Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) individuals are often exposed to biases and prejudices on a daily basis that create an inequitable environment in their personal, social and professional lives.
Misconceptions About Lifestyle:
“D/deaf people have to invest in hearing aids to “restore” their hearing”
While it is important to understand that D/deaf people can still experience many of the same day-to-day activities that hearing people can, it is also important to be mindful of their nuanced experiences and differences. Firstly, consider that wearing a hearing aid does not always mean that the user can hear and understand speech. For instance, some people have severe hearing impairments and wearing a hearing aid may actually alert them to extraneous sounds in their environment instead of audible speech--contrary to what Hearing individuals often assume (Summer 1992). The noisy sounds of the environment can cause interference in interpreting the speech as a result.
Moreover, there exists the misconception that D/deaf individuals need hearing aids to “restore” their hearing. In truth, individuals choose to wear hearing aids or not based on their personal beliefs, values, and circumstances.
“D/deaf people are bad drivers because they can’t hear”
A common myth is that D/deaf people are bad drivers because they can’t hear. However, statistics suggest that D/deaf drivers actually are likely to be better drivers than Hearing drivers (Deaf Unity, 2017). Many people with hearing loss have more highly developed peripheral vision than Hearing people, and this ultimately improves their driving ability (Deaf Unity, 2017). Similarly, many D/deaf people affirm that because they don’t experience hearing, it makes them more visually aware and conscious of driving to compensate (Deaf Unity, 2017). Accordingly, it may actually be safer sitting in a car with a D/deaf person than with a hearing person.
The myth that “[D/deaf] people are bad drivers because they can’t hear” isn’t just an unfair bias, but a misconception that has caused insurance companies to feel that D/deaf drivers are a high-risk group. As a result, there are not many companies that provide D/deaf drivers with insurance (Berkay et al., 1995). This affects the choice of transportation that D/deaf people choose to use, having to resort to a bus in case they are unable to get car insurance (Berkay et al., 1995).
Misconceptions about Communication:
“D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot communicate with hearing individuals without the assistance of an interpreter”
Interpreters play a large role in how the hearing community perceives communication in the D/deaf and HoH community (Bahan, 2008). There are many misconceptions about the role that interpreters have in the D/deaf and HoH Community. The common misconception is that having an interpreter means that the interpreter will speak on behalf of the D/deaf or HoH individual that they are working with (Mitchell et al., 2006). This has led to the idea that D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot communicate with others without an interpreter to speak for them.
There is a misunderstanding on what the scope of practice of an interpreter is. The goal of an interpreter is to provide a sufficient level of understanding between a hearing individual(s) and a D/deaf or HoH individual(s) who are trying to communicate with one another (Bahan, 2008). The presence of an interpreter is supposed to be neutral, as they are only there to engage when delivering the content of the conversation to the other person (Bahan, 2008). While interpreters do assist in the communication between hearing individuals and D/deaf and HoH individuals, their presence is not essential (Bahan, 2008). Some D/deaf and HoH individuals are able to communicate with hearing individuals through other means, such as lip-reading and/or oral language (Bahan, 2008).
“All D/deaf and HoH individuals are able to lip-read.”
Almost all D/deaf people have been asked, at some point or another, “Can you lip read?” (Goldmann and Mallory, 1992). Though D/deaf and HoH individuals obtain information from other peoples’ lip movements, very few D/deaf and HoH individuals acquire adequate lip-reading skills. Thus, this may not be their primary method of comprehending hearing individuals (Goldmann and Mallory, 1992). In fact, there are D/deaf and HoH individuals that experience a lot of challenges with lip-reading, and thus are geared towards another means of communicating and understanding others (Goldmann and Mallory). Lip reading comes with several barriers, such as people’s accents, stuttering, fast speaking, as well some sounds in languages that do not seem visible on the lips when pronounced (Goldmann and Mallory, 1992). This further emphasizes the fact that not all D/deaf and HoH individuals are able to lip-read. In fact, most HoH individuals vary in their comfortability with lip-reading.
Through many interviews and focus groups, research studies have collected data that has allowed them to find that only 30 to 40 percent of speech is lip-readable (Young and Hunt, 2011). This percent range justifies the presence of barriers listed above when it comes to D/deaf and HoH people and their ability to lip-read. Overall, the common misconception that all D/deaf or HoH individuals are able to lip-read can impose biases that hinder communication between hearing individuals and members of the D/deaf and HoH community.
“All individuals in the D/deaf community use ASL and depend on this as means of communication.”
Many people who are part of the D/deaf and HoH community do utilize American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with others and express their thoughts. However, communication by ASL is not a set expectation from the D/deaf and HoH individuals (Francis and Scott, 2016). Since some D/deaf and HoH individuals lack ASL experience in their homes, they tend to prefer not using ASL (Francis and Scott, 2016). For this reason, it would be incorrect to assume that all D/deaf and HoH individuals know and use ASL since not all individuals of that community actually use ASL.
A study done in 2006 looked at approximating how many people used ASL versus how many people in that group were actually D/deaf or HoH. As expected, the number of D/deaf and HoH people that use ASL was not equal to the same number of people who are D/deaf and/or HoH (Mitchell et al., 2006). This emphasizes that not all individuals in the D/deaf community use ASL and do have other means of communication (Mitchell et al., 2006). Studies like this help prevent misunderstandings about ASL being the only means of communication for those that are D/deaf or HoH.
Misconceptions in the Professional World:
Within one’s professional career—from academic schooling to a paying job— there are many myths that the D/deaf and HoH community encounter. There are often misconceptions about intellectual ability, safety, and accessibility that have no empirical basis. This section will delve into misconceptions regarding academic intelligence, workplace safety, and accessibility in the workplace.
“D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot achieve the same level of success as hearing students in a classroom environment”
Literature has found that deafness and intelligence are mutually exclusive factors; however, many hearing people believe that deafness and intelligence are linked, even though there is no basis for this assumption (Berkay et al., 1995). The notion of equating intelligence to having full hearing capabilities is greatly misguided as it undermines all of the lived experiences and efforts of those with a hearing impairment. This misconception is more an indication of lack of exposure to the D/deaf and HoH community than of ability (Francis & Scott, 2016).
Moreover, it is not the intelligence of the individual that should be put into question, but the wealth of resources offered. People within the D/deaf community will face challenges when integrating into a full English, hearing community, but this does not reflect their capacity to learn (Francis & Scott, 2016). What can be most detrimental is a lack of resources and opportunity (Francis & Scott, 2016). A third-year engineering student at McMaster University perfectly exemplifies how this is a deeply flawed misconception. In an interview, he spoke about how he has never felt that his disability was linked to his intelligence. Having difficulty hearing did not impact his motivation, his knowledge, his completion of assignments, labs and exams, nor did it define him as an upper-year engineering student in any way.
But why is it important to become aware of this myth? Unfortunately, if people in positions of power—such as professors—think this myth is true, it can negatively impact students within the D/deaf and HoH communities. The Pygmalion effect explains how one’s preconceived notions and expectations can influence behaviours (Almadi, 2019). If professionals automatically assume that hearing-impaired individuals are less intelligent, they will treat them as such and put them at a disadvantage. Conversely, if professionals become aware of the misconception and make the effort to give all students equitable opportunities and resources, this should eliminate a perceivable ‘intellectual gap’.
“D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot work in jobs that have high safety risks.”
It is a common misconception that D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot work in jobs such as construction because they cannot hear verbal warnings or alarms that signal danger. However, the main safety hazards in construction are not hearing-related. According to the Government of Ontario (2019), the main hazards on construction sites are occupational illnesses: exposure to asbestos, injury from operating heavy equipment, “struck-by” hazards, and fall hazards—where workers fall off equipment/structures. Out of these main safety hazards, “struck-by” hazards are the only ones that may disproportionately affect D/deaf and HoH workers. Such “struck-by” hazards include being struck by vehicles or mobile equipment, crushed between equipment, or struck by material that is being moved (Government of Ontario, 2019). There are already many safety precautions in place to minimize the risk of such hazards. These include signalers who direct workers operating heavy equipment, along with the enforcement of wearing personal protective equipment and visibility clothing (Government of Ontario, 2019). Additionally, employers are required by the government to take every precaution needed to protect workers (Government of Ontario, 2019). Thus, D/deaf and HoH workers have the right to safety accommodations. These accommodations may include strobe lights connected to alarm signals, vibrating watches to alert the worker, and paint or ropes to indicate paths used by vehicles (Holck, 2018).
Although it may seem like D/deaf and HoH individuals cannot work in high safety risk jobs, there are many precautions that can be put in place to ensure their risk of danger is no more than that of hearing individuals.
“Arranging accessibility services for D/deaf and HoH individuals in the workplace is difficult.”
Ricky Washington applied for a job at McDonald’s and disclosed that he was D/deaf on his application. He was offered an interview, but when he asked for McDonalds to provide an interpreter, the interview was cancelled (Thomson, 2016). Many D/deaf and HoH individuals struggle to decide if they should disclose their hearing impairment on their application for fear of subconscious discrimination (Smith & Andrews, 2015).
It is important for employers to understand that it is illegal to discriminate against D/deaf and HoH individuals when hiring. Moreover, accommodations that these individuals may need do not require drastic changes to the workplace. The main accommodations would relate to meetings, emergency alarms, and closed captioning (Duerig, 2017). If training videos are required for new hires, employers are responsible for ensuring they are closed-captioned (Duerig, 2017). Employers should also ensure workplace meetings are in rooms that allow the D/deaf or HoH employee good visual access to speakers and presentations (Duerig, 2017). Additionally, employers should discuss with the employee how they would like to communicate in the meeting and hand out written material beforehand. Finally, a buddy system can be incorporated for emergencies, along with flashing lights to accompany alarms (Duerig, 2017).
All in all, the accommodations that may be requested will not require a company to drastically change its workplace. Additionally, there are many resources that companies can contact to access resources for D/deaf and HoH employees, such as Deaf Access Services and The Canadian Hearing Society (Ontario Association of the Deaf, n.d.).
Common professional misconceptions are harmful to the D/deaf and HoH communities. This knowledge must be disseminated in order to help raise awareness and educate the hearing community so that they may not limit the hearing-impaired in pursuing and succeeding in their professional careers.
Bibliography:
Almadi, S. (2019). The research method of conceptual frameworks. The case of Pygmalion effect: A leadership style or self-fulfilling prophecy? Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 9(3), 487-510. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042X0903400109
Bahan, B. (2008). All deaf people need interpreters-asl. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from
Berkay, P. J., Gardner, J. E., & Smith, P. L. (1995). The development of the opinions about deaf people scale: A scale to measure hearing adults’ beliefs about the capabilities of deaf adults. EPM, (1), 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164495055001010
Deaf Unity. (2017). Debunked: Top 8 myths about deafness you need to know.
Duerig, C. (2017). A guide to accommodating deaf employees. Automatic Sync Technologies. https://www.automaticsync.com/captionsync/workplace-accommodation-deaf-employees/
Francis, C., & Scott, J. (2016). Investigation teen audism: The development and use of a survey scale to measure misconceptions of the deaf community in a hearing high school. Journal of Emerging Investigators. https://www.theneighborhoodacademy.org/editoruploads/files/Francis_Cheyne_2016.pdf
Government of Ontario. (2019). Key hazards in construction health and safety. Construction sector plan 2017-2018. https://www.ontario.ca/document/construction-sector-plan-2017-2018/key-hazards-construction-health-and-safety
Goldmann, W., & Mallory, J. (1992). Overcoming Communication Barriers: Communicating with Deaf People. National Technical Institute for the Deaf. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/7821/librarytrendsv41i1d_opt.pdf
Holck, D. (2018). Loud & clear: Ensuring safety for deaf workers. SafetyPro Resources. https://www.safetyproresources.com/blog/loud-clear-ensuring-safety-for-deaf-workers
Mitchell, R., Young, T., Bachelda, B., & Karchmer, M. (2006). How Many People Use ASL in the United States?: Why Estimates Need Updating. Sign Language Studies, 6(3), 306-335. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26190621.pdf?casa_token=RJCG9_oLi4kAAAAA:LxMsJBbjnuKUr0Ee3Q0QcnOrOS5qxDwiXzdc9bGbsKApWCHD5SOv4mGvfQ2HYTJIcQangF3j31SiauZsOTvAUZ_nXh9GFKeSBN8ZE5ibimRZZ3QBeR0.
Ontario Association of the Deaf. (n.d.) Services. http://www.deafontario.ca/services.html
Smith, D. H., & Andrews, J. F. (2015). Deaf and hard of hearing faculty in higher education: enhancing access equity, policy, and practice. Disability & Society, 30(10), 1521-1536. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2015.1113160
Thomson, G. (2016). Creating opportunities for deaf employees. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. https://www.aoda.ca/creating-opportunities-for-deaf-employees/