Myths and Facts About Deaf People

Myths about Deaf People

People who are deaf are broken or inferior
Deafness is a terrible thing
Most people who are deaf want to be 'normal' (hearing)
People who are deaf need special education and cannot live a 'normal' life
All people who are deaf can read lips (or Braille)
People who are deaf should be greatful for what is given to them by mainstream society
People who are deaf generally cannot think in abstracts
People who are deaf have other 'heightened' senses to compensate for their hearing loss
People who are deaf are rude
People who are deaf are lazy
People who are deaf that have good speech or can lip-read are smarter than those who cannot

Facts About People who are Deaf

People who are deaf often differ in language preference and in other preferences or skills (e.g. Up-reading, communication mode, educational background, etc.)
Some people who are deaf deal regularly with prejudice
Being deaf does not affect intelligence
Many people who are deaf can and do become 'successful'
People who are deaf have a rich, unique culture different than that of mainstream society, including:
language (visual spatial, rules of grammar and syntax, contextual, examples, high detail, lists, explicit.)
folklore, jokes, poetry, art, theatre
community (relationships a priority, schools for the deaf, goals of community ... )