Reaching the end of our greatest hits of 2012, here’s our most viewed article with nearly 17,000 hits. Have a happy party tonight, all, and be safe. See you in 2013!
Hearing people. Want to make friends with a deaf person? Then wise up and don’t say any of these sentences. Us Deafies will never forgive you…
“Wow – I would never have guessed that you’re deaf!”
I’m not wearing a badge. Nor do most deaf people. And in what way is ‘not seeming all that deaf’ a compliment?
“You’ve got really good speech for a deaf person!”
Er… thanks. But that sort of implies that some deaf people have ‘bad’ speech. And it makes me feel a little self-conscious.
“But I find subtitles annoying.”
We find you annoying, stubborn hearing person who hogs the remote and refuses to turn the subtitles on. How about we make a deal? You turn the subtitles off, and we turn the volume right down? Then neither of us will understand the TV programme we’re watching.
And you’ll finally get it.
“Can’t we knock on your door if there’s a fire?”
Ok, hotel reception person. Three reasons I’m scared I might die in your hotel if there’s a blaze:
One: your shift finishes at midnight and I’m not sure you’ll remember to tell your replacement that there’s a deaf person on floor 11 who won’t hear the fire alarm.
Two: even if you or your replacement do remember me, you might not make it upstairs in time.
Three: most importantly of all, I won’t hear you knocking.
So how about a rope ladder so I can make my escape? A parachute? Or just investing in a buzzer system so we can feel like normal human beings?
“I can’t hear everything in here either!”
I’m not talking about overhearing what the people on the next table are saying. I can’t hear you. There’s a difference. Can we go somewhere quieter?
“We’ve got a braile menu you can use?”
It’s great you’ve got one… but you’re confusing deaf and blind people as being the same. Let’s hope you’re not also using BSL to sign the menu choices to our partially-sighted friends.
“But you usually hear me.”
How much we do and don’t hear is variable, not optional. Sometimes it depends on how well we know you, whether there’s external noise in the room, whether we can see your lips (to lipread) or just whether we’re knackered or not. It’s not a failing of yours – but it’s not a failing of ours, either. So don’t expect an apology.
“Oh yes, I noticed you had problems.”
Actually, these hearing aids are solutions.
“So you’re deaf and dumb?”
We’re deaf. Not dumb. The same also applies to the phrase ‘deaf-mute.’ If you want to use descriptions like these, just go back to the 70s and make a good life for yourself there. There, you can use all kinds of out-of-date, offensive ways of describing people of all types, with abandon.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Probably the worst thing you could ever say to us. Because it makes us feel like, maybe, we don’t matter too much either. Wise up people, and repeat yourselves. Even if what you were saying was as boring as: “I’m feeling a bit peckish. I might have a yoghurt.”
We might end up having a fantastic conversation about fromage frais.
Charlie Swinbourne is the editor of Limping Chicken, as well as being a journalist and award-winning scriptwriter. He writes for the Guardian and BBC Online, and as a scriptwriter, penned My Song, Coming Out and Four Deaf Yorkshiremen.
Photo: Waifer X on Flickr
Linda Richards
December 31, 2012
Love re reading this… Let s hope 2013 sees less of these inane comments…. Have a very happy Hogmanay. Lmr xx
Leigh Taylor
December 31, 2012
I enjoyed reading this article earlier in the year. It’s inspired me to add my own list of ’10 things you should never say to the (hearing) parent of a deaf child…’ (and some of the things that I’ve been tempted to say in response!)
1. What’s wrong with her? (Nothing. What’s wrong with you?)
2. She is doing so well…considering…(Stop patronising me! She’s either doing well, or she’s not. ‘Considering’ is such an insidious word)
3. But she looks normal! (She’s not normal – she’s superhuman).
4. Oh dear – special needs, is she? How do you cope? (Oh dear – your poor son – ginger, is he? How do you cope?)
5. I bet sometimes you wish that she’d never been born? (No, I’ve never experienced that particular emotion. I suggest you ask your mother how that might feel – no doubt she knows).
6. But she just heard me shouting – she can’t be deaf! (The whole room heard you – you sound like Brian Blessed with a megaphone)
7. Will she grow out of it? (Oh yes, When she reaches puberty her old,’broken’ ears will fall off and be replaced by shiny new ones which will work perfectly.)
8. Ah – I’ve been watching her for 15 minutes and I knew there was something wrong with her, but I couldn’t work out what. (Really? I’ve been looking at you for 15 seconds and I can tell exactly what’s wrong with you…)
9. Isn’t it great that they have Mr Tumble on TV for kiddies like her? (Oh yes. But she’s nearly 12 and she’s kind of grown out of cbeebies…And no – just because your 5 year-old knows the makaton signs for ‘wee wee’ and ‘biscuit’, it doesn’t mean he’s going to grow up to be a teacher of the deaf)
10. Well,she’s lucky – at least she’ll be able to claim DLA when she’s older. (Yes, that’s fabulous for her. I don’t know why we’re even bothering to send her to school and beat an education into her, when she always has the benefits system to fall back on.)
Julia
January 11, 2013
“Can’t we knock on your door if there’s a fire?” By law (Equality Act 2010) it is a requirement of hoteliers, B&Bs, Hostels (pretty much all suppliers of sleeping accommodation) to provide reasonable adjustments for deaf and hard of hearing people. It is therefore reasonable to expect a fire alarm for the deaf is made available to you during your stay.
I am sure most people would be terrified too if they were told that “hey look we’ve decided as a bit of a novelty that we’re not going to provide any fire alarms.”