I love this video from D-PAN (Deaf Professional Arts Network). I hadn't ever heard this song, but it would be great to show at school when discussing friendship or at the beginning of the year.
I had completely forgotten about D-PAN though I have seen some of their work in the past. Obviously a lot of their work focuses on the deaf like the video Waiting on the World to Change, but beyond that, the material speaks to respect for others regardless of our differences. You can see that in the powerful video Beautiful with the music of Christina Aguilara.
I can't help but think of the book The Deaf Musicians by Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs when I watch the combination of music and signing. It would be a great text to pair with the videos. Many hearing people don't associate music with the deaf or hard-of-hearing, so this book and the videos can be quite an eye opener. In 2007, Tony Evans wrote a review of the book on the blog Deaf Echo, and closed with this,
"I do hope that many of his admirers and fans see this book, read it, and reconsider deafness and what being deaf means today. At the very least, I hope they’ll understand that the interpreter standing on stage at any concert or artistic function isn’t there to distract, or to be annoying, but to help those of us who want to attend to share in the arts."I am fortunate that my aunt thought to post one of D-PAN's videos because it was a great reminder of the wonderful work that they are doing and the positive message that they provide for us all. I hope you take some time and experience the art of D-PAN.
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