Stereotyping Ourselves as Deaf Imagine, at this very moment that someone controls sound, the ability to hear. With a click of a button, sound no longer existed to humans. Imagine shifting our existence to a world where humans cannot listen to music, but can feel the vibrations of a bass through instruments. Imagine observing rain pouring from the sky, but the inability to comprehend the noise that reflects the precipitation. Imagine no more, this world really does exist.
This world exists for individuals who feel as if someone has turned the sound off, but turned their capabilities on. These individuals cannot hear, and they are proud to be a part of the Deaf culture (capital D), individuals who identify themselves as Deaf. Deaf individuals are unfairly stereotyped. It is presumed that all persons who are Deaf know sign language and lip-reading, do not want to drive a vehicle, and want their hearing repaired/restored.
Occasionally Deaf people are unfairly stereotyped by most hearing individuals in a condescending manner such as; all Deaf people are supposed to know sign language and lip-reading, to reject driving, and to demand hearing. First, most hearing people claim that Deaf people should know how to sign because their language should be second nature to someone who has become deafened; however, it depends on the circumstances surrounding the child. In most cases, some hearing parents want to be able to communicate with their child, so they will send their child to speech therapy. As a result, the parents will become aware that oralism is less effective and will result to American Sign Language (ASL). In general studies such as Seeing at the Speed of Light shows that 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents who are not aware of the Deaf culture; subsequently, some of the deaf children are taught ASL later in life. In other cases, such as lip-reading, some Deaf students will understand but others will not because it depends on the child in question. A general rule is that 30 percent of spoken English is understood by the Deaf because majority of mouth orientation are similar in sound. For example, the sound for letter P and B will often be confusing because the tongue placement will be difficult to see. What makes this proposition praise worthy is because the Deaf will need a great imagination in order to grasp the true sound, which could be very complicated and hard to task. Secondly, some hearing individuals are often misleading that Deaf people are not capable of driving behind the wheel. There are accusations that the Deaf allegedly will not be able to inform someone if his or her car breaks down or not being able to hear the emergency sirens associated with police cars, fire trucks, and ambulance vans. However, cell phone devices may be used so that the Deaf could text or face time to inform someone that he or she is stranded. In addition to the Deaf occasionally being stereotyped, some studies have shown that not only can the Deaf drive, but they are the most effective drivers- constantly relying on their peripheral vision. Meanwhile, hearing people have the option to listen to music, so some of us are guilt of turning the bass and treble on full blast, which can make the hearing deafened to the sirens. Most hearing people may become distracted by trying to view the call that was unanswered or the text that was missed; unconsciously, hearing people have more distractions and accidents because we are not watching the road. In spite of the stereotype amongst Deaf people, they are overall safer drivers because they are not objected to distractions and they rely on their eyes to hear. Lastly, having the impression that all Deaf individuals want to restore his or her hearing is the most common misconception. Most hearing people would prefer the deafened to get the cochlear implant, a device that helps restores hearing, so that they could be like hearing