Just a bit of Deaf Awareness, Part 2

- The Deaf Community is a culture/linguistic minority group. This basically means that they are a group of people who have a different culture and use a different language. They do not generally want to be viewed as a disabled group, and the last thing most Deaf people want is to be pitied. It is important to view the Deaf Community as another culture with another language, not as broken people. This is one of the reasons the term "Hearing Impaired" is generally viewed as a negative term by the Deaf Community. Shocking, right? I know it is plastered everywhere as the "politically correct" term; but unfortunately politically correct doesn't actually mean it is sensitive to what people truly want to be called. Instead the terms "Deaf" and "hard-of-hearing" are generally preferred, unless of course a specific person wants to be called Hearing Impaired. (For more of my thoughts on the whole "disabled" term, please see my blog "Disabled, or Abled?")

- American Sign Language (ASL) is a valid, complete, language. That means that to those who don't "speak" it, it is a foreign language! It is not motions, nor is it "English on the hands". There are many different types of sign languages just like there are spoken languages- British Sign Language, Portuguese Sign Language, French Sign Language, etc. There are even different forms of sign language used in America. There is English Sign Language, which is VERY different from ASL. There is also what is known as CASE (Conceptually Accurate Signed English) which is a mix of ASL and English Sign Language. Because English Sign is still English, and CASE is a mix of different the sign systems, ASL is the only one of the three that is linguistically viewed as it's own true language.

~There is much diversity among Deaf people, just like there are with hearing people. Some Deaf people voice/talk, some don't; some Deaf people read lips; some don't. Some Deaf people wear hearing aids; some don't. There are also different levels of deafness- it's not always like the "mute" button is on. So basically remember not to try to put Deaf people in a box.

~Generally speaking, Deaf people are happy the way they are and do not wish they were hearing! You probably don't or even can't understand that, and that's ok, you don't have to. Just believe it. Don't look at Deaf people with pity and sadness- do you want them to do that to you? Some probably do on the inside! Remember that Deaf people have a culture, a language, a world... and generally they are quite content!