Description about the painting:
I am working on a series 'Right to Be Deaf', Painting No. 1 'The Newborn Hearing Screening.' This painting is based on what is happening with the new parents and the newborn Deaf baby in a small four-cornered room as referred to 'The Elephant in the Deaf Room.' These are doctors, professionals and specialists inside this room.

The painting 'The Newborn Hearing Screening' is about new hearing parent, who is new to having a Deaf baby. This painting is from a Deaf perspective, on how they see issues that's been happening inside a hospital. The Early Hearing Detection Intervention leave out other options that would help and give new parents suggestions on what they feel is best for the Deaf baby. Hospitals and audiologists lack informations on American Sign Language/English that are very beneficial for Deaf children. The cochlear implant companies convince them to have parents bring Deaf babies to them. They are making HUGE profits. They get doctors to promote their cochlear implants to new hearing parents of Deaf babies. This is what is happening today. This is what the painting is about.

There are many issues shown in the painting:

-Mask of Benevolence are the doctors, professionals and specialists. See painting Mask of Benevolence.
-Audiologist as a Clapping Monkey brings memories to many Deaf people who have seen the monkey at an early age inside the sound room. See painting of the clapping monkey.
-The hidden elephant is AGBell. The same elephant in the same position as shown in
'The Elephant in the Deaf Room.'
-Two 'Audism' Persons (ear and mouth) are from the Speech and Language department
-The new mother shows a puzzled face and a happy face
-'ASL Stands' seen at the door (American Sign Language as in 'ASL', my interpretation refers to Cultural and Linguistic Minority where Deaf people are standing and fighting for the truth.
-The Door refers to 'Deafhood.' The light shines into the tiny dark room. Deaf people are seeking the truth.
-The black and white shadows on the floor is the elephant standing behind the Masks, hiding, but can see the shadow and knows it is in the room.

See the video link about the painting from Right to Be Deaf Series, Painting no. 1, 'The Newborn Hearing Screening' narrated by Patti Durr, a professor on Deaf Studies/Deaf Cultural/Deaf Art at NTID/RIT.