Really disturbed by this Reddit post’s comments about the Deaf community

[u/2cool2hear]

I came across the r/todayilearned post on r/ASLinterpreters about the 2006 Gallaudet protest against the new president. I found the comment section really disturbing and really want to know what you guys think. Seeing so many people think this way makes me really wonder what it would take to change them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASLinterpreters/comments/1w0agyk/this_viral_reddit_posts_comment_section_is_vile/

https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1w01bur/til_in_2006_students_at_gaulludet_a_university/

[u/soitul]

So much of it is rooted in ignorance and following the opinions of others for the sake of it.

A large majority of them think hearing aids and cochlears work the exact same as hearing naturally, but know little of the success rates or struggles that go with it.

So many children and people go without proper language access because they’re not given the proper care or respect.

We’ve come so far but the ADA and IDEA were just the starting point, for real equality we have to keep fighting.

It’s a shame they’ve locked the post, now it’s just an echo chamber for anyone unknowing who searches about it.

[u/2cool2hear → u/soitul]

The amount of hostility and misinformation is really concerning. Makes me wonder if attitudes toward the Deaf community are getting worse. may be going in the wrong direction.

[u/soitul → u/2cool2hear]

Honestly? It’s always existed, it’s much more apparent now due to social medias presence.

But, I do genuinely believe we’re rolling backwards due to the current state of politics.

People are acting against the ADA/equality based on their loose ideologies and misinformation that we’ve seen here.

The most recent being DEI and Trump’s actions on ASL interpreters for press briefings.

It’s more important than ever for us to be loud and make our own posts, share information.

[u/2cool2hear → u/soitul]

Isn’t that what we’ve always been doing though? We’ve been advocating and fighting for accessibility for decades and somehow we’re still here explaining the exact same basic things over and over.

[u/soitul → u/2cool2hear]

Definitely, I work locally with my community and a lot of the people my age and younger don’t have a sense of urgency. Of course this varies, and doesn’t apply to everyone.

Many people have and do continue advocating, but I worry because so many people I know say, “but we have the ADA/IDEA/etc” and simply wash their hands of it.

Not that everyone has to be an advocate or carry the burden, but it’s concerning given the state of things as we’ve seen here.

[u/soitul → u/[deleted]]

A lot, we need more people stepping up, deaf/hoh in positions of power, in every kind of work.

We thankfully have a good amount of deaf content creators who are addressing current problematic issues, we just need more.

We need to be showing up locally in our community groups, local politics, and general activism.

Showing up to press briefings, local meetings, and places where accessibility doesn’t exist.

Mostly, we need to be here for others in the same positions we are. Everything matters.

[u/ForTheLoveOfGiraffe]

That was a really difficult read. I wonder how many of those commenters have legitimate experiences with the deaf community and how many are making things up for effect.

I'm a hearing parent of a deaf baby and we have been so welcomed by the D/deaf community. We have never faced any opposition to implanting him and people are so willing to practice BSL with us, while we're doing our best to learn and improve every day. If people face opposition, it may be because those people have not tried to understand the deaf world at all. The comments on that thread all talk about deafness as a deficit, like there is something wrong with deaf people. But that's not true! It's not a deficit, it's a difference, which is a beautiful difference. Why would anyone want everyone in the world to be the same? We all have differences. My son sees the world in a different way and I love being able to witness that and join in. We've been learning a beautiful language (which I had always wanted to learn!) and find it so beneficial being able to sign with my whole family, including my hearing husband and hearing child too!

People are just so ignorant that it hurts.

[u/needmoarbass]

Yeah not worth reading through. I’m just depressed now. Most people have no idea what they’re talking about but that’s pretty normal online.

Some valid points here and there. The same stuff we’re always discussing. But more so lots of generalizations and bad stereotypes and plenty of “insult them when they turn around so they can’t hear you lolol9” childish jokes. But again, about what you’d expect online nowadays.

[u/tchaopantin]

I am deaf myself and am not surprised by the comments; it must be said that some deaf people do not help improve the general perception of the deaf community. I avoid those individuals because, even though I am 100% deaf and use no hearing aids, I will never be considered "truly" deaf by them.

As for the fact that some deaf people are illiterate, it is truly sad, given the existence of Cued Speech (invented at Gallaudet!); it serves as a genuine bridge between deafness and spoken or written language, without prohibiting the use of ASL as some believe.

It is true that cochlear implants have caused significant harm to the deaf community; since over 90% of deaf people are born into hearing families who naturally want a child just like themselves, those who do not benefit from the technology or from an adapted education face even greater exclusion and misunderstanding.

[u/DeafNatural]

I don’t care to debate with hearing people on this topic but especially not hearing people with no root in the culture. I would’ve never responded to that thread.

[u/kraggleGurl]

That is sad to hear and see. It was a great and insightful documentary, i learned a lot. People can be so ignorant and hateful!

[u/Tbackandforth]

The biggest part is that the protest was not about Fernandes being "not deaf enough". It was because she lacked the leadership skills and interpersonal skills to lead the university. The linked wiki even says this.

[u/TheDeafGeek → u/Tbackandforth]

While I wasn't at Gallaudet during the 2006 protests, I did work at Gallaudet between 2012-2018, so I worked with many people who were around during that protest.

You're correct in that the protest was never about Fernandes being "not deaf enough." That's just the spin that Fernandes and her supporters put on the protest, in an effort to save face. And sadly, that's the narrative that took hold.

Everybody whom I worked with, who worked under Fernandes when she was in charge of Clerc Center / MSSD, all agreed on one thing. She was an utterly horrible leader. According to my co-workers, she shut down a very successful CTE program at MSSD, removed classroom walls to promote the "open classroom approach," had teachers co-teach with somebody in a completely different field to improve "multidisciplinary education," and chased all sort of fads in teaching. They all hated working under her, and were utterly thrilled that she got booted out didn't become the President of Gallaudet University. It was never because she wasn't "deaf enough."

And that was just the adults. Imagine how the students felt!

[u/benshenanigans]

A majority of Reddit is very audist. I’m cautious to post about my deafness outside of our subreddits. Even the asl sub is too hearing centric at times.

[u/buckeyebrain1969 → u/benshenanigans]

Same!!!  I resisted joining Reddit for many years because I literally got called out by some idiot hearie from a comment I made on a news post; and then another idiot hearie thought it was funny enough for a Reddit thread. 

[u/Butterfly_and_Moth]

This is heartbreaking. I'm HH with progressive hearing loss, but I took several ASL classes at community college taught by Deaf people before I ever got diagnosed with hearing loss. It taught me a lot about Deaf culture and history as well as learning ASL. I suspect it is hearing people not realizing how much hearing loss affects Deaf/HH. I wish more hearing and able bodied people would ask us questions instead of making assumptions and hating us, but a lot of this is ignorance and the lack of education in how people live their lives. 

[u/seau_de_beurre]

I’m the hearing parent of a deaf child and reading this was a punch to the gut. I can only imagine how much it hurt for the deaf and HOH community to read. Just a grotesque lack of understanding. And lack of apparent desire to learn.

[u/porcelaincatstatue]

Only scrolled for a second. But, as a life-long HoH who didn't get help until my 30s and is learning ASL, literally everyone, including my instructors, talk about how insuler and judgemental the Deaf community is. It's my main anxiety point for not trying more immersion.

One of the last Deaf events I went to with my learning group (explicitly invited, new learners specifically welcome), someone got mad at me for listening, but not making eye contact because I was watching his hands, trying to recognize signs and grammar. He told me I had to do it with my peripheral vision. It was already a loud place and my HAs were picking up so much sound and I was anxious and embarrassed for not knowing more. I had to excuse myself to the bathroom for a quick shame cry and anxiety pee.

My current results aren't much worse than my school day ones and I didn't get help when I was younger. I remember elementary age, a deaf girl in one of my classes having an interpreter + a speaker box thing that fed into her devices and being so fucking jealous because she had so much support and I just got yelled at all the time for not listening.

I don't ever want to get mad at a marginalized community for being protective. But damn. I've taken 3 ASL classes already this year and have 3 more starting next month. But I'm still terrified to interact IRL because the community's reputation for judgement.

[u/DancingStark]

Audist bs like this is why federal funding for Deaf schools is being threatened. I am hearing, and work in a Deaf school, and have felt very welcomed and supported by the community. Obviously no community is a monolith, but painting the community as actively hostile as a rule is just ableism and audism. I hope some of those people read the comments from actual Deaf and HoH people and were prompted to reflect.

[u/Legodude522]

I saw the comments on earlier. I stopped reading for my own sanity.

[u/2cool2hear → u/Legodude522]

Yeah I don’t blame you. It’s awful.

[u/TumbleweedFar2284]

I think we have made great strides in terms of ADA. Unfortunately, because the Deaf Community is small to non-existent in some areas, it’s hard for people to become exposed to it. And, as humans often do, when they don’t understand something, they want to ignore it or try to fix it. Like any minority group, the members have to fight for their culture to remain relevant. It’s an important fight.

[u/Coffeechipmunk]

Reddit, even on the more progressive subreddits, can be less than accepting. See here where I was like, "BASL exists, You can use it, but it's not really encouraged if you aren't black" and people were not happy.

[u/extra_sharp_cheddar]

I know it was a tough read

[u/eclecticmeeple]

Nothing new Stupid is as stupid does after all