knox:
can 2017 be the year of hearies being Good Allies to d/Deaf people?
how to be a good ally to d/Deaf people
- recognize that audism (the oppression of & discrimination against deaf people) is still a very real issue. it can include things like believing that deaf people are “stupid” or “broken” and that deaf people need to be “fixed” (aka made hearing), as well a general lack of awareness about deaf issues, how deaf people communicate, or even that deaf people exist
- recognize the consequences of audism, like deaf children being forced to speak and not being allowed to learn ASL, deaf people being denied jobs (yep, its illegal. still happens), and even deadly police brutality
- reblog/signal boost posts about d/Deaf issues as well as positive posts about d/Deaf accomplishments, information about d/Deaf people, etc
- if you can: learn a little bit of your local sign language! even just fingerspelling and knowing a few basic signs. i especially encourage anyone who works in customer service/retail to learn a little ASL if at all possible! (this is a big thing so i def don’t fault anyone for not doing it, but if you have the time/ability it’s a pretty cool thing to do)
- stop using phrases like “falls on deaf ears”, “deaf to their pleas”, anything that frames deafness in a negative way
- recognize that there are different levels of hearing loss!! hearing people generally categorize hearing as: “not being able to hear perfectly but still hearing” = hard of hearing; “not hearing anything” = deaf; but for deaf people, anyone with any degree of hearing loss is considered deaf! if someone tells you they’re deaf but you know they can talk/sing/play instruments/listen to music, believe them
- theres a lot more honestly but i dont wanna let this get too long!! anyone can feel free to message me about any of this/if u wanna hear more. i’d really appreciate if people (esp. hearing people) could reblog this
can hearies also stop thinking ASL is important for how “cute” it is or how it fits their aesthetic or “lol swears!!!!” this language in particular (in america, I don’t know about other countries deaf history) is steeped in our culture and it’s insulting that hearies try to strip it from our hands and make it into their jokes
