What Is It Like To Be Deaf?

HEY THERE! WELCOME TO LIFE NOGGIN. EVERY WEEK I MAKE VIDEOS AND USE MY VOICE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ALL OVER, BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN HEAR WHAT I’M SAYING. MY BUDDY RIKKI HERE IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. SHE’S A MEMBER OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY. SO RIKKI, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE DEAF AND WHAT’S LIFE LIKE? WELL, BY SOME DEFINITIONS, DEAF USUALLY IMPLIES HAVING LITTLE OR NO FUNCTIONAL HEARING, WHILE HARD OF HEARING USUALLY IMPLIES THAT A PERSON HAS MILD-TO-MODERATE HEARING LOSS. BUT IT IS UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL TO CHOOSE HOW THEY IDENTIFY. HOWEVER, AUDIOLOGISTS TEND TO REFER TO US AS “HEARING IMPAIRED”, WHICH IS A TERM THAT DEAF PEOPLE OFTEN DISLIKE. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF, THE HARD OF HEARING AND DEAF COMMUNITY IS QUITE DIVERSE. THERE ARE DEAF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MAINSTREAMED, MEANING THEY ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THOSE WHO WERE MAINSTREAMED MAY USE AN ASL INTERPRETER, SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND/OR LIP READING. LIP READING IS NOT 100% EFFECTIVE THOUGH AND ONLY 30-40% OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN BE READ ON THE LIPS UNDER THE BEST CONDITIONS.

THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO ATTEND DEAF SCHOOLS, WHERE ALL EDUCATION IS DONE IN SIGN LANGUAGE AND ALL THE STUDENTS ARE DEAF. PEOPLE FROM BOTH MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS AND DEAF SCHOOLS (BUT NOT ALL) ARE ALSO PART OF DEAF CULTURE: A SET OF LEARNED BEHAVIORS OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF AND WHO HAVE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE, RULES, AND TRADITIONS. DEAFNESS IS NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL. SOME OF US MAY BE ABLE TO HEAR HIGH PITCHED TONES WHILE SOME MAY BE ABLE TO HEAR DEEPER TONES, OR SOME MAY CANNOT HEAR ANYTHING AT ALL. WHAT I MAY BE ABLE TO HEAR A LITTLE BETTER, THEY MAY NOT AND VICE VERSA. THOSE WHO GREW UP IN DEAF CULTURE TEND TO USE SIGN LANGUAGE. SIGN LANGUAGE IS A COMPLETE AND COMPLEX LANGUAGE THAT USES SIGNS MADE BY HAND MOVEMENTS, COMBINED WITH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND BODY POSTURES THAT ARE AN INTEGRAL PART TO SIGN LANGUAGE’S GRAMMAR. HOWEVER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT NO FORM OF SIGN LANGUAGE IS UNIVERSAL. AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU WILL FIND DEAF PEOPLE WHO USE BOTH SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND SIGN LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE.

SO THE WAY A PERSON CAN BECOME DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING CAN VARY, BUT WHAT ARE SOME COMMONS WAYS? WELL, SOME PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY BORN DEAF DUE TO GENETIC REASONS. OTHER WAYS THAT PEOPLE EITHER BECOME DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING CAN INCLUDE A PREGNANCY OR CHILDHOOD RELATED ILLNESS, INJURIES TO THE HEAD, OR PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO A LOUD ENOUGH NOISE. SOMETIMES THE COCHLEA OR COCHLEAR NERVE IS TARGETED, WHICH CAN GET IN THE WAY OF ELECTRICAL IMPULSES MEANT TO REACH THE BRAIN. OTHER TIMES THE TINY BONES INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAR FAIL TO PASS ALONG SOUND WAVES. IT CAN ALSO END UP BEING A MIX OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON INSIDE FOR SOME PEOPLE. ALSO, HEARING AIDS OR COCHLEAR IMPLANTS MIGHT BE USED TO HELP ENHANCE THE HEARING OF MEMBERS FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT CAN STILL HEAR.

KEEP IN MIND THAT BOTH OF THESE PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY ARE SIMPLY ASSISTIVE TOOLS, NOT CURES, AND THEY DON’T WORK FOR ALL DEAF PEOPLE. OVERALL, BEING DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING IS OFTEN NOT SEEN AS A DISABILITY BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT RATHER A CULTURAL IDENTITY THAT STEMS FROM THEIR DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. WITH THE RIGHT MIX OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND EDUCATION, BEING DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING DOESN’T NEED TO BE LIMITING TO A PERSON’S LIFE. THE MAIN PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING IN SOCIETY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING FROM THOSE THAT ARE NOT A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. THIS CAN TOTALLY BE HELPED THOUGH, BY EDUCATING OUR FRIENDS AND BY PORTRAYING REALISTIC DEPICTIONS OF THOSE FROM THE COMMUNITY IN OUR ARTS, LIKE LITERATURE AND FILM. WE JUST NEED MORE AUTHENTIC DEAF REPRESENTATION. SO ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH ANY MEMBERS OF THE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY? ARE YOU APART OF THAT COMMUNITY? IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH IT, SHARE YOUR STORIES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! IF WANNA LEARN MORE, DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT RIKKI’S AWESOME CHANNEL WHERE SHE GOES MORE INTO DETAIL OF HER PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH BEING DEAF.

AS ALWAYS, I’M BLOCKO AND THIS HAS BEEN LIFE NOGGIN. DON’T FORGET TO KEEP ON THINKING!.

For More Info : Reading speed test