Emma Colton: 7 things that might surprise you about the deaf world

Seven things that I have learnt about deaf people and the deaf world that may surprise you:

1. (MOST) DEAF PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO BE ‘FIXED’

Unfortunately, real life is not like a Disney film where we find magic carpets, talking monkeys and lamps that when you rub – a genie appears to grant you three wishes.

If this were the case, I would wish to be surrounded by a million golden retrievers on the beach drinking cocktails while being fed nachos… a pretty epic wish list, right? Add asking for three more wishes to that and then asking for health and happiness too – I’m not asking for much! 

Ask a deaf person what they wish for and I can guarantee you that 99% of them would not have ‘become hearing’ on their list.

We are in a society obsessed with researching cures for diseases so with this in mind, why would we not want to take the opportunity to ‘fix’ a disability? But, having a disability does not always mean you’re disadvantaged.

Most deaf people do not want to be ‘cured’! If you are born deaf, it’s all you know! Deaf people have a culture and a language which will disappear if we find a cure for deafness. We should be proud of who we are, and we are moulded by our lives and experiences. I wouldn’t be the same person or where I am today if I was born into a different set of circumstances.

Having said all this, for those who are born hearing and become deaf later on in life, I would expect they may wish for their hearing to come back.

2. DEAF PEOPLE CAN AND DO ENJOY MUSIC!

Some people I know are human versions of Shazam – they can hear songs and immediately know who sang it and the song name.

My deaf friend Ellie knows all the lyrics to many songs because she studied the words growing up, putting me to absolute shame when I start mumbling random words that I think just sound sort of similar.

Deaf people can feel the vibrations and beats of music. Some can even hear the tune and recognise it if it comes on in a shop or a club. As well as this, sometimes festivals have interpreters who sign the songs for a deaf audience. Click here to see Interpreter goals.

Why should deaf people not be able to sing along to their favourite song? Everyone will hear songs differently, but being deaf does not mean you cannot hear or enjoy music.

3. THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HEARING

Not all deaf people have the same level of deafness, there is a range from profoundly deaf to hard of hearing.

For some people, hearing aids and cochlear implants make a huge difference.

However, for some deaf people, they do not gain anything from a hearing aid and prefer to go without the use of anything, relying fully on sign language and/or lip reading to get by.

4. MULTI CHANNEL SIGNS

Multi-channel signs would express a whole sentence/situation or phrase using only one sign instead of signing each individual word.

These can also be written down in texts as a type of slang known by the deaf community (see left!)

If this was read by a hearing audience, they would have absolutely no idea what it means. Can you work it out?

5. INTERPRETERS CAN BE DEAF.

When you’re watching Eastenders on a Sunday hungover from the night before, you may notice an interpreter in the corner of your screen.

What you probably didn’t know is that those interpreters are usually deaf people! In this scenario, a deaf person has read a script and then pre – recorded themselves signing to the programme in British Sign Language.

It is only necessary for a hearing interpreter to do the job if the programme is live such as the news or a sporting event.

6. DON’T SAY YOU WANT TO LEARN BSL… JUST DO IT!

So many people say they want to learn BSL but, they never actually get round to doing it. What are you waiting for? Not only will you be able to communicate with the deaf, enabling yourself to allow a group of people to be more comfortable in the ‘hearing world’ but, you will be gaining a new skill that you can take exams in.

We are hoping for a BSL GCSE in the near future so watch this space!

7. DEAF SCHOOLS AND THEIR DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES.

There are a range of deaf schools. Many mainstream schools have a deaf unit, but there are also schools specifically for deaf children.

Some are taught orally which encourages deaf children to communicate verbally while also learning how to listen and lip read. Some schools only use BSL to communicate with the pupils and some schools are total communication (both spoken and signed).

I love being part of the deaf world and learning more from a different culture every day. It is so rich and fascinating, I feel fortunate to be a part of it.

Emma is a trainee teacher working in a deaf school just outside of London. You can read her blog at www.thehappyhearingaid.wordpress.com. She says: “I’m a graduate from the University of Reading where I studied Theatre Arts, Education and Deaf studies – an amazing degree that gave me the foundations to achieve where I am today. I am also currently studying for my Level 4 in BSL. When I’m not thinking about work or writing posts for my blog, I can be found playing with random dogs I meet on the street (I love them) and eating sushi.