Dylon Harrison

Interim Editor-in-Chief

National Deaf History Month began on Mar. 13 and will continue until April 15. Deaf History Month is celebrated every year to commemorate the Deaf President Now (DPN) Movement, the social rights movement that led to Gallaudet University, the leading university for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the country, having its first Deaf president selected.

To celebrate Deaf History Month, I will be talking about some common misconceptions about Sign Language and the Deaf community.

Misconception One: “Sign Language is an international language.”

Sign languages, like spoken languages, vary from place to place. There are some that are more similar than others, but there are hundreds of distinct sign languages currently being used around the world. The most commonly used in America is American Sign Language (ASL). In England, it is British Sign Language (BSL). Although the two countries primarily speak the same language, the two sign languages are very distinct. There is an International Sign Language,but it is typically only used at events where signers from many different countries are present.

Misconception Two: “ASL is just manual English.”

American Sign Language is a fully-fledged language of its own, not a derivative of English or any other language. It has a grammar structure and rules that are unique to it. It is possible to sign straight English, but this is not formal ASL. An example of this structure would be in introducing yourself. In English, you would say, “My name is this.” In ASL, the correct structure directly translates to, “Name my this.”

Misconception Three: “Deaf people can’t speak.”

Hearing and speech are not the same things. A Deaf person is more than capable of learning how to speak, if they want to. True, they learn how differently than a hearing person would, but it’s still completely possible.

Misconception Four: “Deaf people can read Braille.”

I mean, if they wanted to learn how to read Braille, they could. However, just because someone is Deaf doesn’t mean they inherently know how to read Braille. Blindness and deafness are different conditions, and their means of accessibility are different as well.

Misconception Five: “All Deaf people can read lips.”

Lip reading is a skill. It takes time and practice to learn. While it’s true that lip reading can be a useful skill for Deaf or hard-of-hearing people to have, it is not a necessary one. Many people excel in life without being able to read lips at all. They communicate primarily with sign languages, either with other signers or with help of interpreters. This is easier and often much more reliable than lip reading.

Misconception Six: “Deaf people would rather be hearing.”

This is the big one. Hearing people tend to see deafness as a disability, as “hearing loss.” The Deaf community on the other hand, disagrees with this. To them, deafness is just a different ability, not a disability. Most Deaf and hard-of-hearing people wouldn’t choose to be hearing even if the opportunity presented itself. They see it not as “hearing loss,” but as “Deaf gain.” It’s part of who they are as a community, as a culture and as an individual.