Bridging the Gap Between the Hearing & Deaf Worlds
Even though it’s not visible (like many things related to deaf awareness), audism is a major within society and it remains a major issue for anyone who is experiencing some kind of deafness. Yet it’s rarely ever talked about compared other discriminations and prejudices.
So what is audism and what should be aware?
Unless there are hearing aids or cochlear implants in your line of vision, or perhaps sign language are the main form of communication, it’s safe to say it’s not immediately obvious if a person is deaf or not. But is that good or bad?
Learn about my thoughts on deafness being an invisible disability
For some people, the concept of asking whether being deaf is a disability is weird question to ask or it’s complicated. For others, it’s very straightforward.
It will really depends on how you want to look at it. But in this episode, I talk about it from MY own perspectives rather than treat it as a one answer that suits everyone.
When it comes to the general perception of people with disability, it is normally looked with a negative context i.e. their “medical condition” is causing the barriers. However, a better approach would be to look at the barriers as the cause of society rather than because of the person.
But that can only happen if we adjust our mindset towards disability.
Learn about the differences between social and medical of disability here
The ‘curb-cut effect’ is a phenomenon that is not talked about enough, even though it has been around for decades.
But what is curb-cut effect? And how does it affect (in a positive way) almost every single person in society? Hopefully, if more people understand it, it will allow all of us to open our minds about certain features that we see in society today that, although are not primarily for us, we ended up benefiting from it too.
Since face masks is currently part of the everyday norm and it’s common to see it in our daily routines now, this has raised the issue of how it can make it difficult for deaf people to lip read and to communicate.
Even there are so many different types of face masks out there, I have yet to see those wearing the see-through clear face masks where you can see the other person’s lips. This makes it easier to lip read, see their emotions and facial expressions, and generally make it easier to communicate.
And this applies, not just to deaf people, but to everyone too.
What if individuals and society looks at the concept of being deaf as a positive thing? What if it can actually be a valuable contribution to the world? In essence, this is what ‘Deaf Gain’ is all about.
The common perception of being deaf and the topic of deafness overall is that it is seen as something negative, something lacking, something void.
But by reframing that into ‘Deaf Gain’, it is possible for everyone to look at it in a more positive light, and it’s something the Deaf community proudly talks about…that being deaf is actually positive.
