You may immediately recognize that such a world--a world without meaningful hearing--already exists. It is not a special place; it is not hidden in an enclave marked only by road signs restricting access. It is all around you, and yet few ever see it. Simply stated, it is the world of deaf people.(1)
That the deaf world tends to be invisible stems from two facts. First of all, deaf people are a small minority within the general population. How much of a minority is something we will discuss in chapter 7. Second, deaf people have no obvious indications of their lack of hearing-until you try to communicate with them. They don't wear dark glasses, carry canes, or sit in wheelchairs. Hearing aids, if they wear them, are not distinctive because persons who are hard of hearing also use them. But talk to a deaf person and their lack of hearing becomes apparent.
"What a tragedy," you might say. "No sound; no way to communicate." Not really. Most deaf people have developed a lifestyle detached from sounds. They communicate with signs, rather than speech. For that reason their social lives revolve around other people who use sign language. The majority of those who marry choose deaf spouses. Ask a deaf couple if they would rather have a hearing or a deaf child, and more than likely they will say deaf. It is not that they do not like hearing people; it is just that as social creatures, the value of communication is deeply ingrained in them. They know that communicating and socially identifying with a deaf child who signs will be much easier than with a hearing child who depends on speech. They love their children equally, hearing or deaf. It is simply a matter of communicating.
Go back to book and ordering information