Deaf Culture

I think something extremely crucial to this process is determining if she is deaf or Deaf.  There is definitely a difference.  I spoke with my friend Kayla from Columbus (the one who is working on ASL certification) about the differences between the “d” and the “D”.  Members of this big-D Deaf community do not view being deaf as a disability, but as a difference in human experience.  It can include family members of those who are deaf and hard of hearing and interpreters that identify with the culture, but does not automatically include all who are deaf and/ or hard of hearing.

Before the 19^th century, deaf individuals lived very solitary lives among predominantly hearing people.  After this, Deaf culture was mainly established in Deaf schools and other social clubs.  Joining the Deaf community can happen at any time in one’s life depending on when one loses the ability to hear, the presence of a community where he or she resides, etc.  As mentioned in the first article, deafness is not really genetic.  While 50% of all deafness is caused by genetics, only 5% of all deaf people have deaf parents, which makes this an atypical social identity.

It’s also unique in the sense that there isn’t just one Deaf culture, but varied groups all around the world, even regionally.  Some typical values of the Deaf culture include a positive connotation with being d/Deaf, a distaste for Cochlear Implants (as it acknowledges deafness as a disability), using sign language as the main form of communication, as well as being more collectivistic (within the Deaf culture) as opposed to individualistic, like the rest of American culture.  There are some behavioral norms as well.  Certain conversation etiquette, such as, you should never walk in between a signed conversation (which makes sense, it’s the same as interrupting).  It is important to be as detailed as possible when describing environments or timing.  Arriving early is standard in Deaf culture.  When meeting someone new, a person of the Deaf community always seeks to find something in common with the other person, in a desire for to find connection.  As most communities are small, they seek to find common ground.

 I’ve decided to name my voice Lindsay.  I’m still not entirely sure how involved I really want her to be with the Deaf community, since she has a predominantly hearing family.  Though family members can be indoctrinated into the Deaf community, Kayla expressed that many in the Deaf community are still wary of all hearing people trying to get involved with the Deaf culture (including interpreters), so I imagine that it might have been very difficult for the family to try to become part of the Deaf culture, which might cause Lindsey to feel disjoint with truly identifying with the community.  I think that Lindsay was born hearing and lost her hearing ability at an early age because of a high fever, which explains why she can speak a bit.  She is mostly deaf with an extremely weak sense of hearing.