Answers to some of the most commonly asked questions from Hearing people.

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 generally has difficulty or inability to hear speech even when aided. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

There are up to 360 Million Deaf and Hard of Hearing people in the world, and in the United States they perceive there are in essence 28 Million here. We assume there are over three million completely deaf people in the U.S. and some statistics show that there are approximately 15 Million people with hearing losses requiring them to use Sign Language. There is an estimated collective number of 60 Million people in the U.S. who are connected with Sign Language. 

No, feel free! Many people feel it is important to indicate to people around you that you know Sign. Some Deaf people will love chatting with you if you are a Sign student. Other deafies will acknowledge your effort and not attempt further conversation. People are people whether they can hear or not. We suggest chatting with the Deaf when you run across them. Building community is always a positive goal. 

Many people are surprised to hear that loud noises bother the ears of Deaf people as much as it does Hearing people. 

Only 10% of deaf people have deaf children, although 60% of deaf people do not know the cause of their deafness, and much of that may be attributed to genetic issues which could increase the statistic above.  Deaf people who are genetically deaf can have either a pair of recessive genes causing their deafness or a dominant gene passed down from their parents. Many Hearing parents do not realize that they are carrying genes for deafness until they have Deaf children. 

There are several common causes of Deafness.  There is of course genetic deafness. Rubella/German Measles when a mother is pregnant often causes deafness in her unborn child. Nerve deafness is not uncommon. Many people have a damaged auditory nerve. A high fever causes this. Spinal Meningitis often is the culprit. Still others suffer from a damaged ear drum although that is less common among people in the Deaf Culture. Every once in a while you will meet someone who has become Deaf due to trauma, although that is rare.

The only Deaf people who generally know Braille are people who are suffering from Ushers Syndrome I or Ushers Syndrome II. These conditions usually cause a child to be born with deafness, and then when the child reaches adulthood, or some time later, he/she begins to lose their sight. They either have tunnel vision or complete blindness depending on the type of Ushers they inherited from their parents. These individuals often use Braille as their sight deteriorates.  Your average deafie has no need to learn Sign since their only communicative challenge is not based on sight but rather hearing.

Many Deaf and or Hard of Hearing people love music. Many do not. We have found that most people who love music have some, even if minimal, hearing. All Deaf people tend to enjoy physical vibrations, and that often that can be felt through music. Understand, when the Deaf dance, they don’t necessarily feel the vibrations around them. If they can, either they are touching a solid object which will transmit the vibrations, or there is a lot of bass cranked into the surrounding sound system.  Many Hard of Hearing people or Severe/Profound Deaf people enjoy listening to music with a hearing aid. It doesn’t transmit a complete auditory image of what we as Hearing people can understand as music, but it is stimulating and interesting to them in its own right.

Some Hard of Hearing people who are aided can communicate on a regular telephone, and hear enough to have a basic conversation. Most Deaf and Hard of Hearing people use a TTY (Teletypewriter) (also known as a  TDD – Telecommunication Device for the Deaf and/or TT – Text Telephone). This is a device which has cups on the top to place a handset of a telephone, and a keyboard for written communication. Many Deaf individuals now are freed up  even from using TTYs by having 2 way pagers for regular communication. These have become the first devices which have given the Deaf a sense of freedom and an ability to easily communicate amongst themselves. 

Cochlear Implants are not a cure. They are also extremely invasive. There is an increased risk of illnesses such as Meningitis when someone has received an implant and of course there are lifestyle changes such as a prohibition from scuba diving past significant depths, etc, which require the recipient to make relevant life choices. Implants have blessed many people, especially individuals without hearing or sight. They don’t restore sound as we know it to a deaf person, but rather give someone a mechanical sound which they have to learn to re-interpret. Some deaf individuals love CI’s and others have no desire to have them. Not unlike Hearing people “it depends on the person”

There are of course a number of things we cannot ignore. The presence of Deaf people in the country has made a significant impact on EVERY person in the U.S. How you might ask? Well, the Deaf developed the “huddle” because students at Gallaudet College were all watching each other’s plays. Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial actually has his hands in the shape of an “A” and an “L” obviously his initials. The sculptor’s daughter was deaf. The most relevant contribution deafness has had in all of our lives is undeniably the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell was married to a deaf woman, and had a deaf mother. In his experiments to find a way for them to hear, he invented the telephone. Without the deaf, our world would be a much different place.