseria (High end Italian restaurant)

http://www.masseria-dc.com/

Cotton & Reed Distillery (DC’s first Rum Distillery) https://www.cottonandreed.com/home

West Elm Pop-up (furniture store supporting local artists and designers, too) http://www.westelm.com/stores/us/dc/washington-union-market-pop-up/

Union Market Drive-In Movies: http://unionmarketdc.com/events/union-market-drive-in/

Angelika (Independent Film): https://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/

Dolcezza Gelato Factory: http://dolcezzagelato.com/about/

Downtown Boxing Club: http://www.downtownboxing.com/

Union Arts DC: http://www.unionartsdc.com/ (they will relocate soon, however)

Hilton Hotel/Homewood Suites

Still Around for a Long Time:

Litteri’s Italian Market: http://alitteri.com/

Mexican Fruits: http://mexicanfruitsdc.com/

Afrik International Food Market

Layla Lounge

Subway (formerly the Little Tavern…There’s actually a blog on the Little Tavern locations. Ours  on 6th Street is No. 27)

http://dinerhunter.com/little-tavern-locations/

… and many more markets, warehouses, hotels, and factories (it was said that over 40 languages are spoken in the Market Terminal daily.)

Gallaudet’s Fence

*disclaimer: I recognize that Gallaudet prior to 1971 was dominated by hearing people, with hearing presidents and professors– so it was a different time back then, but the collaboration with the outside community was not expressed with fences.  Additionally, we still face audism today with a long history of oppression, and I recognize the “protection” that the fence provides from the world of audism. However, nothing will be changed if we (both Deaf and hearing) avoid crossing the threshold to create change– what better way to do this than Gallaudet’s 6th Street Project? Hence, this project is so critical in creating a collaborative space, and fences, again, are the antithesis of this possibility.

Transcript from ASL to English:

One thing that bothers me: Gallaudet community says that the fence around campus should remain. If the fence comes down, hearing people will go on campus and use the space as their own. That would de-centralize Deaf ownership of the campus and become hearing-dominated. I understand that point…

But Gallaudet was founded in 1864, and at that time there was no fence. At the time Gallaudet was on the countryside at the edge of the city of DC. Florida Avenue, formerly called Boundary road defined the division.

In the 1900’s… to the 1940’s, Trinidad developed into a residential neighborhood. Ivy City, the area up north of Gallaudet was there before Gallaudet was founded. It used to be a railroad community with a strong African-American population, and it has been there for a long time. Union Market was established in the 1920’s with a peak in the 1940’s, even through World War II, there were a lot of people there.

Notice that the years I shared were all before the 1968 riots. The 1968 riots, triggered with MLK’s assassination, was an uproar that included the burning of H Street, leading to military and government intervention. Most of the city was destroyed, as with many other cities. By the 1970’s, most white people left the cities (“White Flight”). They abandoned the ruins from the riots, closed their businesses, and left the city—leaving the destroyed city mostly to the African-American community. Afterwards, the city was viewed as dangerous.

In 1971, Gallaudet put up the fence around campus. In 1971—so keep in mind that before 1971 Gallaudet didn’t have a fence, but they had Union Market, Ivy City, and Trinidad, all thriving neighborhoods full of life and things going on. But with the White Flight and the economical crash from the riots, Gallaudet barricaded itself with a fence.

Gallaudet didn’t become substantially involved with the neighboring community since then, up until the 6^th Street Project… which Gallaudet owns a little parcel of land outside its fence. It wants to establish retail, to host Deaf-owned businesses—and will they? Gallaudet can’t really promise that as they need to partner with Deaf-owned businesses, there needs to be some that express interest in the 6^th Street development, too.

Back to the point, the 6^th Street development is making people say that they DON’T want the fence to come down.

Deaf and hearing people have cohabited in the area up until 1971. That is more than a hundred years that Gallaudet operated without fences. Now with Union Market being redeveloped, Ivy City making a comeback, and Trinidad always being there, we say we don’t want the fences to come down out of fear that hearing people will take over.

No. That is what I call leading out of fear. I believe that Gallaudet community should move forward showing what the Deaf community has to offer, showcase Deaf talents, resources, and retail. We should make profit from that, showing others that we claim this space, showing others how Gallaudet moves forward. Not by staying behind our fence and telling others to stay out because this is our space. What kind of relationship is that?

Gallaudet hasn’t been there for the DC community, and don’t want the fences to come down. It shows that Gallaudet still doesn’t have anything to offer, but taking down the fence will force Gallaudet to take charge of developing relationships with the hearing community. That is a reality we need to connect.

Those people who say we need to keep the fence… for safety issues… Please.

Many DC universities are a part of the city, and crime rates there are similar to Trinidad. If you really want to know what is going on here in DC… well, there’s A LOT. A lot of places are being developed, and we need to keep up. Where are the Deaf people involved in these plans? I encourage you, including myself, to become more involved with that.

Gallaudet fence should one day—soon—be taken down.

Gentrification Recap

Suggested Reading: Why America’s Richest Cities Keep Getting Richer

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/richard-florida-winner-take-all-new-urban-crisis/522630/

This article is great at explaining the big picture of gentrification. I want to dive into the discussion of gentrification and the Deaf community, specifically in DC—but before I can do that, this is my “recap” of gentrification and how I perceive it at the moment.

Which house looks better?

Both houses, 12 miles from each other, and right outside DC’s border, were built within the same decade. Both are similar in square footage, both have three bedrooms. The first house has 2.5 baths, the second house has 1.5 baths. Both houses are also close to the metro (one red line, and the other orange line)

Which one is $885,000? $363,000? (take a pause here, that’s half of a million difference)

Guess which one is in Cheverly, MD, and Chevy Chase, MD.

The first house, which I think is also nicer inside, is $363,000. Why? How?

The answer: it’s in Cheverly.

The schools in Cheverly aren’t that great (but their Catholic private schools are supposedly great). You also have to drive a bit to get your groceries.

So… if Cheverly was to get access to groceries and better schools, would you think that Cheverly’s house prices would go up?

Of course.

Chevy Chase: https://www.redfin.com/MD/Chevy-Chase/3501-Turner-Ln-20815/home/10651120

Cheverly:

(the house is not on the market yet, so this is the youtube link)

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Gentrification means improving/renovating an area. Simple example: bringing a much-needed grocery store to an area that has limited access to groceries is gentrification. To replace all old water pipes that have lead with new pipes to bring clean water is gentrification.

However, the negative context that usually sticks with “gentrification” is when people of lower income are displaced. Rent or property taxes go up, and long-time residents suddenly find themselves unable to afford their home. They are pressured to move to a cheaper place and to give up their community… one way or the other, suddenly if they move away, or gradually if they stay and see their community gentrified and displaced. This displacement is a result of the demand of people with higher incomes.

Ironically, the demand is also based on “affordability” and access to amenities like groceries. Middle-class millennials cannot afford the expensive DC Northwest, so they are willing to take “risks” (and the opportunity of high financial ROI) and buy homes in distressed neighborhoods. At first, the vacant homes are first to be renovated, and as demand continues, old, distressed homes with residents are sold—where the owners can walk away with cash (without needing to renovate their homes) and buy a brand new home somewhere out in Prince George County. But those who rent are most vulnerable, they are forced to move further away from their jobs and find a new way to commute. Often they are forced to start over in some old, blighted suburb where they have to compete more aggressively for limited number of jobs.

Often local officials fight to bring affordable groceries, health services, and better transportation in struggling neighborhoods. But as soon as they are established, the area is suddenly more desirable, and more people are willing to live in the area, driving the prices up.

Gentrification as we know it, in other words, is a multi-layered issue that ties in with capitalism, socioeconomic status, privilege, and even segregation. The landscape and architecture style of homes east of the Anacostia River are remarkably similar to the northwest quadrant of DC, but as with the dramatic difference in price (by millions), the difference between the two neighborhoods is that one is historically white, and the other black. One maintained a neighborhood balanced with amenities (jobs, groceries, schools), while the other was neglected, starved (literally and figuratively) of amenities needed for a comfortable life—retorting to gangs for support, drugs for escape, and violence for defense of identity/personhood. While the Northwest gathered together at garden clubs and dinner parties, the East found ways to survive in a racist system.

Now the East is facing a system that looks to their land as profit-making space that benefits the investors.

In one perspective, a high-rise apartment building with ground floor retail slows down the displacement. The gentrification is the access to groceries, and the improvement of the infrastructure (old water and sewer lines, etc) —funded by the investors and the newcomers. On top of that, the rate of displacement is slowed down with the stock of new residential units in the area… the “less” people demand to buy the surrounding homes and drive out the long-time residents.

The PROBLEM of gentrification/displacement remains if the growth is not under control. The area suddenly becomes so hot that EVERYONE wants to live there, and there are not enough new units to accommodate the newcomers. It is also a problem when the newcomers think they can change things the way they want to… kind of like someone who walks in your room and starts throwing out stuff that they don’t like and rearranging the rest, without your consent.

In a capitalist society, the quality of life is defined by growth and positive change. Investors don’t want to invest in a stagnant neighborhood. Replacing an old infrastructure is only an incentive if it guarantees profit. Ward 7 and 8 are so deprived of grocery access (there’s only a total of two grocery stores east of Anacostia… in two wards… while the other six wards west of Anacostia have over 30), and they are still deprived because the investment doesn’t promise [high enough] yields. DC’s demand for minimum wage and part-time employee benefits also scare away stores like Walmart and Wegman’s.

The point I am getting at is that “gentrification” is a not a word that should be thrown around simply to describe hipster art shops and white people moving into neighborhoods, flipping houses and planting cherry blossoms out in the front– fueling negativity to the high-rise luxury apartments with a yoga studio on the first floor. Gentrification is the control of quality of life by the corporate that seeks to squeeze out profit from us under the cover of better homes, healthy groceries, and hipster coffee shops.

Finding Home

Everyone has a different mindset when looking for a new place to live. My mindset when I decided that I wanted to buy a home in the Trinidad neighborhood was really two things: own a home that I can craft into something and to be close to the Deaf community.

Of course, I also thought about affordability, the return on investment, and the question, do I want to be in DC when I’m old?

When I was a student at Gallaudet, I think I only went to Trinidad once to visit a friend who lived off campus. Morse Street was considered risky but OK… venture a few blocks north and you’re risking yourself of being assaulted and robbed.

There were stories circulating about how DC was the murder capitol in the United States, and Trinidad was the heart of it. There were roadblocks to quarantine the area to residents only in the early 2000’s because everyone was so desperate to curb the violence and the drugs. Someone else told me about 14 murders in February—the gang initiation month, back in 2006. Trinidad was supposed to be the border between two gangs. I didn’t fact check anything, but enough people talked about it, and the emails from Public Safety at Gallaudet and a few old newspaper articles floating around online was enough to convince me. Trinidad was really dangerous.

However, it was easy to observe that H Street was gentrifying (I will talk about gentrification in another post, so stay tuned!). I remember the excitement of seeing vacant buildings become lively, like Big Board, Smith Common’s, and Red Rocks. Being a student and then an employee at Gallaudet, I also knew that Gallaudet’s huge 6^th Street project was going to become reality. It would bring new amenities, residents, and there would be some “town and gown” feel as opposed to the eight-foot tall fence barricading the entire campus in safety.

I also remember looking at home prices during my first year at Gallaudet. Checking the home prices four years later, when I was more serious about buying, I was taken aback by how much the prices went up. I remember seeing one house close to H Street listed at $450K in 2011, and in 2014, a smaller house next to it went for $625.

I decided that if I wanted to live in DC for a while and can see myself coming back (if I left) someday, I should try to get a place immediately. That was 2014. I could afford a fixer upper in Trinidad. Glen Sutcliffe, my realtor, told me that I was probably the last Deaf resident in the neighborhood to get a house while it was still “affordable.” People at the time told me either two things: “You’re smart, getting the house as an investment” or “How can you actually live in Trinidad? It’s so dangerous.”

Nobody, however, focused on the fact that I got a home. The first day I moved in, neighbors on the street stopped by to welcome me. Out of all the neighborhoods that I’ve lived in growing up, I’ve never had a welcome like this.

Now when people tell me that Trinidad is dangerous, or “shabby,” I frown at them. If only they gave a shot at building relationships with the community, they would discover the gems in the neighborhood.

I am privileged and grateful to be in this area, close to the Deaf “hub” at Gallaudet/H Street, many transit options, as well as the new amenities—the grocery stores, Union Market, Planet Fitness, and hipster local coffee shops (but not to ignore, some warning signs of gentrification/displacement are also apparent). I’ve also been blessed with safety, realizing that Trinidad is not (or more than) the news articles on crime.

Now people are telling me that they cannot afford Trinidad… and to be honest, I couldn’t either if I wanted to buy a home today. Today, renovated row houses in Trinidad are going for $810K, and fixer uppers at least half of a million.

The lesson in what I’m sharing is that if you are looking to find a home in a great place, especially with a tight budget, your mindset shouldn’t always cling to what is “now” or what people say about that place. Look at the potential. Look at what kind of relationships you can build within that ecosystem. Look at how you can make it your home instead of how it is already your definition of “home”– it is much more rewarding that way.

Deaf Urbanism

Urban spaces.

They encompass the unique blueprint of human life. It is beautiful, ugly, and a representation of the complex ways of how humans interact with each other.

Creating spaces is a projection of our experiences and the dominancy of these experiences over time. Urban spaces heighten these experiences and processes– much like a convention of experts and scholars exchanging knowledge and network to advance the field.

How do Deaf people fit in urban spaces? How are our ways of being embraced by the design of the city? How are we exchanging knowledge and network to advance ways for our home cities to really feel like our home— to be an accessible city that embraces our culture and ways of communication, and that facilitates flourishing interaction with other individuals of various abilities?

I am starting this blog after being inspired by my friends here in Washington, DC. For years I’ve abandoned writing, but I am starting to notice more and more Deaf people interested in urbanism, asking the questions that I shared here.  Let’s make something out of our interaction, we decided. It’s time to mobilize.

It is my desire that my writing will inspire you, make you think more about our environment (both natural and built), and to explore within ourselves all of the creative potential that each of us are born with.

Day 1

I am starting this blog to be my outlet for all of the urban design and planning ideas I have. My focus will be on Gallaudet University and Washington, DC. So, here I go!