Myths about Deaf People
- People who are deaf are broken or inferior
- Deafness is a terrible thing
- Most people who are deaf want to be 'normal' (hearing)
- People who are deaf need special education and cannot live a 'normal' life
- All people who are deaf can read lips (or Braille)
- People who are deaf should be greatful for what is given to them by mainstream society
- People who are deaf generally cannot think in abstracts
- People who are deaf have other 'heightened' senses to compensate for their hearing loss
- People who are deaf are rude
- People who are deaf are lazy
- People who are deaf that have good speech or can lip-read are smarter than those who cannot
Facts About People who are Deaf
- People who are deaf often differ in language preference and in other preferences or skills (e.g. Up-reading, communication mode, educational background, etc.)
- Some people who are deaf deal regularly with prejudice
- Being deaf does not affect intelligence
- Many people who are deaf can and do become 'successful'
- People who are deaf have a rich, unique culture different than that
of mainstream society, including:
- language (visual spatial, rules of grammar and syntax, contextual, examples, high detail, lists, explicit.)
- folklore, jokes, poetry, art, theatre
- community (relationships a priority, schools for the deaf, goals of community ... )