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It is surprising to many people outside of the Deaf Community, but Deaf people can often hear. The Deaf are considered deaf once they have passed a certain decibel (dB) hearing loss. Many people who are profoundly deaf can still hear planes, dogs barking, etc. Hearing a sound does not mean that Deaf people can understand speech. A person with a significant hearing loss generallyhas difficulty or inability to hear speech even when aided.
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Is Sign Language used by all Deaf people?
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No. Many Deaf people choose to communicate through speech and lipreading. Sign Language is of course not universal. Each country, and many regions within the U.S. have Signs that are unique. Communication across cultures is often very difficult and Signed communication within a culture has it's opportunities for miscommunication.
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Why are they called deaf and not Hearing Impaired?
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Deaf people do not consider themselves "impaired" hence most people within the Deaf Community and the Deaf Culture do not prefer the term "impaired" but rather "deaf." The term "deaf" is a validation of who they are. |
Why can some Deaf people speak and others cannot?
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Learning to speak is a challenge. Speaking without "home grown" speech therapy, or formal speech therapy is nearly impossible. Many Deaf people are skilled at speaking, and others with over a decade of therapy find it difficult. Learning to speak has no relevance to someone's intelligence, but rather shows a knack for a certain skill. With Hearing people, some are tone deaf, and others are not. It's a skill which potentially can be learned, but in many ways is a natural characteristic.
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Yes, actually Deaf people tend to have a better driving record than Hearing people because of their visual acuity. Deaf people do sometimes have challenges like communication in the car, but it possible.
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Can Deaf people read lips?
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Lipreading is a skill. Some Deaf people are able to read lips with no training, some require lipreading classes to improve their abilities, and others find it difficult. Some Deaf people want to read lips, and many people make no effort at it. It all depends on the person.
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