Insight: I believe deaf people with speech are more privileged in the hearing world (BSL)

This blog has been translated from BSL to English and is by an anonymous vlogger

Firstly I want to say that I do not wish to divide the deaf community. The aim of my blog is to raise awareness of an issue that I have always felt to exist, but has become more evident lately.

We have recently seen discussions online revolving around why the media always invite deaf people who can talk to discuss deaf issues, and it seems to me that most of our deaf role models both in the UK and the US where I am originally from are those who use sign AND speech.

For me, I don’t have a clear voice at all. Hearing people look flummoxed when I use my voice which I have never learnt to articulate correctly so it is easier to revert to pen and paper when out and about or – more frequently – my mobile phone to type messages on and show it to baristas when making an order etc.

I grew up in the US and was fortunate enough to attend a bustling deaf high school. The deaf people who had deaf families and strong ASL were seen as the popular, elite ones. In the deaf community, it is the sign language users that seem to be the ‘leaders’ so to speak. Again, this is not a judgement, just an observation.

Then I moved to the UK as a young adult to pursue a degree and I went on to work predominantly in research with deaf community and to study its cultural variations. I am particularly fascinated by language.

There was another deaf person on my course and I was astounded by how differently she and I were treated by our course leaders. This was my first time in an education system that wasn’t only for deaf students, so in the UK it seemed I became the minority when I was at University – as there were only two deaf students on my course.

What I discovered at University was that my lecturer would talk directly to my deaf peer and remain involved in discussions with her – because she was someone who had speech – but they were very reluctant to strike up a conversation with me or even listen to an idea that I wanted to convey.

I relied on a third party – an interpreter – and it seemed like the interpreter got most of the attention, not me, because I didn’t have a voice.

The lecturer and course peers would address the interpreter and ask them questions to ask me, instead of trying to engage me directly. I challenged this but everyone reverted back to it, so I gave up trying. It sucked but ah well!

I had the same experience in social settings – for some reason hearing people seem greatly reassured when a deaf person talks. It’s more disconcerting for them if they are met with someone like me – a fluent signer who doesn’t make a sound!

As a result my University deaf peer had more hearing friends than I did (zero!) and she was probably seen as more approachable than I was, because she could respond with speech. I always had to rely on someone else to interpret and this got tiresome. So I mostly kept to myself and just worked hard.

Aside from noticing how I was being treated, I delved into researching language and deaf education. Six years later, I am now studying for a masters and I am very much enjoying the deaf community in the English city where I live.

That said, I know there is a lot of discontent in the deaf world right now. In the media there was recent talk of a sign language qualification for students, but those with speech were chosen to discuss this.

I have also noticed that the person who seems to be the main deaf go-to role model in the UK right now, is a white woman who has both speech and sign language.

Where are all the deaf people on screen who come from ethnic minorities? Where are the deaf people who are of varied sexual orientation? And finally – where are the deaf people who use only sign language – those without voice? They are out there but they aren’t being booked for work.

People who are in positions of power such as these current role models should really be holding the door open for others. Why does the media choose the same deaf people they’re comfortable with all the time?

I am not trying to say that oral deaf people are bad or that they should be different, I am trying to highlight the fact those with speech seem to be still preferred – and therefore favoured for work by the mainstream eye compared to those who are without speech.

Those of us who are deaf without speech have to work EVEN HARDER than those who do, just to get noticed, just to get heard and to be understood. It’s incredibly unfair. Just because it doesn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen to others.

In fact, the very definition of being privileged is thinking something is not a problem just because it doesn’t affect you.

I know from experience that deaf people who don’t have clear speech are often ignored, put down and thought lesser of compared to those who have speech when working in mainstream society. For some reason hearing society still tends to equate your level of intelligence to how articulately you can use speech. Forgive me for being blunt, but that theory is all bull.

I have surprised people by being able to write thousand-word dissertations using eloquent, fancy shmancy english language – because they assume as I’m a sign language user without speech that I must be intellectually challenged.

This is a real issue.

Whilst I am not personally involved in anything to do with BSL in childrens education, I am intrigued by the debates that the recent news has triggered. You know what it all comes down to – representation. The deaf community want fair representation for every corner of its community.

Just as the black deaf community should only be represented by those who are black and deaf, the sign language users don’t want the ones who are more of an oralist to lead the discussions relating to BSL. It’s pretty simple!

If you are a deaf person who predominantly uses speech only and you think it’s okay to take up work relating to BSL users, you need to check your privilege. You already have it easier than us with job opportunities. Why are you taking up a space that isn’t rightfully yours? Why can’t you hold the door open for someone else?

And more importantly, just like we are all asked to check our racial privilege, I would encourage hearing people reading this to think about whether this theory holds any truth for them – do they regard deaf people with speech as superior to those who are without?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

This blog has been written anonymously as part of the Insight series – where readers are invited to share their story or news about their interesting job with The Limping Chicken. If you have a story to share please email rebecca@rawithey.com 

Image courtesy of i-stock photos.I