Change Your Mindset Towards The Deaf

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET TOWARDS THE DEAF



I have assimilated everything about the hearing community before i lost my hearing so, i know the differences between the norms in hearing and Deaf communities.

You may find Deaf ways of life disgusting....

 Let me begin by briefing you on the word DEAF

The word Deaf is just an identity signifying disability status and not being stupid, useless, senseless etc as the society viewed it.

As we all know, culture is way of life. Behaviour within Deaf Culture may largely differ from standards in the hearing mainstream. A good number of things taken for the norm in one culture are considered as abnormal in the other.

To the average person, and in some cases even Special Educators and Counselors, ignorance of this reality may lead to erroneous labeling of certain behaviours considered "normal" in Deaf Culture as "behavioural disorders", "twitch syndromes", or resisistant behaviours".

An example is seen in the fact that Deaf persons usually ask more personal questions and they expect answers too. Quite a number of such questions are viewed as very personal by hearing people and as such, not worth asking in casual conversations.
This is just a singular instance amongst many. The wide implication therefore is that, misunderstanding often arises between Deaf and hearing people.

In curbing the social menace posed by this difference of perspectives, enlightenment (on both sides of the divide) is vital.

There's nothing that makes the Deaf different in the society other than the hearing/speech loss which shouldnt be a barrier towards achieving their human rights.
Since we are created by same God, we are to be identified as belonging to the cultural and linguistic community.

We've had cases of parents matreating/neglecting their Deaf child, it is because the parents are ignorant of the great potentials the child possessed, instead of helping the child towards actualisation, by discrimination, they lead the child to have moral disorder which kills potentials.
The moral disorder we see among some of the Deaf emanates from home because their parents discriminated against their equal rights to home training/parental care.
Some of them were turned to house help in their parents’ houses.
Though, if proper evaluation is carried out, we shall see that the Deaf are more useful than their hearing siblings, they are strong and never lack concentration. That doesnt mean you should take advantage without value
The privileged among the Deaf are Lawyers who had been called to Bar, doctors, engineers, accountants etc today. Why not groom your own Deaf child too to become capable asset to you and the society.

Dont kill their potentials with discrimination. The society really needs to change her mindset towards the Deaf and embrace their human rights in all facets of life.

Train them just as you trained their able counterparts to utilize the potentials they possessed. This is where the learning of sign language is essential.

Sign language is simply a language just as languages like English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo etc.

It is the mean of communication of the Deaf. Stop isolating the Deaf, the society have to make it a priority to learn this language to break barrier of communication with the Deaf towards utilizing their potentials for societal development.

“Sign language is really equal in status to spoken languages, help promote it”

It’s never too late to repair damages as a saying goes does...
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.


There's Nothing About Us Without Us
With Sign Language, We Are Equal



Adeosun Olufemi Ebenezer (a.k.a F.F.F)
Secretary General, Ogun State Association of the Deaf
Co-Founder, Uplifting Empowerment Foundation for the Deaf Youth
08099511080 (sms/whatsapp only)
Olufemia28@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/fffadvocacybase
Twitter: @adefemifunto

Blog: fffadvocacybase.blogspot.com

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