Episode 3: Rummy 500

This third episode of the Animal Riot Podcast is the first in a series of episodes we're calling Animals Hit the Road, during which we'll be touring DC, Little Rock, and Baltimore to talk to various artists and generally interesting people about their work and the cultures in which their work is immersed. Today, we're talking to Brian's parents, David Birnbaum and Joan Raciti, about their experience as Deaf people in a hearing world, which we view as an episode not only about Deaf culture but also a learning experience for our hearing listeners to learn more about same. Among many things, we discuss the nuances of sign language and culture among differing deaf groups, the challenges of competing in capitalism as a deaf business owner, and what it was like to grow up as a deaf kid in the mid-20th century, long before American legislation began servicing the Deaf as legitimately disenfranchised citizens.

Transcripts for our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Animals can be found on our website.