People should make more of an effort to understand the deaf community

Calvin

In Hazzard County
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Some people needs to be educated... Read on:

My dad marches in with frustration on his face. He sets down his keys and tells me that our favorite movie theater has stopped showing captions. Both my parents are deaf, so having a captioned theater nearby has allowed them to see new releases. Also, being able to go to a captioned theater has allowed us to spend more of our time together as a family.

To get to the bottom of this odd situation I decided to call the theater and ask why they discontinued captioned movies, preparing to hear some ignorant response about how other customers were complaining that the captions bothered them. However, in this case, it was a simple error of the machine that projects the captions. They had had problems multiple times and didn’t want to offer something that wasn’t reliable, but they were trying to fix it.

This is yet another situation where my parents, and the deaf community as a whole, are given the short end of the hearing world stick.

With the recent Nelson Mandela funeral uproar, where the interpreter was just making up random motions and later blamed it on his schizophrenia, the deaf community’s challenges have been in the spotlight.

My parents and many of their deaf friends have experienced awkward situations like this all their lives. They’ve been handed menus in Braille, offered wheelchairs at airports and questioned about whether they can drive. It seems people will continue to be misinformed about deaf people and deaf culture when things like this are happening.

Shows like ABC Family’s Switched at Birth have offered a bit of insight to people unaware of what sign language is, but that show doesn’t portray real life at all. Even after the show’s hearing characters decided they should learn sign language to communicate with the show’s deaf characters, they still mostly communicated through lip reading. After a season and a half, I was done.

Deaf people are often misjudged. They are pegged as unable when they are forced to sit in wheelchairs and strolled across the airport when their legs work just fine. They are pegged as always needing assistance because their local captioned theater stops offering captions and they have to go to a major theater and wear the huge, bulky caption glasses that make them look like robots. They are pegged as rude when at the grocery store they can’t hear the person behind them saying excuse me and they don’t move.

But deaf people are not disabled or weird or rude. A deaf person, as my mom puts it, can do anything a hearing person can do — except hear.

Though in the life of a deaf person they are put under many stereotypes and are perceived to be something other than what they really are, deaf people are some of the strongest people I know. They fight through all the odds that society throws at them. They become more than what the world thinks they can become. They are more than a fake interpreter at a televised funeral. They are more than a bad representation on some TV show.

They are unique individuals, and they are just like us.

People should make more of an effort to understand the deaf community
 
Yep, it is getting worse just because the hearing society is making us suffer more hardships again. There is no freedom for the deaf and the blind too. This is terrible.

Thank you, Calvin for showing what is the reality of what d/Deaf people have to go through. I am disappointed with the hearing society. :(
 
As usual, I agree with this article and now that I am looking for jobs in the hearing world, it will be interesting to see how I get treated. I will try my best to dispel all these stereotypes.
 
I had people ram their shopping carts into me because I did not hear them trying to pass me in a grocery store. One woman weight over 200 lbs. and she rammed into my back and almost gave a whiplash . Then the bitch started to laugh , I was ripped shit! I said to the woman 'You think that is funny then is my turn to it to you!" The store manger heard me and came over just before I could ram my cart into the bitch back. This is why I got a Finlay, my hearing dog.
 
Posted on my FB. Thank you for the link. Lots of my hearing relatives are on my fb page. So, lets see if they reply or not. :)
 
We are misjudged as many things. As I was misjudged as a snob because a guy in my apt. kept saying hello to me and I ignored him. He eventually found out I wasn't a snob.

I am fairly blunt and this goes back some years ago. I'm so focused (as a deaf/HoH person would be) understanding, I don't have time for b.s. It forces more understanding of useless stuff. As I've gotten older I tend to be more blunt - it's just easier.

Years ago, an article was written about how deaf people are invisible. We don't use canes, glasses, or anything else to give us away. The only way to get through to people is to talk to them. If you get tired of this, don't talk. As a gay woman, I removed some of the mystery about what frickin' lifestyle :) by talking to people. They learned I wasn't any different. BUT I had to talk to people or they were left ignorant, sometimes stupid, and in the dark ages.
 
Excellent article - it should be mandatory reading for anyone working with the public.

Laura
 
I had people ram their shopping carts into me because I did not hear them trying to pass me in a grocery store. One woman weight over 200 lbs. and she rammed into my back and almost gave a whiplash . Then the bitch started to laugh , I was ripped shit! I said to the woman 'You think that is funny then is my turn to it to you!" The store manger heard me and came over just before I could ram my cart into the bitch back. This is why I got a Finlay, my hearing dog.

wow. Yeah, a guy at work wanted to fight me because he was talking at me from behind and assumed I was ignoring him.

My co-worker explained my deafness, but I would have gladly thrown down.:D
 
wow. Yeah, a guy at work wanted to fight me because he was talking at me from behind and assumed I was ignoring him.

My co-worker explained my deafness, but I would have gladly thrown down.:D

That happen to me years ago, I was in a shoe store with a friend and all of a sudden my friend was getting upset with the saleswoman, my friend was telling the saleswoman I am HOH and that I did not hear her. The saleswoman got upset because I did not answer her and she said "I might as well be talking to myself!" My friend was really upset at how rude the saleswoman was. This happen a lot with me still.
 
So much is to be said about the treatment of deafies by the hearies....Have been in so many verbal arguements over the years...
 
As usual, I agree with this article and now that I am looking for jobs in the hearing world, it will be interesting to see how I get treated. I will try my best to dispel all these stereotypes.
Sounds like you'll be upfront (good). On linked-in years ago, many members were polled and they said to hide the issue. If you hide it and misunderstand you will (let me say I did that once based on the poll so I ....) sounded like a goofball.

Being upfront was never an issue. I had special equipment. They paid a lot more for a quality headset. I was not looked down upon.

Good luck to you.
-- Sheri
 
That happen to me years ago, I was in a shoe store with a friend and all of a sudden my friend was getting upset with the saleswoman, my friend was telling the saleswoman I am HOH and that I did not hear her. The saleswoman got upset because I did not answer her and she said "I might as well be talking to myself!" My friend was really upset at how rude the saleswoman was. This happen a lot with me still.
Folks: Being Hoh/deaf/Deaf (though this last one is less so) is invisible. This may make some of you upset with me but I can only write from experience. I don't blame people for coming to erroneous conclusions IF you do not tell them you have a hearing issue or whatever you want to call it. You can't expect people to be psychic and know.

I'm going to a counselor due to the issues with the CI and other issues around hearing. Her voice is pretty clear and she has been deaf (now has a CI) since 3. She mispronounces one word - cochlear . Other than that, I'd never know. Interpreters for her have forgotten about her hearing issue and she has to remind them. Sounds stupid but I'm in the same boat except my voice is extremely clear (took years of working on it). The guy who called me a snob for not saying hello because I didn't hear him ... we all make assumptions about people. When I told him about my hearing loss, all went well from there. So, to me, it's about my educating people. If they don't get it (and it's difficult) then I quit.

So, the salesperson made an assumption. What else is new. Last: I'd say that 99% of the people with whom I come in contact for a time length > 5 seconds are told by me about my hearing. It immediately brings in an awareness. I'm responsible for what happens to me. I'm never dinged for it and it's less stressful on me.
 
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Some people needs to be educated

I think so, on both sides. I can't help but think we are sending mixed signals to the hearing community.

However, in this case, it was a simple error of the machine that projects the captions. They had had problems multiple times and didn’t want to offer something that wasn’t reliable, but they were trying to fix it.

This is yet another situation where my parents, and the deaf community as a whole, are given the short end of the hearing world stick.

What short end of the stick? Are deaf so self righteous that deaf don't allow others to have problems if it effects us? All people are human and all people have issues such has machines breaking.

With the recent Nelson Mandela funeral uproar, where the interpreter was just making up random motions and later blamed it on his schizophrenia, the deaf community’s challenges have been in the spotlight.

My first thought when this happened wasn't that someone was trying to screw the deaf community, I believed, and still do, this was an issue of political connection. Someone's distant cousin, twice removed, needed a job.

I'm sure there are better qualified people for the job, but, excluding nepotism for a moment, would we then be excluding the people with schizophrenic issues from working?

My parents and many of their deaf friends have experienced awkward situations like this all their lives. They’ve been handed menus in Braille, offered wheelchairs at airports and questioned about whether they can drive. It seems people will continue to be misinformed about deaf people and deaf culture when things like this are happening.

Handed menus in Braille? How would they know to give a braille menus? Do they take the menus away when told you are deaf and replace them?

Offered wheelchairs at airports? In all the times I've gone to an airport, nobody has ever offered me a wheel chair. In fact, this has never even happened when buying a ticket online and specifying that I'm deaf.

I won't argue that people will be curious of deaf who drive, but it's more a curiosity than urging for a ban.

Shows like ABC Family’s Switched at Birth have offered a bit of insight to people unaware of what sign language is, but that show doesn’t portray real life at all. Even after the show’s hearing characters decided they should learn sign language to communicate with the show’s deaf characters, they still mostly communicated through lip reading. After a season and a half, I was done.

I'm curious about this. Since deaf know they are not blind and don't need braille menus, why would anyone be upset if hearing people expect us to lip read? After all, deaf don't need to touch anyone's lips. In fact, if we expect them to learn sign shouldn't they expect us to learn as well? Isn't that a fair trade?

More importantly, if the show doesn't cater to it's intended audience(hearing people), how would the show be able to exist?

Deaf people are often misjudged. They are pegged as unable when they are forced to sit in wheelchairs and strolled across the airport when their legs work just fine.

I would really like to see an example of this... It would really be hilarious.
I'd probably be laughing so hard I couldn't reject the ride.

They are pegged as always needing assistance because their local captioned theater stops offering captions and they have to go to a major theater and wear the huge, bulky caption glasses that make them look like robots.

We are the ones with the hearing issue. Why should the burden be placed on everyone else, especially when the technology exist to avoid it?

They are pegged as rude when at the grocery store they can’t hear the person behind them saying excuse me and they don’t move.

This happens to hearing people as well. It's not unique to deaf. I'm told it's an impatient person issue.


We do overcome a lot of things, but that's because we are human, not because we are deaf.
 
All people should just make an effort.... deaf mocks hearing, hearing mocks deaf, Deaf mock deaf, hearingmocks hearing... ecetra. See my point?
 
which point? its not about mocking...
did you even read the OP?
 
Yes I did, if you don't see what I see while reading the various posts maybe I am just too sensitive. I don't know how to articulate it
 
Sir, I agree with you. The problem, however, is to most of the hearing culture they would probably say, "What deaf community?" There are articles here and there and all I can do is caution people immediately about my own shortfalls (compared to a hearing person).

Perhaps, a start (and I can do this) would be a letter to the editor in our local paper. 200 words for me is always a challenge :) . I'll let y'all know what happens. This may take a few weeks as I will try a different angle to get to the paper for recognition (I get more words this way) first.

But the bottom line for me is we need to be the flag wavers and educators. If not us, who? School? Then they're responsible for teaching about a lot more than the deaf culture.

-- Sheri
 
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