I’m a CODA, or Child of Deaf Adult. Ever since I was young, I’ve seen two very different yet very similar worlds—the Deaf and hearing worlds. Many of my friends growing up would be interested in my mother, how she communicates, and if they could learn a few signs. Almost all of them had never met or known a Deaf person before meeting my mom, so it was always really great to see how eager they were to learn about ASL or being Deaf. I’d like to think small encounters like that opened their eyes to a different perspective and began to bridge the Deaf and hearing communities.
It’s important to bridge, and not to combine, the Deaf community with hearing people. The Deaf community still wants to have their own culture be strong and flourish. The term bridging is important because it shows a connection between the two, while still having their own culture and community. Deaf people have been deprived of their language and culture for over 150 years because of prominent people such as Alexander Graham Bell, who didn’t believe that Deaf children should be taught to sign. Now more than ever we should be uplifting, not oppressing, the Deaf community and their culture.
A great TED-Talk by Roos Wattel talks about growing up Deaf in a hearing world and how she feels that the Deaf and hearing community can be bridged. She mentions that the first thing is that society needs to do is remove barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. She never feels like she has a disability, rather society makes her have a disability. For example, in the Netherlands, where she’s from, there’s a law that interpreter services can be used only 15% of the time at work. By reducing these barriers, the Deaf community will not be marginalized, and be able to communicate freely. Check out the entire TED-Talk below:
Heather Artinian is another Deaf individual who did a TED-Talk about her own experience growing up in the Deaf and hearing world and how she feels that she lives in her own “Heather” world. She was born Deaf, into a predominantly Deaf family so from a young age she was immersed in the Deaf culture and community, but also was in the hearing community. The city that she grew up in New York, didn’t have a large Deaf community, but she eventually moved to Maryland where the Deaf community was prominent, and she felt more connected. Before they moved to Maryland, she wanted to get a cochlear implant, but she changed her mind after moving. However, when she moved back to New York after a few years, she felt that it would be best for her. She saw herself flourish and she put in a lot of work to be able to communicate effectively with her peers. It wasn’t until after high school that she realized she didn’t have to be in the hearing world or Deaf world, she could just be in her own “Heather” world, which is a mixture of all of her experiences. She saw that she was able to bridge the Deaf and hearing worlds in her life in so many ways. The first step is communication and being comfortable. One conversation between a Deaf person and a hearing person can allow for future conversation with other Deaf people to be more comfortable. Of course, in order to bridge, both sides have to be willing. She ends it off with the message, “reach out, build bridges, be surprised”. Check out the whole video below:
Overall, beginning to bridge the communities starts with you. Take time to learn and reach out to Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to build those connections. Register in an ASL class, research about ways to help break down barriers and advocate for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Small steps working towards building that bridge can have a big impact.
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