BBC News has a story today about a Deaf singer from America who says that she received death threats from the Deaf community when she first started singing.
Mandy Harvey lost her hearing but retained her ability to sing. She now uses ASL as well as communicating in speech, and came fourth in America’s Got Talent.
Read the full article, which also quotes our editor Charlie Swinbourne, here.
Extract:
Deaf singer Mandy Harvey made headlines around the world after being put straight through to the finals of America’s Got Talent. But when she first took to the stage, she received death threats from within the deaf community for promoting a “hearing” activity.
It was two months ago that Harvey sang live on prime-time NBC television across the United States. Barefoot and nervous, she had overcome a series of traumas to get there.
“I used to get some pretty strongly-worded letters and death threats,” she reveals. “I got a lot of backlash from certain people in that community because I was promoting oralism.”
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Tim
November 15, 2017
That’s a daft – and criminal – response.
Let’s be very clear what oralism means, because I am seeing all sorts of nonsense definitions popping up.
Oralism or the oral method means enforcing the use of speaking, hearing and lip-reading while banning sign language during the course of education, especially pre-16 education. It is quite rightly condemned.
Oralists are usually (though not always) the teachers, doctors and audiologists who enforce the method. Do not confuse ‘Oralies’ or ‘oral deaf’ people with oralists.
mjfahey
November 15, 2017
Mandy had interpreters on the show.
mjfahey
November 15, 2017
Make no mistake, there is a snobbishness within the Deaf community which prevents people who are deaf but don’t sign feeling part of the group… which is a shame, because it shows the deaf community in a bad light.
I am deafer than some culturally deaf people I know yet because I am a lipreader and speak it’s much harder to be accepted.
I think this is something that the culturally deaf community need to address, why turn away people who are on your side and support your fight for rights…
Katie Raworth
November 15, 2017
I think this is absolutely absurd. This young woman was born hearing and became deaf at the age of 18, therefore she is deaf not Deaf. English is, was and always will be her first language because she is postlingually deaf! It’s not about promoting oralism which as Tim has pointed out refers to the enforced use of speech and the banning of sign language which is clearly not the case here as she has an interpreter with her and uses asl. She has merely adapted to her loss if hearing by becoming bilingual and frankly, if it gets sign language some media coverage, that can only be a good thing!
Mike
November 16, 2017
I’ve seen it first hand as well. It’s ugly, stupid and wholly infantile. Born deaf, grew up with the use of a hearing aid since age 2. Loved it ever since. And began playing the piano at age 7 and never stopped. Now a ragtime pianist, I truly enjoy listening to my own syncopated music and hear all of the notes played. There are some true oralist like Mandy who can speak but cannot hear her own voice. Then there are those who use the listening and spoken language (LSL) preferred mode of communication (even among signers) just because they are comfortable with it. It’s really none of the deaf culture’s business to go after Mandy like that. She is a late-deafened musician but has adapted fantastically well on regaining her musical career, something that should be applauded rather than frowned upon. She signs and sings even better! That combo do not fit the idealism or narrative of deaf culture. But, hey, I think they are behind the times thinking too much about the past throwing daily tantrums rather than accept deaf and hh people for who they are rather than to try and force them into their little idealistic bubble of a world. It’s this whole “you’re not deaf enough for us” nonsense.
Tim
November 16, 2017
“There are some true oralist like Mandy who can speak but cannot hear her own voice. ”
She’s not oralist, she’s oral deaf.
Oh Dear
November 16, 2017
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09g4glr/newsnight-15112017
Why did the BBC use French alphabets instead of BSL. It this some sort of anti-British loony lefty degenerate crap, that the BBC often promote and now attacking British Deaf people.
The death threats isn’t from the deaf “community” but from deaf people. Assuming of course they are deaf and not hearing people pretending to be deaf. As far as I know no one has been arrested.