There are a lot of myths about the Deaf culture many people don't realize are myths.
Myth: All Deaf people read lips.
True: There were generations that were forced into Oralism. "Oralism is one method of teaching a deaf child; this method does not allow the child to sign in or out of the classroom. The focus is on teaching the children to read speech cues, and focuses on teaching deaf people to speak instead of sign" (DeafWeb). Oralism now is frowned upon and now there are schools for the Deaf that teach through sign. My mom was taught to reads lips, when I asked her how much of a conversation she understands she said, "If they enunciate well about 55-60% I understand. Its lower if they don't enunciate and way harder if they sit sideways. My brain tends to fill in the blanks so I get the gist of the conversation." Lipreading is very hard, so have patience when someone asks you to repeat yourself even if you already have.
Myth: Deaf people are quiet.
True: This is not true at all. My house is very loud wither it is the television or my mom making dinner. The reason is that my mom can't tell the difference unless she has her implant on, but even if she does the house gets very loud. When she gets excited she can't tell she is raising her voice.
Myth: All Deaf people read lips.
Myth: Deaf people are quiet.True: This is not true at all. My house is very loud wither it is the television or my mom making dinner. The reason is that my mom can't tell the difference unless she has her implant on, but even if she does the house gets very loud. When she gets excited she can't tell she is raising her voice.
Myth: Talking louder will help them hear.
True: Talking clearly without changing how you talk with help them understand, but only if they read lips. If they don't know how to read lips, then talking verbally with them obviously wont help the conversation go anywhere. Writing on paper when an interpreter isn't around is the most preferred type of communication.
Myth: Deaf people are limited.
True: There is some prejudice towards the Deaf such as; they can't do things on their own, they can't drive, that they can't enjoy music or dance. These are silly misconceptions, because you can still feel music even if you can't hear it. It is said that Deaf drivers are safer because they rely on their sight a lot more then us hearing people. One person breaking barriers is Nyle Dimarco, he is a Deaf model who has won Americas Next Top Model season 22 and Dancing with the Stars season 22. In the video below there is a section where he blindfolds himself. This means that while dancing during that time he couldn't hear the music or see his partner for cues. He was in no way limited.
http://www.michigan.gov/mcsc/0,4608,7-137-8074_22503_23185-63417--,00.html
http://www.deafwebsites.com/education/oralism.html
Myth: Deaf people are limited.
True: There is some prejudice towards the Deaf such as; they can't do things on their own, they can't drive, that they can't enjoy music or dance. These are silly misconceptions, because you can still feel music even if you can't hear it. It is said that Deaf drivers are safer because they rely on their sight a lot more then us hearing people. One person breaking barriers is Nyle Dimarco, he is a Deaf model who has won Americas Next Top Model season 22 and Dancing with the Stars season 22. In the video below there is a section where he blindfolds himself. This means that while dancing during that time he couldn't hear the music or see his partner for cues. He was in no way limited.
http://www.michigan.gov/mcsc/0,4608,7-137-8074_22503_23185-63417--,00.html
http://www.deafwebsites.com/education/oralism.html
I find it really sad that people discrimante against deaf people. Do you know if deaf people have a harder time finding a job as well?
ReplyDeleteI was so interested to read your blog! Some of these myths I thought were true or untrue, its nice to have them clarified and explained. I think it is so interesting and awesome there is a school for the deaf I never thought there was. I always thought a house with a deaf person would be quiet because I didn't think sound would be turned on. But it does make sense that a deaf person doesn't know how loud they are speaking or the volume of things. I remember watching the series Project Runway and there was a deaf man that did just as good as the other contestants and made it to the top 4. He wasn't held back and that was awesome to see. Also he didn't seem to be singled out in anyway by the other contestants. I have been seeing more and more about the deaf culture and hope it keeps getting more awareness about what is a myth and what's true.
ReplyDeleteHaving a girlfriend who is very hard of hearing I can relate to this very well but only to a certain point since she is not deaf, I have to speak clearly or repeat my self many times but if I don't enunciate my words in the first place then having a conversation without her hearing aids in is a lost cause. I feel that there people who are hard of hearing and the deaf don't get enough respect since dating my girlfriend I now want to learn ASL and have become a much better speaker as a whole and a new found very large respect for those with any type of hearing loss.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this because I didn't know much about the deaf culture. Since I've met your mom I understand when you say the house can get loud. I didn't know there was a school for people who are deaf. I don't understand why people think that if they talk louder to a deaf person that they will now understand what they said. I think that people shouldn't assume that deaf people are limited when they can do so much. I thought it was amazing when Nyle Dimarco put the blind fold on because he was showing that even though he's deaf he's not limited to doing only certain things.
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