Helen Keller The Story Of My Life

Hearing is something people take for granted because living without it, is not something a lot of people know. With not knowing or even understanding the struggles a Deaf person goes through, comes a sense of discrimination from lack of understanding. Deaf people are sometimes paired with being unintelligent, this makes an immediate association of deafness to dumb. This societal barrier is one where deaf people are looked down upon for something they have no control over. Deaf people lack the opportunity of acceptance to prove themselves as something other than their disability. The immediate abhor that is

Many hearing people think that those who are deaf can’t drive (“Myths and Misconceptions”). Many deaf people do drive cars, however, and are fully capable of doing so. Studies have even shown that deaf people are better drivers than hearing people because their peripheral vision is more developed. Another misconception is that deaf people can’t go out by themselves (Lannih). This is entirely untrue, and deaf people are fully capable of being independent, going shopping, eating out, attending school and church, and anything else that hearing people can do. Deaf people do not bring an interpreter with them places, nor is it necessary in most situations. Many people also believe that those who are deaf or hard of hearing can’t use a telephone (“TTY and TTY Relay Services”). This is false, and many deaf and hard of hearing people use devices that vibrate when their phone is ringing and then are able to communicate using a videophone. Other technology is used for deaf phone calls such as voice-to-text and text-to-voice technology. Many of the myths about what deaf people can not do are incorrect, and deafness does not limit a person as much as many hearing people

Hearing people do view being deaf as a misfortune, but that does not justify the way that they get treated by hearing people. I think it's horrible how they are viewed as unable. I would hate to imagine someone treating me like I'm not able because I'm Hispanic or because I'm gay. It would tear me apart and I'm sure most deaf people feel the same way. Audism needs to be a bigger issue among hearing people and they need to know that being deaf is not a handicap, deaf

People used to think that being Deaf was a sin and a major disability. I don’t really understand this view, as being Deaf is not a choice because a majority of the time, most people are born Deaf. Just because a person can’t hear, doesn’t mean there is something wrong with them. Deaf culture is so mesmerizing as their is such a deep connection within the community and they even have their own language. What people need to do is put themselves in the shoes of a Deaf person and imagine how difficult it must be being the “odd one out” all the time.

In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at

"All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming" said Helen Keller, a woman who faced many obstacles in her life ("Fun"). Most people don't dedicate their lives to help others, especially if they have disabilities themselves, but Helen Keller is a different story. At 19 months old, Helen Keller was diagnosed with a disease that led her to be deaf and blind. A true hero is someone who is dedicated to help others in need no matter the circumstances/struggle he or she faces, never gives up, and is an inspiration for others. Helen Keller is a hero because she overcame the struggle of being deaf and blind by never giving up, dedicated her life to help others, and made change in the world despite her disabilities.

It is known that hearing people are superior to Deaf people. No one can sit and prove it, but you can tell how a hearing person acts compared to how a deaf person acts when they walk into a room. The hearing people are chit-chatting and enjoying their time. The deaf person is looking around trying to read lips but deep down is feeling isolated. Most Deaf people understand that they are equal to hearing people and should not feel discriminated against. Deaf people sometimes still get treated different, but most of the world is starting to treat them equally. They have been able to get more employment, higher education, and higher job positions. In Bernard Bragg’s book, “Lessons in Laughter: The Autobiography of a Deaf Actor”, he expressed

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class.” The

Discrimination is a very prevalent problem in our society. Despite having a changed personal view of Deaf culture, there are still battles being fought for the rights of humans. Humans that are just like everyone else, but cannot hear. It is with hope that society will continue to educate about Deaf culture in order to grow awareness, and provide a deeper, and more sympathetic

One of the most crucial facts that hearing people must know about the Deaf community is that you don’t have to be deaf to be a part of the deaf community. “The Deaf Community is comprised of individuals, both deaf and hearing, who to varying degrees embrace particular community goals that come from Deaf cultural influences”. ("On Being Deaf — A Cultural View") Hearing people may receive little to no interaction with the Deaf community in their life. This can lead them to asking questions that may seem ridiculous to some people such as “can deaf people drive?” In fact deaf people have been allowed to legally drive in every state since the 1930’s. (Moore 220) And many acts and societies have been created to give deaf people the same opportunities and rights as all of the hearing people.

The issue is the Deaf community is discriminated against. The community does not feel that their condition is a disability. But, the problem is the outside world views them differently and segregates them from those who can hear. Instead of viewing the Deaf culture as another form of language and communication they are looked at as handicapped. The conditions that impact the Deaf community are stipulations on jobs, education and social life.

The history of the deaf goes far back to the biblical times. Being born deaf or going deaf made it very difficult back in the days. As a deaf person you were never treated the way you should be treated because people either respected you are not. Deaf people lacked many social opportunities that everyone had because they were seen as disabled. During biblical times it is even recorded that if a child was born deaf the father of the child could decide if they should live or not. As time developed the deaf were even forbidden to attend church, control their properties, or even

Deaf and hard of hearing people are just like us. They are not any different, but hears like us. There is some common misunderstanding, that is really annoying for Deaf and hard of hearing people. Those misunderstanding are can you understands us? Are you able to drive? Do you need a wheelchair? Can you read and write? Do deaf people have sex? Etc.…These kinds of questions annoyed deaf people the most. People do not realize that deaf people do not have as much as difficulty as normal folks thinks that they have. They can do almost everything and just as much no less. Sometime, they begged to be considered the same as hearing folks. They want to be equals, respected, and value just as much as hearing people. Sometime, we forgot to ask ourselves.

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group,

In past times, an issue that occurred most often was how to respond to the deaf in terms of education. They most certainly were not able to hear which meant that they also would not be able to speak clearly or at all; many questioned how they would be able to comprehend others or communicate with them in that kind of setting. There were little to no schools that educated deaf children until Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a man with great intellect, decided that what he wanted do in life was to contribute to the deaf world (“Thomas H. Gallaudet”). Gallaudet, founder of Gallaudet