“Deaf people commonly use the term
hearing (singular noun) or hearings (plural noun) to describe the non-deaf
majority” (pg.253). As a hearing person, I found this strange when I first
began reading this book. I learned throughout reading this book and in my ASL
class that, “Hearing is a term employed by the deaf outsiders, applied to the
non-deaf insiders” (pg. 253). I don’t think that it is necessarily used in a
condescending way, compared to the labels that deaf people are given. “The
labels that have been applied to deaf people throughout the millennia have
called attention to our supposed deficits… never our strengths” (pg. 254). This
unfortunately is true. After reading Chapter 37, I now recognize many of the
labels given to the deaf and now understand why they are so offensive. I think
them labeling us as hearing is not necessarily a bad thing but it “can describe
attitudes, mindsets, lifestyles, values, even culinary preferences” (pg. 254).
One word that I had never heard of
before that this chapter talked about was the term hearo. This word “describes
a deaf person who apes hearing people” (pg. 255). I didn’t really understand
what that meant so I looked it up. It sounds like it means it is a deaf person
who seems to imitate a hearing person. The authors go on to say that, “Hearo is
an equally pejorative term”(pg. 255).
Chapter 41:
I really enjoyed reading about the
controversy over hearing aids. I was glad that the author started the chapter
by pointing out that hearing aids are not “miracle machine” (pg. 257). As dumb
as this sounds, before I always just considered how great hearing aids must be
for those who need them. I never thought about how awful it would be to have
everything amplified, not just what you want to hear. I never considered all
the distracting background noises, etc. “It doesn’t work selectively, as our
hearing does” (pg. 257). I already knew that hearing aids were “designed for
users with moderate deafness” (pg. 257). I think that hearing aids could be a
possible option if a deaf person chooses, so I am glad that the authors also
agreed that, “The Deaf community is certainly not against children, teenager,
or adults voluntarily receiving implants” (pg. 261).
“The
hearing-aid industry prefers to see deaf people in terms of audiological
deficit and social debility, as potential consumers of their expensive circuitry,
not as members of a cultural-linguistic minority” (pg. 259). I think that this
really summarizes why many deaf people do not like hearing aids. I think a lot
of it has to do with the fact that it makes them seem like they are defective
and that hearing people make it sound like the only option if you’re deaf. They
try to fix your hearing and thus the individual misses out on experiencing the
deaf culture. I was glad to read that the deaf person is not criticized if it
is their own choice. I think it really should be up to the individual and how
they want to communicate. It seems sensible for Deaf people to think of the
push for hearing aids as if “The emphasis is on overcoming one’s ‘social
difficulties,’ and not on confronting or embracing one’s differentness” (pg.
259).
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