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The colour of skin usually determined one ignored. Are we
to assume that the same concept applies to deaf and hard of
hearing persons - the more speech and hearing they possess,
the better they fit in our society? The colour of skin usually
determined one's status - the lighter the colour, the better
one "fits in". Darker skin tones usually relegated
one to the margins of the society, either to be forgotten
or ignored.
It is true that this world is populated largely by persons
with normal hearing who communicate largely by speech. However,
it does not necessarily mean that everyone must conform to
this standard of communication. It is a world that can and
does allow for different communication styles - print language,
sign language, Braille, to name a few. This is not only a
hearing world, but it is also a very noisy one. It is very
difficult for deaf and hard of hearing persons to understand
what others are saying through artificial amplification on
a background of ambient noise: traffic sounds; blaring TVs,
radios and stereos; the incessant chatter of dozens of conversations;
furniture scraping along the floor; bells, whistles, horns,
and buzzers; whirring and humming of machinery; structures
creaking and groaning; footfalls shuffling and thudding; doors
and drawers slamming; paper crinkling and snapping; water
running and gurgling; and many, many others. Persons with
normal hearing are able to filter out these noises in the
background and focus on what they want to hear, but, due to
the nature of their artificial amplification aids, most deaf
and hard of hearing persons don't have this ability, becoming
almost completely lost and frustrated in trying to communicate
in such an environment. The ideal place for them to communicate
is in a quiet, secluded place with only a few persons present.
THAT is not typically the hearing world. The use of technology
to help deaf and hard of hearing persons function better in
this world. In the eyes of some of the hearing, artificial
amplification aids would "solve" our problems, but,
in truth, it happens only to a very small minority, and this
assumption often has been reached without consulting with
deaf and hard of hearing consumers what their REAL needs were.
It is a fact that most deaf and hard of hearing persons have
opted for technological aids that that are designed for other
senses than hearing in order to help them function better
in this world, such as TTYs, captioning, fax machines, and
vibrating or flashing alarms. This kind of technology is being
developed and refined at a faster clip and is much cheaper
than the technology for artificial amplification simply because
the demand for it is greater than for the other. In a few
years, we may have technology that could render artificial
amplification and interpreters obsolete - the microcomputer
has revolutionized the way we live in this world and, for
the first time in history, is truly levelling the playing
field between the hearing and the deaf. Computers will be
able to teach the deaf speech without the need for speech
therapy and artificial amplification and to convert voice
into text and vice versa. Home-based employment is the wave
of the future, showing that one can do business via microcomputers
without needing hearing and speech. The Internet has opened
up the entire world of knowledge and commerce to deaf and
hard of hearing people on a scale unprecedented in history.
Best of all, the Internet does not differentiate between persons:
deaf or hearing, black or white, tall or short, able-bodied
or disabled, male or female, and so on. It is truly a great
equalizer.
There is a Catch-22 situation inherent in the position taken
by people who insist that deaf and hard of hearing persons
must learn how to live in a hearing world by learning hearing
and speech. This focus on oralism can and does render deafness
more invisible. The greater this invisibility, the less accommodating
and sensitized the hearing world becomes towards deaf and
hard of hearing persons. As history shows over the past twenty-five
years, oralism has been in general decline, while, at the
same time, there has been a dramatic increase in the acceptance
and use of American Sign Language and its derivatives throughout
North America. Not surprisingly, this trend coincided with
a tremendous rise in the hearing society's sensitivity towards
and accommodation of deaf and hard of hearing persons. The
reason for this is simple: signing made deafness much more
visible to others. The conclusion is inescapable: the assimilationist
concept of "living in a hearing world" actually
promotes less sensitivity and accommodation towards deaf and
hard of hearing persons and, consequently, services for them
decline in number and quality, which can actually make life
harder and more isolating for these persons. This may be a
hearing world, but it is also a SEEING world, and seeing is
a function that deaf and hard of hearing persons DO share
with hearing persons. Countless numbers of Deaf and hard of
hearing persons have already demonstrated that they can function
well on their own in this world without relying solely on
the hearing and speech function. This world belongs not only
to hearing persons but also to deaf and hard of hearing persons,
and they do not need to be told that they need hearing and
speech in order to belong or how to live in a hearing world.
There is plenty of room for all kinds of communication. It
is not the sense of hearing (or the lack of it) that creates
barriers between deaf and hearing persons; it is attitudes
that creates them. If anyone asks, the "hearing world"
is overrated as a reality.
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