The Deaf culture doesn’t always seem to be brought up often on what it really is about. It’s honestly just like any other culture where it’s different, but the people included are just like anyone else and capable. People have viewed Deaf people as incapable and not being able to do as much. That’s where they’re wrong.
There are Deaf lawyers, Deaf doctors, Deaf teachers, and so on. If you haven’t noticed I capitalize the word Deaf for a reason. Why? To Deaf people, it’s a more respectful way towards their culture versus lowercase deaf viewing it as a disability physically.
Sign language is truly a beautiful language and it’s such a great way to express what the culture really is like because of its meaning behind it. Now, sign language is not taught at many schools and I wish it was a language more people considered being open to learn about. The Deaf are viewed as the minority and when they go out in public, a lot of people will first assume all around them that everyone is hearing.
For example, when Deaf people go out in public and end up writing on paper to explain their orders, you’d honestly be surprised as to how if you were an employee who knew sign language that it could honestly make their day if they signed back to them as in actually communicating with them. Not many people really consider learning sign language let alone knowing it, so when Deaf people accommodate a lot for hearing people and hearing people aren’t always exactly patient with Deaf people which isn’t fair. We’re all human here and accommodate to things differently.
Years ago, the Deaf had many labels such as deaf and dumb or deaf and mute. Not all Deaf people can even read lips. As a hard of hearing person myself, reading lips is quite hard and takes a lot of work to get used to. Never assume all Deaf people can read lips. It helps me get by though honestly. Also, don’t talk while signing to them because it’s rude.
The Deaf culture is also another world, too, but I feel like Deaf people are so much more open minded. They’re upfront from what I’ve noticed. They’re patient with hearing people who are struggling to sign better. If you don’t understand a sign that they’re saying, they’ll help you eventually get the concept and understand it better. If you sign something incorrectly, they will correct you, but it is nice for the Deaf to see hearing people interested in their culture.
The Deaf do not view what they have as a disability ever and if it runs in the family or a child gets it, they view it as a blessing. Deaf people honestly see that being Deaf is a part of who they are and they wouldn’t for a second let that stop them from the living the life they want/deserve or from doing the things they want to do that seem impossible to hearing people.
The community of Deaf people also come together a lot and from the Deaf events that I’ve intended back in high school, it was wonderful because they all unite as one when you see them all communicating with one another in sign language with everyone’s unique facial expressions. Now, some Deaf people or most do find the cochlear implant disrespectful because it implies they’re broken and need to be fixed.
The labels to this day are unreal. Recently when I got back to school, I was at Fazoli's. A man came up to me selling pins and gave me a card. It said he was Deaf and would take any amount of money towards the pin even as a little as a dollar. When I signed to him, his face lit up in a way and he seemed surprised. A part of me was really under the impression this man was struggling with selling those pins for a living. I signed to him my name when he asked. He thanked me as well after I donated, but it hit me for some odd reason.
Honestly, there are people who pose as a Deaf person to get money for sympathy in the streets. That's beyond disrespectful to the Deaf because you're giving them a different representation of their culture that's invalid. Now, although cochlear implants though do not fully restore hearing, I see how some Deaf people disagree with it and how some are okay with it.
Look at it this way, if you’re born Deaf and the cochlear isn’t an option, then what do you do? You make the best of it and you live with it. You continue to show the world what you can still do if people doubt you.
I will tell you though, it is frustrating to be not be able to hear sometimes as it is and I appreciate what little amount of hearing I have left. When you see videos on social media of kids or adults activating their cochlear for the first time in their life, it’s priceless because for the first time, they hear something. It’s so amazing because people will say out of excitement, “Oh I can hear a twig snap now.” That’s pretty big to them and even the little things in life itself is pretty important to others.
At the end of the day though, if a Deaf person doesn’t accept the cochlear implant controversy, respect that. Everyone has their own views to topics or situations and reasoning behind it. The Deaf culture is quite interesting itself and their values really show you that either being Deaf, hard of hearing, or a hearing individual shows we’re all no different than one another.
