Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology And Deaf Studies

We live in a world that is bounded by cultural norms and stereotypes that affect anyone who looks, acts, or is even born different. Our society narrowed scope views Deaf people as less, uneducated, and unworthy for the opportunities abled people are innately handed. There is a lack of opportunities that Deaf people received based on their disability in terms of jobs and acceptance. The feeling of acceptance is one thing the hearing community has felt at least once, if not their entire life, however it is a feeling that may be unknown to the Deaf community.

“A Journey Into the Deaf World” is a book written by Harlan Lee and ________. Chapter 1 serves as the intro into the Deaf community. Ben Bahan is the narrator of the book and in this chapter we are introduced to pivotal people in the book: Jake Cohan, Laurel Case, Roberto Rivera, and Henry Byrne. Ben is a Child of Deaf Adults, also known as CODA. He tried to stay away from the Deaf community but he eventually got drawn back to it.

Choosing a major can be difficult, especially when considering expanding your collegiate career from your undergraduate career. For myself, Speech-Language Pathology was a clear answer for me to pursue, especially since I have a desire to help change an individual’s life and make a substantial impact that can affect more then just one individual. From the start of my Speech-Language Pathology collegiate career, I have always been drawn to working with children and increasing their communication skills. Although, my passion for working with children does not stop with expanding their communication skills, but also to help them to become more confident and content with whom they are.

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

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

My perspective on hearing loss as a disability or difference that is always on my mind and I never thought to be deaf or hard of hearing as a disability. One day, in the classroom at the University, a professor was discussing the list of disabilities. My interpreter asked me a personal question, “do you think you're deaf as a disability?” honestly I have paused and made me pondering for a few seconds. “Yes, I am deaf, and I don’t think myself as a person with a disability just because of hearing loss. However,

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

Famous poet and activist Bryant H. McGill, once wrote, “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” In a rather perverse case of irony, there is no culture that this speaks to more than the deaf community. The unsettling reality of oppression is that if you are not exposed or affected by it, you are not aware of its existence. This is the category that I have found myself a part of while learning ASL and by extension about the deaf community. In learning about the diverse and multi-sided culture that is the deaf community I can say with certainty that the prejudice they experience is not only horrifying but also unfounded.

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

I am extremely passionate about Disabled Americans Rights, as it is something that is very close to my heart. My brother is an individual with Down Syndrome who is also legally deaf. For long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by how Ian interacts with the world around him. While face-to-face communication can prove challenging for him at times, he is constantly communicating with his environment in various other ways. He is bright, caring, compassionate, understanding and important, and though he has a good life, millions of Americans who also have disabilities have their rights undercut consistently. For the past two summers I have volunteered counselor at a a week-long, overnight summer camp program for young adults with Down Syndrome.

I have two cousins who are intellectually disabled but I was never closed to them, I have a close friend with cerebral palsy but I know our relationship has never really factored into my desire to work with those with special needs. If I had to give an answer I think it’s because out of everyone that I meet, anyone that I’ve ever come across most people are capable of doing for themselves in the end, but what is the child with down syndrome to-do when the school puts them in a special classroom where they are not pushed to strive and achieve, or the child whose deaf and parents do not care to learn sign language to help them communicate. It’s those people

Did you know that approximately 2 out of 3 children born in the United States are born with a hearing loss, and more than 90 percent of children born deaf are born to hearing parents? Not many people are aware of the Deaf World and how large it truly is. Being deaf may be an obstacle that many people have to endure on a daily basis, but that does not cause them to be defined as incapable. The deaf are just as capable as the hearing because they work just as hard, if not harder, they go to college, and become numerous things just as hearing people do.

From a young age children are taught to perceive the world through their five senses: smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. However, not every person has the privilege to use all of their senses. The people who have the benefit of all five senses often take for granted their ability and sometimes even marginalize people who do not have the same abilities. This research paper will focus on the issues that those who cannot hear face every day. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders “2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears...and one in eight people in the United States (30 million) ... has hearing loss in both ears” (NIDCD 1). The Deaf community will continually experience marginalization because of mass information, obliviousness, and miscommunication. While this may not sound extensive compared to the whole of the population, it is significant enough to warrant attention.

In the same way that no two individuals are alike, nor are any two families with deaf or hard of hearing members. Due to the various ways that hearing loss can occur, the occurrence of hearing loss in any one family can vary. There are families with deaf parents and hearing children. There are families with deaf parents and deaf children. There are families who have never encountered a deaf or hearing impaired person that suddenly have a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Hearing impairment affects different families in different ways. Many believe that families where both parents and the children are deaf or hard of hearing have an advantage, because the parents are already a part of the deaf culture and thus their children are born into the community. Meanwhile, hearing parents who birth a deaf or hearing impaired child have to adjust to a new way of relating to and communicating with not only their child, but also with those involved in the rearing of that child. Fortunately for these parents, organizations like the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing exist to provide these families with resources, funds, and education to help them tread on unfamiliar territory. These kinds of organizations connect all families who have members with the disability, and no matter the family dynamic, there are resources for them to take advantage of, including legal aid. As seen in the short clip from the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, early childhood, around the time of

As a closing thought, please keep in mind the respect for “difference” that we all MUST have in this country. Deaf or hearing-impaired individuals are not necessarily “disabled”, but rather “different”. Although this difference may seem extremely complicated to the hearing world, it is one that is often embraced in the deaf world. Let us respect all people and their right to knowledge! Hopefully,