Debunking Myths Regarding Accessible Communication and our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community
Our Deaf and hard-of-hearing community faces many misconceptions and stigmas about how they function and are understood in their day-to-day lives. To promote accessible communication, the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida has listed common myths about the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, along with how these topics should actually be viewed and understood.
Myths:
● Individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-Hearing are mute.
Many Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can still speak. However, they often prefer easier, more accessible communication methods that allow them to understand and be understood more accurately and comfortably, including sign language, writing, lip reading, captioning, and assistive listening devices.
● Assistive listening devices give people perfect hearing.
While assistive technology can help the brain process sound more efficiently, they do not restore hearing in its entirety. Factors such as background noise, the surrounding environment, a person’s level of focus or fatigue, and whether the device is functioning as intended can all affect how clearly sound is perceived.
● Everyone who is Deaf and hard-of-Hearing can read lips.
Never assume that everyone in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community can read lips. Even for those who can, only about 30% of spoken English sounds can be accurately understood by looking at a person’s lips. Lip reading also doesn’t account for the contextual factors like body language and facial expressions that play an important role in understanding spoken language. When beginning a conversation, it may be more respectful and effective to first ask what form
of communication works best for them. From there, the conversation can continue in whatever way is most comfortable and accessible for that individual.
● Exaggerated communication is easier to understand.
By raising your voice, exaggerating your mouth movements, and using overly dramatized gestures when communicating with someone Deaf or hard-of-hearing, you make it more difficult to be understood. Speaking louder to a Deaf individual does not change how well they can perceive what you are saying and may instead come across as aggressive. To better communicate with someone Deaf or hard of hearing, the best thing you can do is speak naturally, at a normal pace, while facing the person directly. Assuming that you need to yell or overemphasize your speech reinforces stigmas about the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It is more respectful to treat someone who is Deaf or hard-of-hearing the same way you would treat anyone else.
● All sign language is the same.
Each form of sign language is drastically different in terms of grammar, dialects, and phonology, specifically because different forms of sign language must reflect the many different spoken languages that exist. Ultimately, sign language is an umbrella term representing a larger range of signing languages, including ASL (American Sign Language), BSL (British Sign Language), JSL (Japanese Sign Language), and many more. Differences in these sign languages include hand gestures, hand movements, interpretation of words and phrases, and the use of facial expressions. While spoken languages use phonetics to account for the aspects of speech, sign languages use other parameters to account for the components that form a sign. These components involve the handshape, movement, orientation, and the location where the hands are placed. Interpreters translate meaning through gestures and visual concepts rather than the exact words and phrases spoken.
● Communication Accessibility only applies to Deaf and hard-of-Hearing Individuals.
Communication accessibility benefits a large percentage of people in their day-to-day lives in many different circumstances. Captioning, for example, can provide clearer information for videos being viewed in loud or busy environments where audio is difficult to hear. Learning ASL helps individuals communicate with family members, friends, or anyone else who is Deaf, has hearing loss, or is experiencing a temporary injury or illness that makes verbal communication or hearing difficult.
The Deaf and hard-of-hearing community is not a small percentage of the population. In the United States alone, more than 40 million people experience some level of hearing loss. Because of this, organizations and communities benefit from prioritizing accessible communication practices that support collaboration, morale, and inclusion. Communication accessibility strengthens connections not only within the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community but also between that community and the people around them. It prevents unnecessary barriers to connection and communication, and helps create environments where more people can understand, contribute, and feel valued.
Help the Center for Independent Living raise awareness by sharing and debunking these common myths surrounding our Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. By sharing these facts with others, we can help educate people on the importance of accessible communication.