Deaf Awareness Week 2023
How d/Deaf aware are you?
Consider these guiding questions to get you thinking:
What does a d/Deaf person look like? How do they smell? When do they shower? Where do d/Deaf people live? Who is more likely to have d/Deaf children?
Intrigued?
I’ve been told many a time “Wow! You don’t look d/Deaf!” *pause for reaction*
I’ve grown in my self-confidence as a Deaf woman and will now answer boldly- “Oh, I hadn’t realized! How does a d/Deaf person look?”
For those who know me- you know I’m always down to challenge mainstream thought and breakdown stereotypes and misconceptions. Now, I’m not advocating everyone do this- it can be seen as menacing and rude… I, in my dual role as Deaf individual and Teacher of the Deaf, have found a delicate way of challenging the status quo and inviting others to do so, too!
I neglected to add one particularly poignant question in my mini-quiz: How do d/Deaf people sound? This question has been the topic of many discussions at school, amongst colleagues and on Instagram as of late… how does a d/Deaf person sound? Is it appropriate to say they have a ‘Deaf accent’?
I’m not going to answer those questions but will say that not all d/Deaf people sound the same. Hence the “You don’t sound d/Deaf!” comment is equally as problematic as the aforementioned “You don’t look d/Deaf!”, despite many meaning it a compliment. Words matter- and while it may not be malicious in thought, perhaps not placing judgment one way or the other on how a person looks or sounds is best!
So- as celebrate Deaf Awareness this week, I challenge you to examine your thoughts- maybe they need tweaking. I remind the teachers I work with all the time, when you’ve met one d/Deaf person, you’ve met… one d/Deaf person. Yes, we may share some commonalities, but we’re also proudly different and unique!
So, how d/Deaf aware are you?
Leave a Reply