3 ms·
I don't trust that you have enough experience with deaf people to make your claim. The word disability has a lot of meanings and a lot of uses. Only one of the
by gugagore 7y ago
I don't trust that you have enough experience with deaf people to make your claim.
The word disability has a lot of meanings and a lot of uses. Only one of them is about getting access to accommodations.
Deaf people absolutely label themselves disabled for the purposes of getting access to accommodations, like you suggest. I think you misunderstood that they're upset about all the other things that are associated with disability. The idea that deafness is "lesser" (e.g. hearing loss) simply does not resonate with most culturally deaf people.
- matt-attack 7y agoWell they literally have lesser (or more correctly, “fewer”) functioning senses. Like 4 instead of 5 is clearly lesser. I really hate when emotions get in the way of objective definitions.
- gugagore 7y agoWhy is it more important to have an objective definition of deafness than it is to understand deaf people's definitions of deafness? The most important difference between deaf people and hearing people, for deaf people, isn't "5-4=1". I really hate it when objectiveness gets in the way of compassion and respect for human beings and life generally. Also, of course deaf people agree they cannot hear and have one fewer functioning sense. In some signed languages, the sign for deafness is an open hand, but with one of the fingers flexed (4 of 5). And I will argue in fact it's hearing people who get "emotional" about the idea that deaf people don't care about not hearing. By the way, "5-4=1" is not the most important difference for hearing people either. Hearing people will talk about hearing birds songs and stuff.
- knicholes 7y agoI worked with them for nine years, so shrug. I'm not sure how much experience you require for me to have to make my claim.