The Deaf in Society Essay -- Sociology Hard of Hearing

The Deaf Community Imagine if you could never experience the sound of your favorite song on the radio. Or you could never hear the voice of a family member wishing you happy birthday. Since these situations are typical we may take them for granted. But these every day scenarios will never be part of a deaf person's life. "One out of thousand infants will be born deaf every year," (Deaf Understanding). Most people don't realize the giant impact of the deaf in our society. Deaf persons can be any race, gender and position in society. They can be scientists, doctors, or many other professions. Since the occurrence of deafness is so high in our society we all must learn how to communicate affectivity with the deaf community. There are many approaches a person may take to familiarize themselves with deaf society. Most people that are of hearing belong to one of two following categories. The pathological approach to interact with the deaf is to focus on their disability and try to correct it by using medical approaches. This approach is usually practiced by doctors. Many disagree with the pathological approach because they would rather be categorized by the senses they were given and not the senses they lack. Sometimes individuals view deaf people as being abnormal and must be "fixed." The truth is since the deaf can't hear they learn how to use there other senses in ways the hearing can't imagine. The second view is the cultural approach when interacting with deaf society. This point of view classifies the deaf as a group of individuals that share a common language. "In fact, American sign language is the third most used language in the United States," (Sign Genius). Another way the cultural view classifi... ...uage which is sign language. Sign languages are visual languages that are living languages and therefore changing. Each country has their own unique sign language that the deaf community uses. Also, many famous individuals in sports and culture have been deaf. Since the occurrence of deafness is so high in our society we all must learn how to communicate affectivity with the deaf community. Bibliography http://www.deafunderstanding.com/facts.html http://www.signgenius.com/info-sign-lanuage-05.shtml http://www.deaf.net/interesting.htm http://www.nad.org http://www.signmedia.com/info/adc.htm