Myths About Deafness
It’s not surprising that there are many strongly-held misconceptions about Deafness and deaf culture. Many people are uncomfortable asking questions about such topics, so myths often take on the power of facts. Communication and acceptance work best, however, when everybody is on the same page. This list of myths isn’t complete, but it should help to make things a little bit clearer for both hearing and deaf citizens.Every deaf person can lip read.Lip reading is a learned skill, just like a language. However, even people who know how to lip read can face significant obstacles in completely understanding spoken language. Some people estimate that only 30-40 of sounds in English are detectable by sight alone. Lip reading is also more difficult when the view of the lips is obstructed or during group discussions.Most deaf people are mute.Never make this assumption. Even if you haven’t heard a deaf person say anything, it may say more about that person’s shyness or fear of being misunderstood than his or her ability to speak. Since a deaf person cannot hear the pitch or volume of their voice, that person may not want to say anything to someone he or she has just met.All deaf people are part of Deaf Culture.Deaf Culture is an identity that must be embraced by the individual. Members of Deaf culture choose to view their lack of hearing as a different human experience, and not a disability. Choosing one perspective over the other is not “right” or “wrong,” and largely depends on the person in question.Deaf people will need assistance with most things.Few things are out of the range of deaf people. This includes common activities like talking on the phonewith the use of a Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) networkand dating as well as skilled pursuits like athletics and novel-writing. If they need help with something, they will ask.Deafness is hereditary.While some people may be genetically predisposed to hearing loss, less than five percent of deaf people have a deaf parent.Every deaf person can use a hearing aid.Hearing aids cannot cure hearing loss, but simply amplify it and make other provisions to aid in combating its symptoms. Whether a person can use a hearing aid or not depends on a number of important details, and you should never make assumptions that someone has “chosen” to be deaf rather than get one (although in some cases this may indeed be the case, which is also a valid decision).