Is deafness a disability?

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stephaniep21

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This is one question I've heard debated a lot, so I was hoping to get some opinions here. I feel that deafness is not a disability and that d/Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do. It seems that in Deaf culture, deafness is not regarded as a disability, but people outside the culture often assume that it is. I have never viewed my deaf family and friends as disabled; my cousin wears HAs and is fluent in ASL and my friend has CIs and knows some ASL. I have also seen true disabilities because I have worked with children with disabilities. In my opinion, deafness doesn't fit into that category.
 
Disability is thinking that deaf ferrets won't be able to succeed in hearing world.

Disability is thinking that a deaf person is not able to enjoy purrrrrr feeling of turbocharged engine.
 
Disability is KNOWING that you can't fly planes by yourself because you can't man the radios by yourself. There's a reason they have voice recorders... You need to be able to focus on the flying, especially when you're in trouble. You don't have time to text back and forth in busy airports.

Disability is knowing that you are a danger to police SWAT teams because you can't hear people scuttling across walkways above you to either side on another floor or trying to angle for a line of sight shot at you in a staircase.

Disability is knowing that you are a danger to yourself in tornado country because you can't hear the dang things in the middle of the night where there are no lights.

Disability is knowing that you can't serve in the military because you have to be able to communicate in all situations, especially under fire.

Face it, people. There are a lot of jobs you can't have or do. You ARE disabled, period. It is very frustrating at times, because there have been a LOT of things I wanted to do, but was denied the opportunity to do them because of my deafness, even though I am able-bodied, otherwise.

You just have to suck it up and find something else equally exciting to do. That's what I've had to do. I've done a lot of things out of the ordinary. I have traveled western Europe as a high school orchestra percussionist twice. I'm now learning didgeridoo and want to go busking in the future. I have my masters degree behind me, and have for a long time. I have built and installed stereo systems, made plastic didgeridoos, reloaded ammunition, done underground financial research, started to learn a few languages (though slowly), built PCs and run linux/Unix on them. I've driven trucks and tractors. I have done a lot of things in my lifetime.

I accept that I have a disability, but I don't let it keep me from doing things I am able to do in the meantime.
 
Define disabilty. It is NOT a disabilty in the way profound or severe mental retardation is, or in the way quadupelgia is... or even severe Asperger's. i knew a kid with severe Asperger's....and he wasn't just a Sheldon, but he was indeed impaired. He thought if you talked with him once or twice you were automaticly friends with him, his preoccupation was with the skin on his arms being streatchy and he was just completely and totally impaired... HE was indeed disabled. Heck, it depends on your attitude. I know wheelchair users who are Disabilty Rights wheelies, who argue that they're not disabled...its enviromental barriers and social attitudes that create the barriers. then again I know a helpless wittle learned retarded (like he really has no real mental disabilty but acts helpless and doesn't use his brain) guy in a wheelchair who whines about how using a wheelchair makes him "wheelchair bound"
 
DDrummer has a point, certain job descriptions are restricted for safety reasons (ie NO deaf soldier will wait for a terrorist to trip a strobe light alarm), but when it comes to basic life's abilities, finding ways to adapt will not render a deaf person incapable.
 
Anyone can paint a rainbow for themself and say: "I'm not disable."
But the fact is both eyes are used for sight, both legs are used for mobility, both ears are used to hear, etc. If you have one or more that is unable to do its intended purpose, that is a disability.
 
There are DEGREES of disability. It is not black and white, but the barriers to PROPER functioning are there. You most likely wouldn't survive in the jungles in a natural setting for as long. Neither would I. Our survivability drops relative to a hearing, able-bodied person. FACT. Oh wait a minute... You're talking about a city environment. How about a home break in while you're asleep at night? That's why I always position my bed opposite the door so that maybe the thief might not be so inclined to try to cross the entire floor without getting caught. I don't know if that would help, but fact is, I'm vulnerable to a break in. I'd have to kill the person from my own bed to save myself with my handgun from under the pillow. Assuming I haven't fondled the gun in my sleep and fired it. If I were hearing, I wouldn't put it on my bed, but within reach if I had been able to hear someone breaking in. I'm always looking for someone in the kitchen when I go to the bathroom at night. I hate that.

Get over yourselves and move on. I have. I accept that I will not be a pilot of a commercial plane or a ocean ship, that I will not be a SAR team member anytime soon. If I were younger, and stem cell became a proven, safe, reliable treatment, damn straight I'd do it and find something exciting that I've always wanted to do.
 
It is a disability....period.
 
I agree it's a disability in *some* situations and eliminates one form certain occupations/activities. But I think the key is to *adapt* and find ways to pursue our dreams and goals at the same time. Just because of being Deaf or HOH doesn't mean we should just give and stay home and never go out the door. I think, too, it's important not to put ourselves down like some in the hearing world might, but to love and care for and respect ourselves. And expect it of others as well as offer it to others. And have the confidence to ask for what we need as far as accommodation.
 
The real answer to this question is it depends on what you define as a disability.
Whether you subscribe to the medical definition, the dictionary definition, your own definition, or the "mental issues" definition.

No one can tell another what is the correct definition of a disability unless the argument is specific.
So, if there is no case in point, everyone should be entitled to their own opinion. There is no right one in this topic's case.
 
Truthfully, combining severe hearing loss with legal blindness has kind of slowed me down a lot.
 
My husband can't sew but he could learn to, that would be a challenge he could overcome. You can't learn to hear so it gets labled with a general term "disability". With so many people abusing the system with different claims of false disabilities, it becomes almost a shameful term. But it shouldn't be mixed up with the reason of being disabled. When you can't hear, you can't hear. And there is no shame whatsoever in that!!!!! I hope I said that where it made sense. :wiggle:
 
Yes and no, for example if we could live in an all deaf country, then it would really not be an issue. however from a real world perspective some of our options are limited due to communications with hearing people and the need for interpreting services etc. From a government standpoint we need to have that "disability" label to justify and fund the support services we need to put us on a more level playing field with the rest of the populus
 
Disability is a bit outdated term to me. Deaf people can fly, do surgeries etc, it's the society that denies deaf people this, because the majority have decided one specific way to do things that exclude people that don't fit. In the future, with more people getting equal dependent on technology, I belive this will be less of a problem.

Wether one is disabled also depends on which definition one use.
 
I don't really like the word "disability" for deafness as it does not seem right at all, as the only thing we cannot do is hear/hear normally.

I don't really consider myself as disabled.
 
I consider deafness as disability.
 
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