American Sign Language Deaf Culture

Sign of Respect In this video, the basic message is that as new signers we should act with the same level of respect that we use with the hearing, that is, if we do not understand, express this honestly. Certainly, just as in the scene where someone such as Amy do not understand, answer b should always be our answer. However, beyond just expressing understanding or lack thereof as a sin of respect (or disrespect) to a deaf person is not enough.

We must use this as a template for all of our interactions with the deaf community. Just as we would like the Golden Rule and the benefit of the doubt applied to us, we need to give the same consideration first so that we deserve to have it from the deaf.

If we treat the hearing impaired as if they are not aware, what does this say about ourselves and our manners? If we see this simply as an exercise in good manners, it will not be so difficult to see the hearing impaired community as anything other than normal people who deserve the same respect that we do in any situation where we may not have the same access to or level of communication in a data set as we might like to have.

There are more similarities than differences between the hearing impaired community and the hearing community. Just as they wish to have respect, they wish to have it just as much as we do. Indeed, a "handicap" is simply propelled by perception. If one has never heard, they have no idea that they are "behind" or "handicapped." Any situation is a double edged sword. It can go both ways.

Do those in the hearing impaired community have many of the experiences that happened between those in the video in the Deaf Community Center and someone who hears such as Amy? If this is the case, then it must be very frustrating at times for the hearing impaired in their dealings with those who are not due to people such as Amy who should just be honest and admit that they can not communicate well in a new situation or that they do not know something.

Also, is it common for those who are new at signing to be embarrassed at their lack of knowledge? Perhaps they should just relate this frustration to that which a hearing impaired person must feel when they are in a crowd of hearing people and are trying to express themselves. In a Google search, this author found a page on teaching to the hearing impaired. It listed respect as one of the number one foundational issues that all else is based upon.

Without it, no progress can be achieved ("Strategies for teaching," 2010). As mentioned above, this would seem to be basic, but it is evidently not the normal human reaction. Based upon our animalistic tendencies, we are into providing for our own needs first and it is only secondary that we look.