FAW
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions that I will answer:
1. When and how did you become deaf?
I became deaf around 17 or 18. I had many high-grade fevers due to having a deficient immune system, and the fevers resulted in damage to my VIII cranial nerve and inner ear.
2. If you’re Deaf, how do you interpret things?
Two ways: I either act as a DI (Deaf Interpreter) meaning that I work in conjunction with hearing interpreters. They take the spoken message, turn it into an English based sign system, I interpret it into a strong ASL, and deliver it to the Deaf client.
The only type of interpreting I do otherwise is usually theatrical. In that case, I have a script I am able to follow. I study it as early in advance as I can… and I study it several times over. I memorize as much as I’m able. When I can’t remember the next line, I rely on my partner (hearing interpreter). I remember my next line based on what they sign. If that doesn’t work, I always have my hearing aids in or an FM system when I do theatrical work. And if worse comes to worse, my partner will feed me.
3. Cochlear implants are a very sticky topic right now. How do you feel about them?
Honestly, I’m against children getting them. I think that if someone decided to get one when they’re old enough to understand what it means, go for it! But I don’t think that point comes around until the child is at least 12 or so. I don’t like infants getting CI’s.
I know that parents are doing what they think is best. But I think that, in general, parents only get one side of the story. They are sat down in front of a whole team of medical professionals who tell them, “We’re so sorry, but your child is deaf. We need to fix this right away if they can EVER hope to live a normal life. Your best best is to have this surgery or your child will never be normal and you’ll not be able to communicate with them.” That may be a slight exaggeration, but I stand by the word slight.
I am not against CI’s. I’m against the fact that in a majority of cases, infants or very young children are given CI’s, never taught to sign, and never introduced to Deaf culture or even other Deaf people. They will spend years in speech therapy (depending on when they get it), and even then may not be an oral success. I think CI’s place a lot of pressure on children, and very little on the parents. You care enough to have an expensive, invasive surgery done on your young child, withouttheir consent, and somehow that’s showing love more than learning a visual language to communicate with them? I don’t think you should have to ‘fix’ your child. I think you should do just as much work as they do. If they have to work to learn to speak and hear when, naturally, they are not able to, I think parents should learn to sign for them.
I get upset that there is such little balance between the pathological view and the natural view: your child is deaf. They cannot hear. It is not the end of the world; they have the same amount of potential to be great as any other person. If you want to give your child a CI, I can’t do anything to change your mind. I just hope that you’ll introduce signing and Deaf culture to them as well.
Deafness can be isolating, even with CI’s. So I really do believe that deaf children should be introduced to other deaf people- they should definitely have people they can relate to. It doesn’t matter how much a hearing parent loves their deaf child: they will never be able fully understand what it means to be deaf or in their child’s shoes. It’s not a judgement; it’s a statement of fact. My parents do not know what it’s like to be deaf, because they aren’t.
I just really wish there was more equality in the issue. I don’t have anything against CI’s. I have several friends with them: some like that they have it, and others wish their parents had never forced them to do it. Some opted for it themselves and don’t use it now, and others’ parents forced them and they’re happy about it. It goes both ways. But I do wish Deaf culture was something that was brought up in hospitals, that someone Deaf was there to talk to the parents, and that the parents could find the Deaf Community and the support they can offer.
4. How do you feel about ABC’s Switched at Birth?
Conflicted.
I like that deafness, ASL, and to an extent Deafhood are being represented on TV. I’m glad for the exposure, but that being said:
a) The show is made for hearing people. Half the time when people are signing, they aren’t even fully in frame on the camera. The camera is either on the person listening, or bouncing around between the signer’s face, hands, and the listener.
b) The only people who actually sign ASL on the show are the two Deaf actors: Sean Berdy and Marlee Matlin (Emmett and Melody).
c) SAB fangirls can be really annoying sometimes. Not the show’s fault, directly, but still. Deafness is, apparently, a new fad. It’s a trend that has started which has turned Deaf people into the latest accessory. I’m sick of seeing people saying that they want a deaf boyfriend or best friend. It’s just ridiculous. If I say that I want a Deaf boyfriend, that’s one thing! I’m Deaf! It’s fairly normal to want someone I can connect to on that level. For me, it’s the experiences that come with deafness and Deafhood, not that fact that the person is deaf, and therefore, cool (?).
d) Lipreading? It’s a breeze according to the show! So easy!
e) Most people would not be okay with being pushed into a body of water with their hearing aids lying not even three feet away. Those things are expensive as hell!
The list goes on… but in general: I’m happy that Deaf culture is getting attention and exposure. I’m not happy that it’s often misrepresented and not actually honored in many aspects.
