Dear All,

I will to tell you a short story. Six years ago my latest book is published, alone in the Netherlands. The title is: LEVENS VOL GEBAREN (in English: LIVES FULL OF SIGNS). It is tell about the Deaf people.

SF-SHORT STORY (summary):

 

Surdiopolis - City of the Deaf

by Henk Betten (The Netherlands)

 

Eliza Mistinquet is special; she was born seven seconds after the beginning of the twenty-first century, the first of January of the year 2011. That was some time ago. Now she has become a sociologist, and the world is quite different from that in the last century. One day her brown eyes stare out of her window, not really seeing the large steel tower in full view. She thinks back on a remark her father made yesterday-evening. He mentioned that Deaf people keep on moving to Surdiopolis. It refreshed a concern she had had for quite some time. Until now she has avoided talking about the city of the Deaf to her husband Louis, deaf-born, just like her.  His face showed no emotion yesterday, her father might as well have been mentioning the weather. Eliza resolves to put the matter before Louis this evening. She knows how much Louis loves Paris, the city he has always lived in, with all its beauty and history. And then there are the children...

          When she gets home that afternoon, she finds her husband relaxing in their comfortable living-room. She walks over to the antique 1960-dressoir, and picks up the mail. She notices the “From sign to sign”-magazine, earlier than usual. After a simple meal, a pre-cooked combination with exactly the right nutrients added, topped with a dessert of old-fashioned chocolate, she tells her husband and her three children she has something important to think about and retires into her study. She sinks back in her comfortable anti-gravity-chair and reads an article in the magazine with great interest. Yes, there it is! Almost every day she sees Surdiopolis mentioned in the news. Curious, she accesses the computer - a flat screen against one wall. Surdiopolis - job vacancies... A long list of subjects in which experts are needed in the newly founded city covers the wall. Among them sociologists.

          Could she be needed there? In d’Echo, her colleagues at the office still fail to understand what it is she needs most; good cooperation and acceptation. Things must be so different over in Surdiopolis. She might even apply for a management-position. Her deafness could for the first time be a pro and not a contra. Tempted, she accesses the on-line Gallaudet-encyclopedia. Curious, and with increased emotion, she reads among the reasons for building Surdiopolis:

 

n    The rights of the Deaf and their organizations, like the right for identity, culture and history, have not or barely been given the chance to develop by most countries in the Western world, sometimes by active obstruction of governmental offices. Exemplary is the tendency of most governments to force organizations for the Deaf into a unified platform for all handicapped.

n    Recognition of Sign Language as the natural language of the Deaf has met with refusal and ignorance in many countries.

n    Very often oralism is still the main means of educating the Deaf, thus hampering the intellectual development of the Deaf.

n    Cochlear implants have been made obligatory in many countries for deaf children, a blunt rejection of Deaf culture.

n    Advice and protests by the Deaf have been ignored, e.g. for education of hearing parents of deaf children, for bilingual education, deaf teachers and Deaf culture.

n    In this age of technological development, the integration of the Deaf into higher education and high-level jobs is still lacking, partly because of the lack of interpreters.

 

Eliza hisses with indignation. She recognizes a lot in these items, and the fire of rebellion flares up. She nods violently. It had to be, Surdiopolis is the logical outcome of a long history of demonstrations, which started with the “Deaf president now”-actions, on the Gallaudet-University in the previous century. Eliza decides to stop accepting everything and do something. It is now obvious to her that her talents can be much more useful in the new city than in ancient Paris.

 

[ In the following pages, Eliza learns more about the developments which led to the foundation of Surdiopolis: with the financial support of several deaf billionaires the new city arose in a few years in harsh surroundings. Eliza gets a call from her father, who tells her that he and Eliza’s mother will go to Surdiopolis for a holiday. They invite Eliza, Louis and their children to come along. Before they go, Eliza finds to her surprise that Louis wants to move to the new city. They are thrilled.]

 

Finally their voyage begins. The plane leaves the airport north of Paris and after several hours a display tells the passengers they approach their destination. High above the earth Eliza gets up and looks outside, to the surface. There are no clouds. When the city of the Deaf comes into view, Eliza shakes her husband by the shoulder with great excitement.

          -“Look! It is the prettiest thing I have ever seen!”

Louis gets up and looks at the city below. He agrees. It is beautiful. The city has seven quarters and several parks. Every area has the shape of a signed letter.

          -“Look, an E, and over there a W.” The children discover some more. Louis notices the gleam in Eliza’s eyes as they get ready for landing. He remembers it from one time, standing in front of the altar in the Notre Dame in Paris. He feels her happiness, like he did at their wedding.  

          She shakes her head.

           The plane lands without any sudden movement. Madeleine tells her mother how she didn’t hear anything while landing. She expected the usual noise of the breaks. Louis smiles. He tells her about the latest invention, added to the Airbus. “It is the most refined and biggest aircraft in the world, and it’s French!”

          Although they expect to come to a welcoming home, the customs-officer insists on seeing their passports. “That’s Deaf Culture for you”, Louis remarks. The officer asks if they have anything to declare.

          -“Our sign-language”, Louis smiles.

          Finally, the icy attitude of the officer melts a little. He smiles and signs his OK.

Eliza observes the conversation and notices he uses ASL. She wonders if that would be the most common sign-language in Surdiopolis. If so, they will have no trouble adapting, their French signing being so similar to it.

          In the magnetic trolley they glide through the new city. A sign lights up, telling them to wait a while when they want to get out. Eliza suddenly feels herself being lowered. That way she walks out, without any step. She is glad other handicaps are not being forgotten here. Looking around they realize they have gotten off at the wrong stop. It is the Henri-Daniel Guyot-boulevard. As usual in these situations, Madeleine tries to call a passer-by to inquire what way to go. A woman, her back turned towards them, doesn’t respond to Madeleine’s call. Eliza starts laughing. “She’s deaf too, dear. She can’t hear you!” She laughs again. But her daughter just stares at her, and starts crying. Eliza puts her arm around her little shoulders and asks what’s wrong.

          -“It’s all so quiet. You can’t hear anything here. It’s scary.” At these words from their elder sister, Dominique and Jean start crying as well.

          They settle down a bit, and as they walk on, Louis notices a sign: Avenue of Deafness.

          -“We took the wrong way. Now I know. This way please”, he signs with a large and graceful gesture. A large building in the shape of a spiral turns out to be the Ray Holcombe-hotel, where they will stay.

 

[They walk through the city that night, and meet their English friends Harold and Alice, who have been living in the city for a year now. The next day they visit the city hall, where they learn that the city is rapidly expanding to accommodate the large number of immigrants. The next evening they visit Alice and Harold, who is responsible for the safety in the city. He explains that a penal colony is housed about ten miles away. Louis finds out there is a great need for psychologists, which strengthens their idea of moving to Surdiopolis. Howard explains the structure of the government of Surdiopolis. He promises Eliza he will arrange a meeting with Mayor Perznikov for her. It turns out she might be the right person to fill the vacant position of deputy-mayor.

          Three months later the Mistinquets move to Surdiopolis.]