AllDeaf.com - View Single Post - Should Deaf communicate oral with hearing family and friends?

pek1 · 07-03-2009, 02:17 PM

I'm pretty sure I stated my position on this before. Although I support the deaf's right to use asl with each other, when they are out in the community, they need to be able to be oral. Picture the grunting (deaf speak) and the other sounds deaf use to communicate. Now, picture a guy who openly says he's gay to people who are hostile towards gays.

Not everyone we meet are open and nice to everyone else. Would we all agree with this? We all have family members that are jerks and wave us off when we ask what was said. We can live with it by ignoring those people in the future. We, as deaf people (no matter how deaf we all are), need to rise to the occasion and be nice to them as much as possible. That's not to say that we allow these people to hit us or speak unkind to us . . . no, no, no, that's not what I'm saying. When that occurs, I fully support the deaf person wronged to either walk away or to sign back to that person, all the while keeping a very pleasant face, even though the deaf person is using words that one would not use in public.

I've thought often of what shel has said and don't have a ready solution. What she could do is take her two fingers and poke the aunt in both eyes (gently) and ask both in asl and orally what was said.

07-03-2009, 02:17 PM	#44 (permalink)
pek1 Journalist. Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: When I survey the wondrous Cross . . . Posts: 3,963	I'm pretty sure I stated my position on this before. Although I support the deaf's right to use asl with each other, when they are out in the community, they need to be able to be oral. Picture the grunting (deaf speak) and the other sounds deaf use to communicate. Now, picture a guy who openly says he's gay to people who are hostile towards gays. Not everyone we meet are open and nice to everyone else. Would we all agree with this? We all have family members that are jerks and wave us off when we ask what was said. We can live with it by ignoring those people in the future. We, as deaf people (no matter how deaf we all are), need to rise to the occasion and be nice to them as much as possible. That's not to say that we allow these people to hit us or speak unkind to us . . . no, no, no, that's not what I'm saying. When that occurs, I fully support the deaf person wronged to either walk away or to sign back to that person, all the while keeping a very pleasant face, even though the deaf person is using words that one would not use in public. I've thought often of what shel has said and don't have a ready solution. What she could do is take her two fingers and poke the aunt in both eyes (gently) and ask both in asl and orally what was said. __________________ Pete