Go Back to – Face It!
It is a fine thread which weaves the worlds of the Deaf and Hearing together. There are numerous reactions to one coming to terms with being deaf, and the Hearing community’s understanding of the Deaf and their needs are usually inadequate and sadly uninformed.
Becoming deaf can happen at any stage of life and when it happens has a profound impact on how the person will respond and cope with their loss of hearing, and how this will affect their everyday life functioning. People who become deaf later in life often struggle to come to terms with this loss and can progressively deny their situation – either leading to the refusal to use hearing aids, or to learn sign language. This leaves them isolated because it is difficult to communicate if you cannot speak intelligibly or are unfamiliar with the local Deaf community’s sign language.
Most who have been deaf from birth, and many who loose their hearing at a later stage in life develop a very strong bond with the Deaf community. This community considers itself a linguistic minority with their own culture and history and most importantly, as not disabled. Many take immense pride in being deaf. This has lead to many success stories and the creation of an environment where the Deaf can unite and identify with one another, but this has also lead to controversial situations.
Hard-of-Hearing (partially deaf) who prefer to talk instead of sign for example, can be regarded by some as betraying Deaf culture. With an understanding of the Deaf and their culture not being well known amongst the Hearing, it is easy for the Hearing to unintentionally commit acts which are offensive in Deaf culture, and also make assumptions about Deaf people which are not necessarily true or valid.