Test your assumptions about deafness and deafblindness

Test your assumptions about deafness and deafblindness

 

Did you know that 360 million people worldwide (5% of the world population) have disabling hearing loss? What do you know about deafness? We wish to share a great post by Suzie Jones, Deaf Awareness Trainer, published by 121 Captions. Suzie lists some misconceptions about deafness, deafblindness, deaf people and communication that she has come across in her deaf and deafblind awareness classes. Some of them may be obvious, others not. Check out her list (the most common misconceptions are highlighted in bold).

deafness and hard of hearing symbol

deafness and hard of hearing symbol

35 misconceptions about deafness and deafblindness.

  1. All deaf people sign
  2. A hearing aid makes you hear normally, all deaf people have one – or a cochlear implant (CI)
  3. The majority of deaf people cannot speak or speak funny
  4. A cochlear implant restores hearing
  5. All deaf people lipread
  6. All deaf people use Interpreters
  7. There are no deafblind people round here
  8. Deafblind people can’t get out and about
  9. Deafblind people cannot communicate, deafblindness means you cannot see or hear at all
  10. Presbyacusis only affects older people
  11. All deaf people can use a telephone with a hearing aid or cochlear implant
  12. A Loop system is suitable for all deaf people who do not sign
  13. Hearing dogs can respond to all noises
  14. Hard of hearing people are all old
  15. Hard of hearing people do not have the same problems as deaf people
  16. Deaf people will follow you better if you shout
  17. I don’t need to make by business accessible – I have no deaf customers
  18. Deaf people don’t want to talk to me, I couldn’t communicate with them anyway, I would have to learn sign language to do so.
  19. A hearing aid user or a cochlear user can hear me if I shout their name across a crowded room
  20. Deaf people only hear (or see)  what they want to” hear”, I think they’re pretending not to understand me
  21. You must use simple English when talking to a deaf person
  22. A sign language user cannot read subtitles
  23. Deafblind people cannot go out by themselves
  24. Deaf people do not lose any more hearing
  25. Deaf people are not allowed to drive
  26. Deaf people are not as intelligent as hearing people
  27. All deaf people want to be hearing
  28. Most deaf people have deaf parents
  29. All deaf people can communicate with each other
  30. All deaf people understand deaf culture
  31. BSL (British Sign language) is the same as ASL (American Sign Language) and AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language).
  32. BSL is a collection of gestures and similar to mime
  33. BSL users do not have cochlear implants
  34. Deaf people bring their own interpreters with them
  35. Deafness won’t happen to me.

© Suzie Jones, Deaf Awareness Trainer Read the original post here

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