Diversity in D/deafness

How many ways are there to be D/deaf? How many D/deaf people are there now? How many D/deaf people have there ever been? How many D/deaf people will there ever be? That is how many ways there are to be D/deaf. Why is that important? Because we are all here to learn and grow. You cannot learn and grow if you have the exact same opinions and beliefs as everyone else. There is a reason why we are all different. There is a reason why we all have unique experiences and views of the world. There is a reason why it would be wrong for everyone to be D/deaf the same way. We are supposed to be different. We are supposed to bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table of life.

There is a huge chasm in the Deaf World. There are those who see the Deaf Community as the rightful place only for those Deaf who use ASL, and who, for the most part, refuse to use oral speech. Hearing parents of deaf children are allowed to participate in the Deaf Community if they also embrace ASL, and immerse their children in this community. The traitors who choose to live as Oral Deaf, are banished from The Deaf Community, and are ignored as if they simply don’t exist. Ironically, they comprise the majority of D/deaf people. The two camps then routinely send pot shots at each other, with mini skirmishes breaking out on a regular basis. The saddest part of this situation, is that both camps could accomplish way more if they could work together, than if they remain apart.

I absolutely believe that every child should be treated as an individual. There is no single best method of teaching a deaf child. There is no single methodology that works best for everyone. Implants are not the right choice in every case. ASL is also not the right answer for every child. Some children need qued speech. Some children need total communication. Some children need hearing aids. The reason there are so many options, is that somewhere, some child NEEDS that specific option to reach their highest potential. Nobody has the right to say that they know best, what is right for that child or any children simply because they share a feature. Just because you are Deaf, that does not give you the right to deny other options for D/deaf children based on what worked best for you. So you don’t like cochlear implants. You have every right to your opinion. You do not have the right to tell parents that they cannot have their child implanted simply because you say so. That right and responsibility belongs to the parents. And it always will. I believe that D/deaf children have the right to both verbal AND visual communication. They have the right to explore their own lingual strengths and weaknesses based on what works best for them, not based on limitations placed arbitrarily on them at birth or through accident or disease. To that end, I believe that the parents of those children need to educate themselves on ALL the options and choices, and give their children as many options as possible. That way, the kids themselves can choose what works best for them as they grow.

I believe the Deaf Community has an obligation to support those parents as they educate themselves. The Deaf Community needs to support those parents no matter what methodology they choose, and no matter what assistive devices they decide to use. The ongoing war between ASL Deaf and oral deaf needs to end.

The decision to remove Cochlear Implants Online off DeafRead is the wrong one. Choosing to remove differing opinions sends DeafRead backwards into isolationism. Diversity is necessary and should be celebrated, not punished. Can’t we all just get along?

K.L.