Stereotypes and Misconceptions

There is an interesting discussion on the deaf forum about negative stereotypes and misconceptions that hearing people have. http://www.alldeaf.com/showthread.php?t=29734

I’ve listed below what they came up with, and not in any special order. They may come up with some more and I will add them to the list.

All deaf people can’t hear.
All deaf people want to hear.
All deaf people are mute.
All deaf people can speak.
All deaf people can lipread.
All deaf people who can speak can hear the speaker.
All deaf people know ASL.
All deaf people want Sign Language.
If you can sign, or understand sign, then you must be deaf.
Deaf people can hear when they want to.
Deaf people can hear if you talk loud enough.
All deaf people with hearing aids can hear.
All deaf people with cochlear implants can hear.
All deaf people have interpreters all the time.
Deaf people are as cantankerous as their interpreters (or hearing wives).
Deaf people use Braille.
ASL is the same thing as Braille.
Helen Keller invented sign language.
Deaf people are stupid (dumb).
Deaf people can’t work.
Deaf people are gay/lesbian.
Deaf people are poor.
Deaf people are late for everything.
Deaf people can’t drive.
Deaf people are stuck up.
Deaf people don’t tip well.
Deaf parents want to have hearing kids.
Any person who is hard of hearing is elderly.
And finally, all deaf people are just like the one deaf person the hearing person has met.

I recall when Steve and I met with the Deseret Industries Manufacturing supervisor, the first thing he asked Steve was, “Do you read lips?” There were no assumptions on his part. Steve told me his current boss has a neighbor who is deaf and probably thinks Steve is just like his neighbor (whatever that may be).

The boss talks to him as if he can read lips, and this may account for not having an interpreter at their recent training session. Perhaps he assumed Steve would be able to read the trainer’s lips. Personally, I think he was too busy to think anything accept training his employees how to use the machine.

Someone may have talked to the boss because a couple of days ago, I got a Sidekick message from a happy husband who was trained on another task. The best way to train him on a task is to show him how to do it. But the boss thought he could just explain it to him. There were misunderstandings, but Steve said they both were able to laugh about it, fortunately. He can’t be fired if he does not understand what the boss wants.

It will take some time, but eventually his boss will come to realize that Steve is unique with his deafness as every deaf and hard of hearing person is unique.