Even when it is quite possible to restore hearing, many of them refuse to “become like everyone else.”
Dozens of people – mostly deaf and hard of hearing – gathered for a rally against … research in the field of hearing restoration in Los Angeles (USA). In Italy, a march was held for the recognition of the sign language of the deaf and dumb at the state level *. What makes deaf people struggle with what, it would seem, should improve their lives?
Fear of becoming addicted. “I have been living with an implanted device for five years,” says 25-year-old Maria. – In winter, I accidentally fell and hit my head hard. When I came to, I realized that I couldn’t hear anything. The doctors confirmed that the implant had failed. I had to have another operation.” For those who lost their hearing at a conscious age (as a result of illness or injury), hearing aids give a chance to return to their former lives. But for those who, like Maria, were born deaf, they mean a new life in the world of sounds. And additional difficulties: dependence on doctors, anxiety about the quality of the device. They also have to put up with constant interference and noise. Some of the principle reject implants because they want to remain 100% “real” without wanting to turn into “cyborgs”.
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Fear of misunderstanding. “The sight-hearing society is not very inclined to interact with those who have hearing or vision impairments,” says rehabilitation psychologist Natalia Karpova. – Feeling this, deaf people avoid communication. It is safer, easier and more convenient for them (as well as for blind people) to be in their environment.” Far from always, such isolation becomes a response to a direct threat or insult. But the constant need to follow the “rules” of the hearing world can feed a sense of alienation in a deaf person. It is well conveyed in the film by Valery Todorovsky “Country of the Deaf” (1998), where one of the heroines, the dancer Yaya, dreams of leaving for a mythical country where only deaf people live and goodness and justice reign among them.
Desire to preserve their culture. The deaf community is a special world in which sign language plays a huge role. There are many of its dialects with their own jargon, humor and even accent. You can not only speak it, but also create: there are gestural verses, poems, plays. “From the point of view of sign language speakers,” says deaf psychologist Paddy Ladd, “attempts to ‘fix’ their situation are an attack on their culture, achievements and values.” “The life of a person with any illness and disability, if it does not create a danger to others, must be protected from intrusions,” emphasizes Natalia Karpova. “You can offer help, but the choice of accepting or not accepting it is up to the individual.”
* You can read more about this on the website of the National Association of the Deaf (USA), nad.org