Deafness

Deafness as a Deficit

The deafness as deficit perspective assumes the hearing standard of normalcy as its point of reference. Typically, the proponents of this perspective are hearing medical practitioners, audiologists, speech therapists, and educators who work to alleviate if not eradicate deafness. With this support, and since 90% of all deaf individuals are born into hearing families within a predominantly hearing world, this approach is dominant. In an effort to ease interactional barriers, early detection and intervention is preferred, the use of sign language is discouraged, and the mastery of spoken English is prioritized. Furthermore, since integrating deaf individuals into the dominant society is understood to be vital, deaf children are most often mainstreamed into hearing schools, are prescribed assistive devices at a young age, and are discouraged from learning sign language. Historically, this perspective has been prevalent, and the eradication of deafness has included harsh penalties for the use of sign language, forced separation, discouragement of deaf–deaf marriages, and even forced sterilization.

Deafness as a Stigma Marker

This approach recognizes that identifying deafness as a deviant state is a matter of social definition that is embedded within the structure of society. This approach does not assume the primacy of the hearing perspective but recognizes that because hearing persons populate the cultural, political, economic, and numerical majority, the deaf minority are expected to adjust their behaviors, actions, and expectations to align with the hearing experience. Primarily, this approach addresses how the pathological approach discussed above is experienced by the deaf and how they manage stigma within their interactions in a hearing world. Stigma management strategies include attempts to pass as hearing by removing assistive devices, wearing headphones, and nodding through conversations. When their deafness is known, actual or potential interactional disruptions are minimized in a number of ways. including educating hearing people about deafness, humor, distancing from “less desirable” deaf types, and/or emphasizing similarities between the deaf and hearing communities.

Deafness as a Subculture

The subculture approach addresses deaf individuals as embodying distinct values, customs, norms, and histories and a shared language, constituting the “Deaf Way.” Proponents argue that the deaf are similar to other minority groups because they [Page 172]identify themselves and are identified as minorities, tend to marry within their group, and suffer oppression from the majority. Particularly since the deaf populations in the United States were brought together through the formation of the first deaf residential school in 1817, the deaf have a long history of local, state, national, and international activism; community outreach; recreation, fraternization, arts, and stories; and a shared language—American Sign Language. Historically, the deaf share their culture through storytelling, journals, books, and videos. Today, these efforts to diffuse the “Deaf Way” are also experienced through social network websites, blogs, video-blogs, and forums.

...