The Deaf Community and Culture at a Crossroads: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

The deaf community has seen the development of increasingly sophisticated hearing aids and other assistive technology, a rapid increase in the number of deaf children with cochlear implants, growing acceptance of American Sign Language (ASL), and recognition of Deaf culture. Each of these developments has proponents and critics. There is also ongoing controversy about the most appropriate methods for educating deaf children, especially issues of language and communication. This article uses social construction theory as a framework for discussing these developments and controversies and the diverse perspectives on what it means to be deaf. The authors make recommendations for social workers and other professionals with the central theme that all professionals must be free of bias about choices available to and made by parents of deaf children and by deaf individuals.

KEYWORDS:

• American Sign Language
• cochlear implants
• Deaf culture
• Deaf President Now
• social construction

Notes

Lowercase d is used in this article to indicate inclusiveness when referring to deaf and hard-of-hearing people and the deaf community. Uppercase D is used when referring to Deaf people within the deaf community who identify themselves as sharing a common language (American Sign Language) and culture. Thus, people who are culturally Deaf are considered part of the deaf community, which is made up of people with diverse identities and ways of living. This is consistent with Padden and Humphries (1988), who said that “deaf people are both Deaf and deaf, and their discussions, even arguments, over issues of identity show that these two categories are often interrelated in complex ways” (p. 3). Myers and Fernandes (2010) had a somewhat different perspective. For them, “The lower case d refers to a broader and more diverse group of people who exemplify various ways of living as deaf people that are other than the ways of Deaf culture…” (p. 43). We recognize that the most common practice has been to consider lowercase d to represent only those deaf people who view being deaf primarily as having an audiological or medical condition; however, it is reasonable to conclude that this is an unsettled issue.

The term speech reading has largely replaced the term lip reading because estimates are that only 25% to 35% of spoken English is visible on the lips under ideal circumstances; thus, most people do not focus only on the lips of the speaker. Instead, they also gain meaning through observing facial expressions and body language, and use other communication strategies for understanding the spoken message.

The Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) conducted an analysis of the public-use data files of the 2001 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the public-use data files of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics for the years 1997 through 2003.The GRI analysis of the SIPP data files showed that “Across all age groups, in the United States, approximately 1,000,000 people (0.38% of the population, or 3.8 per 1,000) over 5 years of age are ‘functionally deaf’; more than half are over 65 years of age. About 8,000,000 people (3.7%) over 5 years of age are hard of hearing (that is, have some difficulty hearing normal conversation even with the use of a hearing aid). Again, more than half of those who are hard of hearing are over 65 years of age. We emphasize that these estimates are based upon self-reported (or informant-reported) hearing difficulty and not on independent audiometric measurements” (GRI, 2004).

Analysis of the NHIS data files showed that “Across all age groups, approximately 600,000 people in the United States (0.22% of the population, or 2.2 per 1,000) are ‘deaf’; more than half are over 65 years of age. About 6,000,000 people (2.2%) report having ‘a lot of trouble’ hearing with, again, more than half over 65 years of age. Over 28,000,000 people (10%) report having ‘a little trouble’ hearing with just less than a third over 65 years of age, but more than half over 45 years of age. Altogether, more than 35,000,000 people (13%) report some degree of hearing trouble. Again, we emphasize that these estimates are based upon self-reported (or informant-reported) hearing trouble and not on independent audiometric measurements” (GRI, 2004).

Readers interested in more information about cochlear implants in children should find the book Cochlear Implants in Children: Ethics and Issues (Christiansen & Leigh, 2002) both informative and interesting. The book has excellent information about all aspects of cochlear implants and more detailed information about the controversy than space in this article permits. The authors are both deaf and are members of the faculty at Gallaudet University. Dr. Christiansen is a sociologist and Dr. Leigh is a clinical psychologist. Dr. Christiansen also has a cochlear implant.

*Prior to retirement, Drs. Pray and Jordan were affiliated with Gallaudet University.