Resist the urge.
When you meet someone who is Deaf, do not talk louder. Resist, I say.
Resist unless that person is over the age of 75 and has a lot of white hair and at least one person calls them Grandma/Grandpa. If this is the case, then by all means, shout away.
But if the person is like Hubs, Deaf from birth or an early age, no amount of voice raising is going to change that the fact that they just can't hear a word you are saying.
I think it is just natural that when we are told someone is Deaf, we assume that means that they simply can't hear us. It is true. They can't. So we take our voices up a notch.
Not only does this draw attention to you, the person who is yelling, but also the innocent Deaf person who may or may not be wondering why everyone around them is staring at them like they must be dense to need this person to yell their conversation. All for naught.
It is really funny, however, when that person knows Hubs, knows that he can't hear diddly squat and still...
My mom, for example. She knows Hubs. She knows Hubs can't hear. At all. So why, for the love of Pete, will she call out, loudly, for him to turn around. Or why, when she is trying to communicate with him, does she speak in an abnormally loud voice.
Did she forget?
It doesn't bother either of us, really. We are used to it. We simply laugh it off. And my mom isn't the only one. Many friends and acquaintances, family and professionals do the same thing.
Resist. Believe me, if they need you to speak up, they will tell you.
So let me save you the trouble. Hubs is opting out of the shout.
Because if you talk louder...
...he still can't hear you.
1 comment:
Loved this. I've only known one person who was not deaf but wore hearing aides. I was a kid and her mom of all people pretty much yelled at everyone. It was so bizarre.
Dana
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