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Dear hearing people
That's right! I've got a list together here on my phone of things that hearing people do around deaf people
that they really shouldn't and I'm going to give you a list of things not to do
Don't shout
This is the most annoying thing that hearing people do. They seem to think that, if a person's deaf
the more you shout, the louder you are the more chance there is of me hearing you
When, in actual fact, I think it makes it a lot harder. At least for me personally
It makes it a lot harder because you are yelling. Your voice sounds distorted and it's......
It's difficult to read your lips. Your pronunciation becomes kind of off when you start shouting
Don't compliment a deaf person's speech. Don't comment on it at all
You might think you're being nice complimenting them by saying "oh you sound good" or whatever
"you sound good for a deaf person" whatever
but it's a backhanded compliment because you are basically offending other deaf people
that might not sound "as good" in your opinion
and that's just offensive to deaf people as a whole
Don't suggest hearing aids or cochlear implants
First of all- cochlear implants, as far as I know, involve some form of surgery
and you wouldn't go up to somebody in the street and just suggest that they get surgery
erm...
hearing aids are also a very personal choice. They both are not a cure
They don't automatically make you hear. It still takes effort
I mean I wear hearing aids and I still have to be reading people's lips in order to understand what they're saying
and they don't work for everyone either.Like hearing aids work very differently, I think, for every person
Erm, and from what I've heard it's the same with cochlear implants
it doesn't necessarily work for you
Um......
But, basically, it's just a really personal thing to suggest. It's not really your business
Um, if a deaf person doesn't want to get a cochlear implant just because they don't want to
then that's their choice. It's not something that you should be trying to influence
This is one that I have seen a lot
I got this I don't know how many times during Primary School and High School and even when I was working
and it is when hearing people cover their mouths and ask if we can still hear them
In my case? Honest answer? No. I can't read your lips.
But yes I do know what you are saying because I have seen this happen a million times before
Can you hear me now? What am I saying?
Another one that happens pretty much every time I tell someone that I'm deaf
Is they look at me and go "What??"
It wasn't funny the first time. It's not going to be funny the 500th time
and it's definitley not going to be funny the millionth time
Don't tell a deaf person you forget that they are deaf
This is not so much about what you're saying as how it comes across
It comes across kind of like "well done you don't sound deaf"
"Good for you! you sound like you're hearing!"
And it's a bit, kind of, patronizing in a way
This is another one I've seen a lot. Don't make up your own sign language
I've seen so many people do this. Like if I'm on the other side of the room
and I'm not going to hear them. They will do the most random things like:
That's not sign language. It doesn't make any sense to me. It probably wouldn't make any sense to you
If I started doing it back
It's not going to make me understand what you're saying. Just come over and speak to me
Don't ask a deaf person to teach you rude words in sign language
This is the most frustrating thing
I am not fluent in British Sign Language. I am not fluent in any sign language for that matter
I......
I did do a little bit of it in high school. Erm, sort of lunch time activity/ club thing
and so I did learn some words. And the first thing everyone started to do
was ask me "how do you say this word?" or "how do you say that word?" And it was always rude words
it was always curse words or...some kind of offensive word and they thought it was hilarious and.....
It was just annoying. Yeah they might have found it amusing but it just really irritated me
"You wear hearing aids so you mustn't be deaf"
I get this a lot. I also get "you don't know sign language so you can't be deaf"
Last I checked, deafness had to do with your ears and not....
How you communicate or what instruments you use to help you communicate
"You don't look like a deaf person"
This one is really weird and when somebody asks me this or tells me this
I'm sort of at a loss for words. Like is there some kind of dress code that allow hearing people to know that we're deaf?
Should I get it tattooed across my forehead or something?
It's just weird
"Do you know how to read braille?"
I've also seen actually- some people that I talk to on tumblr and stuff
Have been in restaurants and stuff like that and have been given menus in braille
The person hasn't even asked them they've just come over and handed them a menu in braille
It's how blind people read things
It's got nothing to do with your ears. Nothing to do with deafness
And you look like a complete idiot when you ask that question
"How do you drive?"
I don't personally drive but I know a lot of deaf people who do, erm ......
To be honest I think you actually have an advantage if you're deaf and you drive because....
So many hearing people get distracted by the car radio, their phones, bluetooth speaker things
talking on the phone, people talking in the back of the car, people talking beside you
kids screaming in the back of the car. All these little things distract them.
A deaf person.....
They don't have all that to distract them
And I've not heard of very many accidents including deaf people
I've heard of a lot more to do with drunk drivers or people texting
Or you know? People with kids in the back that make too much noise
It definitely doesn't stop you from being able to drive. It's as simple as that
"Eww subtitles are so annoying"
"Do we have to have the subtitles?"
"Ugh subtitles distract me from the film"
Subtitles, subtitles,. subtitles
I'm sorry can we just mute the TV and see how well you understand it?
Subtitles are tiny little words that go along the bottom of the screen. Sometimes the top of the screen
They do not distract from the picture
If I'm capable of reading subtitles and still seeing what's happening, I'm pretty sure your capable of
ignoring subtitles and still seeing what's happening
"You need to listen better"
I, personally, got this one I don't know how many times in high school
Teachers were like "You need to listen better. You need to pay more attention."
No! You need to speak clearer. You need to write stuff on the board that I'm not going to be able to grasp
And you need to stop being a ***
This is the last one for just now
"Never mind. It's not important."
This is something that so many hearing people do
Erm, basically they say something. A deaf person doesn't grasp what it is that they've just said
And they ask them to repeat themselves and they just go "Oh never mind it's not important"
*mumbles nonsense*
Sorry you didn't get that?
Never mind it's not important
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I will be doing deaf awareness videos all week for deaf awareness week/ deaf awareness month
And thank you for watching. Hope you enjoyed it. Bye!