blonde1

Hi. I am a junior in high school and right now we are working on our junior paper. My topic is, "Are Deaf people disabiled." I would like to get some insight about the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and how Deaf people feel about being put under that act. Do Deaf people concider themselves disabled? Why or Why not? Thank you for your opinion and info. It will help me a lot with my paper.

Deafness

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Boult

Is being deaf a disability or not?

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jillio

They are disabled not so much by the fact of their deafness as by the social construction of communication barriers put in place by hearing society.

Interpretrator

I asked my deaf students to write an opinion paragraph on this very topic. (It had come up in class so I went with it.) The very interesting thing was, some people's opinion was that because deaf people have to rely on HAs, CIs, interpreters, assistive devices, and so forth, this means they are disabled. Other people's opinion was that because deaf people are able to utilize HAs, CIs, interpreters, assistive devices, and so forth, this means they are not disabled.

Just goes to show you, there will never be a consensus on anything in the deaf community!

dreamchaser

right on!

shel90

I feel disabled in the hearing community and I dont feel disabled in the deaf community so we, deaf people, are disabled cuz the hearing community are so resistant to make accodomations for us. It is not really that hard to do it! We live in a very self-centered society, huh?

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jillio

Absolutely. Sad that we, as a society, find it acceptable to engage in practices that disable individuals simply for the sake of convenience of others.

Buffalo

You might want to add Martha's Vineyard to your report. There was a time when everybody there knew sign language. On that island, Hearing people don't see the deaf people as disabled back then. That is why I see that people's refusal to learn sign language disable us. I don't see us as disabled as we won't have to depend on CI, HA, interpreters, etc if everybody know sign language.

Martha's Vineyard Sign Language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More in Nora Ellen Groce's book, "Everybody Here Spoke Sign Language"

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“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister)

Pepsi

jillio,you hit the nail on the head.

jillio

Thank you. That's just the way I see it after 20 years of being involved with the deaf community and the issues that affect that community.

Matilda

Jillio & Pepsi Lover ... Yep, I second that!

ClearSky

Well, the word disabled has a stigma. People normally view that as being unable to function in many ways. Whereas, we are able to do anything except hear like normal hearing people, but we can work, go to school, etc., etc. I think it's simply the word disabled has a stigma to it.

jag

But Shel, if we didn't have the disablity (loss of a sense) we wouldn't need to have the accomation. Thus we are disabled.

jillio

Ah, but the disability is situational. To illustrate, put a hearing child in a classroom in a deaf school, and they will require accommodation in order to access the curriculum, and to socialize with their peers. In this case, being hearing could be considered as having a disability.

So, is it actually the deafness that creates the disability, or is it societal barriers that create the disability? And having a disability in some situations cannot be equated to being disabled. Being disabled implies that one experiences the same functional limitations in ALL situations.

highlands

I may only consider my deafness a different hearing situation .. it isn't wrong to consider it a physical disability ,however, it is more appropriate to accept it as a different lifestyle .

Buffalo

Exactly. Martha's Vineyard proved us that if everybody sign as part of everyday life, then there won't be any accommodation for the Deafs (or a single hearing in a Deaf school, either).

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“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister)

shel90

I just dont feel disabled at my job among with other signers. That's what I mean.

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kimpossible

If you're writing a subjective essay about it, then my own answer would be no, deaf people are not disabled. It's just a question of the Other - the dominant culture sets the definitions for everything and this goes for pretty much all cases, not just hearing/deaf.

Interpretator mentioned the use of assistive devices... take the TTY for example, deaf people use TTY's to communicate/call other people, so in a hearing culture this can be seen as an assistive device for a disability. But if you just look at it as a form of technology then it's really not that different from a telephone. If everyone in the world had TTYs instead of phones, they wouldn't be assistive devices. If everyone had vibrating alarm clocks, or flashing light smoke detectors instead of ones that made noise, then same thing. It's just a question of majority vs minority... what makes people disabled in the first place. I have to admit, there are a few lame-ish exceptions to this I've come up with, like the cost of different kinds of technology, hearing environmental sounds/signifiers of danger, and the benefits, or maybe lack thereof, that the use of "deaf" technology would provide to hearing people. For the most part, though, I don't think deaf people are disabled apart from the pathological definition.

I wish I could get a topic like that for a paper at my school. It'd be nice to shock my professor with my 20-something pages I'd end up writing...

banshe333

you get my vote for saying the coolest thing i have heard all day.

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ClearSky

Well, I think we have a hearing disability that allows us to receive accommodations that most people don't need.

jillio

It is what I believe.

Pepsi

I am thinking of printing off jillio's post and put it in a frame because it's the best quote I have seen on AD.

jillio

Awww....thank you! But don't give me so much credit. Deaf people say the same thing about themselves all the time, just maybe with different words. People jsut don't seem to listen to what deaf people are telling them.

Pepsi

Yes,you are right jillio we have a different way of saying it.I like the way you said it on your post,its gets right to the point.

sequoias

That's exactly how I feel. Even tho, we are not disabled...we can do many things except that we cannot hear. We can communicate, walk, eat, work, etc just fine.

Pinky

Hearing and Deaf are the same in Disabled.

Deaf isn't real a disabled just a hearing loss and not use speak. Just a health and strong. They can do anything at work during good health.

Some deaf can't get a job due to health problem and mental problem. Like blind, mental retard, brain injury, body injury, arthritis, chronic back pain and etc. Some blind can get job for a special.

Hearing people are same with deaf. Read the above.

By the way, I am under disabled. I am shy to tell you what I have. I am in good health. I am not comfortable to post about my disabled what I have.

purplecatty

Deaf people don't see themselves 'handicapped' in our world, We consider ourselves as normal people because we are physically fine and have normal life... We view Hearing people as 'disabled'. Why we call them 'disabled' because they are unable to communicate us in our language. Hearing people placed deaf people on the rut because they do not know how to deal with them. They even think we are retarded or "dumb". That's called "communication barrier".

I have been treated like retarded when I worked as a Night Stocker at food store. The manager had retarded son and assumed that I'm just the same. It ticks me off big time. I had knot in my stomach and feel like I want to have a death wish on him. He was trying to show me where the baby food belongs to. I told him that customer mess up the baby food flavor order on shelf. He doesn't believe me and think that I was not smart and quick enough to remember all the flavors on shelf in one night. I told him "Who can memorize all those in one night!! It's all mixed up with different flavor at a wrong place!!". He was agiated and act like he's going to fire me. I told him "I QUIT!!" before he was about to say "You're Fired". I walked out of store and never regret. My co workers were left speechless when they heard that I left. Few months later, I bumped into former co worker. They told me the manager who treated me retarded was fired. I was so HaPpY to hear that LOL. Sweet revenge!!

It is fairly common that when deaf people trying to start Home business under popular business like Amway, Quixtar, Herbalife, and more (common business runs by hearing people), Hearing coaches recruits deaf and after few weeks, they ditches deafie and move along because they think it's too hard to communicate with them even Emailing, Text messaging and all those technology provided today. They says that hiring interpreters are too expensive and time consuming. Our money was wasted from trying to start Home Business through hearing. It's sad tho.

I had a strange dream many years ago that everyone in the world are deaf. Any babies born hearing considered as 'handicapped'. We had to implement some kind of communication system to help hearing child to understand our language like sign to voice machine. Hearing adults have their own 'Club of the Hearing'. Every Government, Military, Social Service and all the enities are controlled by deaf government . It was a rather strange and wishful dream I ever had... I thought it was soooo funny about it.

Catty

Pinky

Exactly, It's same as my feeling. You're so smart not a retard. Your old boss is wrong!!! When I got first job at Pizza Hut. My manager commend me to work at dishes with mental retard man. It make me pissed off. They're treat me like a retard. I want to work on Pizza making table instead of dishes. The Dishes made me too much stress and get wetting over my clothes. I really hate major dishes job!!!! I worked there for 4 months. My boss laid off. I didn't care!

I got second job at Meijer for bagger. I saw some of disabled work for bagger too. Some of teen does that either. The cashier person. I think he is Burmese think sign language is DUMB! I told him "Shut up" It's not dumb! I can't speak very well. Deaf people need to use sign language for communicate. What's wrong with sign language?? Your foregin language are DUMB too!

I have no problem with bagger expect customer person think I was a retard. She thought I did wrong with bagging. She gave me an ugly attitude. I stopped doing bag for her. I didn't appreciate with her attitude. She kept speaking. I told her, I can't hear you! I left this lane. I report on my member team that she was being so mean to me. I don't like anyone treated me a crap. I would stop doing bags. I can move to other lanes. I had a great memories where I work because my fiance and I met at Meijer. Fiance work for cashier. He didn't like this job because of people are treat a crap.

I really hate my old ophthalmologist! Because he think i am retard and has RP. He won't let me drive. He won't let me get a new contact lenses what I wanted. My fiance really don't like him how he treated me a retard.
It's last time he sent me a card for appointment with him. I torn it and threw it away in bin. I don't need him anymore!


I got a new ophthalmologist. She is very nice and understand how do I feeling. She let me get a new contact lenses with soft. I have no problem with it. I am so happy with her. I don't like boss people from employee to called deaf people are disabled and retard. That's so mean!

purplecatty

Wow that's mean! Glad that you move on to different area to avoid it. Customers can be mean too.

Man! That Ophthalmologist not very nice for refusing to provide contact lens! You had prescription and she must follow Dr's order! Sheesh. Glad that you moved on to next Ophthalmologist and they're nice to provide what you need.

One fast food restaurant was not kind to me and my wife. They gave us lousy orders or wrong orders. So we decide to move on to another same fast food. People cooperates us so well and got it right first time. Some hearing people are so dumb sometime. Some have misunderstanding about deafness. Some deaf friend came to me and told me about store not cooperating with them at all. I advise them to take business elsewhere even it may be far tho. But worth it. Or speak with manager about employees treating u wrong.

It's very important that we must be viligant with hearing peoples. We have to prove them that we can do normal things just like everyone. I remembered one guy never heard deaf people drive cars. I told him I can drive and have driver's lic. He asked me how can I know how to drive without hearing!. I explained him it's just like wearing headset listening music while driving. Simply use ur eye to scan the traffic. Simple as is. He said Oooohh ok got idea of it. I told him there are deaf pilot fly small airplane relying on signals from tower. He was freaked out. Lol. I told him it may sound impossible but it's always possible for deaf to do lot of things physically and they're mentally smart just like everyone. Lol

Catty

Pinky

I used to work at fast food like Pizza Hut and Fazolis. I have no problem with Fazoli's. But too much stress with heavy lifting. It hurt my back. Everyone do cooperator with me either.

I got a job at Macy's at Mall. I have no problem with everyone. They are so friendly and cooperator with me. I worked for Holiday Seasonal that all. Now I don't have a job. I am still looking for a new job through VR. I am in middle of busy for wedding stuff. I like to stay at home and do jewelry business. It's my career. I am go back to school this fall. I don't like to find a new job. It's make me stress out. It's not my favorite to do. I like to do jewelry making for my own business.