Can hearing people be culturally Deaf?

stephaniep21 · 04-10-2012, 05:19 PM

I have heard varying opinions on this;I have heard that hearing people can assimilate into Deaf culture and become culturally Deaf as long as they understand the culture and language and spend adequate time in the Deaf community. On the other hand, I've heard that hearing people can never achieve cultural deafness because of their hearing. I'm simply looking for opinions on this: do you think hearing people can be culturally Deaf and what do they need to do to achieve that?

Anij · 04-10-2012, 05:22 PM

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

CODA & SODA can (and often are) Culturally Deaf.

Otherwise no, they aren't "Culturally Deaf" they're Hearing who are involved in the Deaf community.

Arthaey · 04-10-2012, 05:28 PM

I asked a Deaf woman who I follow on Twitter this exact question, and she said that (in her opinion) hearing people could be culturally Deaf.

That said, I'm sure many Deaf people wouldn't fully accept hearing people that aren't CODAs. I'm even more sure that most hearing people wouldn't have the right attitude or ASL fluency to be accepted even by the more inclusive Deaf folks.

GrayEagle · 04-10-2012, 05:35 PM

I can't speak as a member of the Deaf Community, as I'm not Deaf nor a part of the Deaf Community, having no Deaf family members. Later in life, I am trying to learn the language (ASL) but I am HOH. So, I live in a limbo world. I no longer function well in the hearing world, which is often impatient with me and disrespectful and rude. But I am not of the Deaf Community, either, because I grew up & had full hearing until my 40s. I will say, that meeting others from the Deaf Culture in my ASL classes and through the local advocacy agency for both the Deaf and HOH, and going to a few events, I am more accepted in the Deaf Community than I am in the hearing world. But I am not "assimilated" or even close to that.

Maybe that doesn't make sense or doesn't really answer your question.

It's why I am trying to learn the language, ASL, and am becoming educated through my Deaf friends and the advocate agency. I want to be able to make friends, have social doings and not feel excluded or "humored" because of my hearing loss and need for accommodation.

Otherwise I guess I can stay the hermit I am becoming.

Anij · 04-10-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrayEagle

I can't speak as a member of the Deaf Community, as I'm not Deaf nor a part of the Deaf Community, having no Deaf family members. Later in life, I am trying to learn the language (ASL) but I am HOH. So, I live in a limbo world. I no longer function well in the hearing world, which is often impatient with me and disrespectful and rude. But I am not of the Deaf Community, either, because I grew up & had full hearing until my 40s. I will say, that meeting others from the Deaf Culture in my ASL classes and through the local advocacy agency for both the Deaf and HOH, and going to a few events, I am more accepted in the Deaf Community than I am in the hearing world. But I am not "assimilated" or even close to that.

Maybe that doesn't make sense or doesn't really answer your question.

It's why I am trying to learn the language, ASL, and am becoming educated through my Deaf friends and the advocate agency. I want to be able to make friends, have social doings and not feel excluded or "humored" because of my hearing loss and need for accommodation.

Otherwise I guess I can stay the hermit I am becoming.

Hoh people can be Culturally Deaf - in fact many are, it's actually very common.

Frisky Feline · 04-10-2012, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephaniep21

do you think hearing people can be culturally Deaf and what do they need to do to achieve that?

yes. as long as they use ASL (voice off) and be involved with deaf community.

green427 · 04-10-2012, 07:40 PM

Have any of you met Keith Wann? If you've never heard of him and sat down to talk with him, you would never know that he is not deaf, so yes, hearing people can be culturally deaf. Loved chatting with him, he sure knows how to crack me up.

Anij · 04-10-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by green427

Have any of you met Keith Wann? If you've never heard of him and sat down to talk with him, you would never know that he is not deaf, so yes, hearing people can be culturally deaf. Loved chatting with him, he sure knows how to crack me up.

Yes - Keith Wann is CODA (as is his wife, IIRC)

Lily7 · 04-10-2012, 09:45 PM

They can be, but it's not likely, aside from CODAs. I was BORN deaf but my mom fell for that whole "Don't let her sign, she'll never get anywhere in life" thing so I was raised culturally hearing against my will. Now that I am an adult, and sign, I still have yet to really be accepted as culturally Deaf by other Deaf. So if me, a fully deaf person, is having difficulty being accepted as culturally Deaf, I can only imagine it's that much harder for a hearing person to do the same thing. It'd take a lot of extenuating circumstances and time.

drphil · 04-10-2012, 10:20 PM

I understand some members of AllDeaf.com claimed to be "cultural deaf" eg Jillio. Harlan Lane?

MissLady · 04-29-2012, 06:05 PM

I think CODAs can be for sure, if their parents are culturally Deaf. Just because your parents have a hearing loss though doesn't make you culturally deaf. I know of a CODA whose parents are not actively involved in the community; I would not personally consider him culturally deaf. That being said, if the CODAs parents are involved, their kids are usually culturally deaf.

Long-time interpreters can also be culturally Deaf, I believe. They tend to know almost everyone in the community.

Frisky Feline · 04-29-2012, 06:22 PM

is the hearing guy who is in army and had no experience with deaf/Deaf people before. so do you consider that can he be a cultarally deaf when he has a Deaf wife?

**Bottesini** · 04-29-2012, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frisky Feline

is the hearing guy who is in army and had no experience with deaf/Deaf people before. so do you consider that can he be a cultarally deaf when he has a Deaf wife?

I know a hearing guy here who was married to a Deaf wife for over twenty years.

They got a divorce and then he talked a lot about his bitterness about not really ever being accepted.

He made it a point to tell to tell me that as a public school graduate who is really hoh, no one really accepts me either.

So maybe some people are less accepted than they wish...

MissLady · 04-30-2012, 11:07 PM

^ Wow, he sounds bitter about life in general.

I think spouses/partners of culturally Deaf people can become culturally Deaf if they are heavily involved in the community and use Sign. I have known Deaf women whose husbands are hearing and NEVER LEARN TO SIGN! Definitely not culturally Deaf at all. In my mind, not even respectful of your partner's needs.

**Bottesini** · 04-30-2012, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissLady

^ Wow, he sounds bitter about life in general.

I think spouses/partners of culturally Deaf people can become culturally Deaf if they are heavily involved in the community and use Sign. I have known Deaf women whose husbands are hearing and NEVER LEARN TO SIGN! Definitely not culturally Deaf at all. In my mind, not even respectful of your partner's needs.

He is a very fluent signer. And I think he was pretty bitter about the divorce.

I think he felt pretty Deaf until he lost all his friends in addition to his wife.

steff · 05-02-2012, 08:20 AM

in my opinion yes under the right circumstances hearing people can be culturally deaf. for example i was born deaf to hearing parents and when i started school one of my friends (also deaf) has a hearing sister and she spends more time around us in the our world than with hearing friends. so under the right circumstances i think yes hearing people can be culturally deaf

Pidgin · 05-02-2012, 10:44 AM

When a person has in a cochlear implant, and they can hear words and sounds ... does that mean they are now hearing and not deaf ??? When they take way the magnet, does that mean they are now deaf and no longer hearing ?? Should blind people hate you because you are seeing ??

Any person can be accepted into any cultural element if the people in the culture do the accepting. How sad it would have been if white people would have never accepted black people and vice versa because they were 'different'.
Pidgin

God Bless the little children while they are still too young to hate. --- Tom T. Hall

AlleyCat · 05-02-2012, 10:58 AM

I firmly believe hearing people can be culturally Deaf. Especially when they have so integrated their lives into the Deaf community. One perfect example is Jillio. She thoroughly meshed herself into the Deaf community and her son's life. And while moving does not make you culturally Deaf, she moved from cities and states to get her son into the best schools for her son. She became proficient in sign language and is very well accepted by the Deaf community. Keith Wann would be another good example, and he is a CODA, so he has full knowledge of what it's like to live in a Deaf life.

Frisky Feline · 05-02-2012, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlleyCat

I firmly believe hearing people can be culturally Deaf. Especially when they have so integrated their lives into the Deaf community. One perfect example is Jillio. She thoroughly meshed herself into the Deaf community and her son's life. And while moving does not make you culturally Deaf, she moved from cities and states to get her son into the best schools for her son. She became proficient in sign language and is very well accepted by the Deaf community. Keith Wann would be another good example, and he is a CODA, so he has full knowledge of what it's like to live in a Deaf life.

Amen to that.

CSign · 05-02-2012, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pidgin

When a person has in a cochlear implant, and they can hear words and sounds ... does that mean they are now hearing and not deaf ??? When they take way the magnet, does that mean they are now deaf and no longer hearing ??
Pidgin

Having a CI doesn't change the fact that a person is d/Deaf.

Frisky Feline · 05-02-2012, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pidgin

When a person has in a cochlear implant, and they can hear words and sounds ... does that mean they are now hearing and not deaf ??? When they take way the magnet, does that mean they are now deaf and no longer hearing ?? Should blind people hate you because you are seeing ??

Any person can be accepted into any cultural element if the people in the culture do the accepting. How sad it would have been if white people would have never accepted black people and vice versa because they were 'different'.
Pidgin

God Bless the little children while they are still too young to hate. --- Tom T. Hall

Nah, as long as if a person knows ASL and is very involved with Deaf community. AND is not AUDIST(the attitude) too.

04-10-2012, 05:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
stephaniep21 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New York Posts: 54	Can hearing people be culturally Deaf? I have heard varying opinions on this;I have heard that hearing people can assimilate into Deaf culture and become culturally Deaf as long as they understand the culture and language and spend adequate time in the Deaf community. On the other hand, I've heard that hearing people can never achieve cultural deafness because of their hearing. I'm simply looking for opinions on this: do you think hearing people can be culturally Deaf and what do they need to do to achieve that?

04-10-2012, 05:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Anij Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 2,087	Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold ) CODA & SODA can (and often are) Culturally Deaf. Otherwise no, they aren't "Culturally Deaf" they're Hearing who are involved in the Deaf community. __________________ Hoh/Deaf ~ +120db deaf right , mild/mod flux left & APD English & ASL ...PAH!! Ignorance is NOT Bliss Last edited by Anij; 04-10-2012 at 05:23 PM.

04-10-2012, 05:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
Arthaey Registered User Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: California Posts: 50	I asked a Deaf woman who I follow on Twitter this exact question, and she said that (in her opinion) hearing people could be culturally Deaf. That said, I'm sure many Deaf people wouldn't fully accept hearing people that aren't CODAs. I'm even more sure that most hearing people wouldn't have the right attitude or ASL fluency to be accepted even by the more inclusive Deaf folks. __________________ Full disclosure: I'm hearing, a programmer & linguist, and a beginning ASL student. I'm here to learn!

04-10-2012, 05:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
GrayEagle Registered User Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: California Posts: 526	I can't speak as a member of the Deaf Community, as I'm not Deaf nor a part of the Deaf Community, having no Deaf family members. Later in life, I am trying to learn the language (ASL) but I am HOH. So, I live in a limbo world. I no longer function well in the hearing world, which is often impatient with me and disrespectful and rude. But I am not of the Deaf Community, either, because I grew up & had full hearing until my 40s. I will say, that meeting others from the Deaf Culture in my ASL classes and through the local advocacy agency for both the Deaf and HOH, and going to a few events, I am more accepted in the Deaf Community than I am in the hearing world. But I am not "assimilated" or even close to that. Maybe that doesn't make sense or doesn't really answer your question. It's why I am trying to learn the language, ASL, and am becoming educated through my Deaf friends and the advocate agency. I want to be able to make friends, have social doings and not feel excluded or "humored" because of my hearing loss and need for accommodation. Otherwise I guess I can stay the hermit I am becoming. __________________ "We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them." ~~Carl Jung

04-10-2012, 07:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
green427 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cooch's Bridge Battlefield Posts: 1,630	Have any of you met Keith Wann? If you've never heard of him and sat down to talk with him, you would never know that he is not deaf, so yes, hearing people can be culturally deaf. Loved chatting with him, he sure knows how to crack me up. __________________ Warning: Anything I post may not make any sense. All advice is for entertainment value only. Sarcasm might be present. Interpret at your own risk.

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04-10-2012, 09:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Lily7 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 326	They can be, but it's not likely, aside from CODAs. I was BORN deaf but my mom fell for that whole "Don't let her sign, she'll never get anywhere in life" thing so I was raised culturally hearing against my will. Now that I am an adult, and sign, I still have yet to really be accepted as culturally Deaf by other Deaf. So if me, a fully deaf person, is having difficulty being accepted as culturally Deaf, I can only imagine it's that much harder for a hearing person to do the same thing. It'd take a lot of extenuating circumstances and time. __________________ Twitter Goodreads Facebook available - send PM

04-10-2012, 10:20 PM	#10 (permalink)
drphil Registered User Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Toronto Ontario Posts: 4,117	I understand some members of AllDeaf.com claimed to be "cultural deaf" eg Jillio. Harlan Lane? __________________ Get Real:Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto -Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

04-29-2012, 06:05 PM	#11 (permalink)
MissLady Registered User Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 43	I think CODAs can be for sure, if their parents are culturally Deaf. Just because your parents have a hearing loss though doesn't make you culturally deaf. I know of a CODA whose parents are not actively involved in the community; I would not personally consider him culturally deaf. That being said, if the CODAs parents are involved, their kids are usually culturally deaf. Long-time interpreters can also be culturally Deaf, I believe. They tend to know almost everyone in the community.

04-29-2012, 06:22 PM	#12 (permalink)
Frisky Feline Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 20,239	is the hearing guy who is in army and had no experience with deaf/Deaf people before. so do you consider that can he be a cultarally deaf when he has a Deaf wife?

04-30-2012, 11:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
MissLady Registered User Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 43	^ Wow, he sounds bitter about life in general. I think spouses/partners of culturally Deaf people can become culturally Deaf if they are heavily involved in the community and use Sign. I have known Deaf women whose husbands are hearing and NEVER LEARN TO SIGN! Definitely not culturally Deaf at all. In my mind, not even respectful of your partner's needs.

05-02-2012, 08:20 AM	#16 (permalink)
steff Registered User Join Date: May 2012 Location: florida Posts: 1	in my opinion yes under the right circumstances hearing people can be culturally deaf. for example i was born deaf to hearing parents and when i started school one of my friends (also deaf) has a hearing sister and she spends more time around us in the our world than with hearing friends. so under the right circumstances i think yes hearing people can be culturally deaf

05-02-2012, 10:44 AM	#17 (permalink)
Pidgin Registered User Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hawaii Posts: 10	When a person has in a cochlear implant, and they can hear words and sounds ... does that mean they are now hearing and not deaf ??? When they take way the magnet, does that mean they are now deaf and no longer hearing ?? Should blind people hate you because you are seeing ?? Any person can be accepted into any cultural element if the people in the culture do the accepting. How sad it would have been if white people would have never accepted black people and vice versa because they were 'different'. Pidgin God Bless the little children while they are still too young to hate. --- Tom T. Hall

05-02-2012, 10:58 AM	#18 (permalink)
AlleyCat Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In my time zone Posts: 10,809	I firmly believe hearing people can be culturally Deaf. Especially when they have so integrated their lives into the Deaf community. One perfect example is Jillio. She thoroughly meshed herself into the Deaf community and her son's life. And while moving does not make you culturally Deaf, she moved from cities and states to get her son into the best schools for her son. She became proficient in sign language and is very well accepted by the Deaf community. Keith Wann would be another good example, and he is a CODA, so he has full knowledge of what it's like to live in a Deaf life. Frisky Feline and Arthaey like this.

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