Deaf Culture and Microaggressions

Deaf people who use sign language are a socio-linguistic minority. There are over 200 sign languages used in the world. 

The Deaf community and Deaf individuals experience microaggressions from some hearing people and even from other Deaf people. 

I mentioned some microaggressions while teaching in class today such as some people speaking in English speech in front of a Deaf person and not including them or sharing what was said. 

Bottom of this page are some websites as resources to learn more about audism which is a specific form of discrimination and oppression specific to Deaf people. 

Here are several examples of microaggressions specific to Deaf people:

A hearing person gets upset and angry at a Deaf person for making sounds or being too loud. 

Not being patient to communicate with Deaf individual. Rolling eyes, not letting them finish writing down or communicating. Skipping them because they are “too slow”. It is the hearing person who doesn’t know ASL being slow. Deaf people work very hard to communicate with Hearing people all the time. 

Not making the effort to meet Deaf people on communication problem solving, eg. how to make each other understood?

Refusing to use the microphone

Using Deaf people, sign language, and interpreters as props for jokes in stand-up comedy, or memes when not a Deaf person. 

Refusing to read what the Deaf person wrote down for them to understand

Demanding Deaf people lipread them.  Please do research on why lipreading is not always accessible

Not putting captioning on videos or making sure videos are accurate for captioning; no gaps, missing words, or misspelled words

Hearing people Applauding ASL -English interpreters in front of Deaf people when hearing person doesn’t know  ASL, thus do not know if the interpreter did a good job or not. It’s demeaning to Deaf people. 

Refusing or showing active discomfort around using pointing, gestures to show the meaning of something when forgetting a sign. 

Calling facial expressions on Deaf people as being childish or immature. 

Refusing to slow down and repeat information being spoken.

Refusing to pause and allow Deaf people to read information before speaking in English or ASL. 

Telling a Deaf person, “I want to hear your voice” “I need you to speak so I can hear your voice” or “I want you to hear my voice so you know how much I love you”. 

Tell a Deaf person those phrases: “Wow you speak so well” “Wow your English is so good” “You don’t look Deaf”,  “Where is your signer”. 

Resources:

https://www.nadja.co/2020/11/09/discrimination-against-deaf-people/Links to an external site.

https://vawnet.org/sc/audism-oppression-lives-deaf-individuals