Heightening Deaf Awareness
I LOVE IT! Just as I knew it would, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is creating some buzz and putting Deafness in the limelight. Since DWTS began season 6, featuring Marlee Matlin there has been a frenzy in the media, blogosphere, vlogosphere and with everyone I meet. It’s doing exactly what it is supposed to, it’s heightening Deaf awareness. Well, I don’t know if it is awareness yet, but people are starting to have conversations.
All week, I’ve gotten people commenting about the show to me. I took my daughter to a birthday party and one of the parents said to me “I was gonna send you a video, it was of this Deaf woman dancing”. “Oh yea, Marlee”, I said. He went on to gush, “yes”! I finished up the conversation about it’s a great start to showing what Deaf people can do.
Assumptions are being thrown all over the place, like on the message board for DWTS and for us bloggers, we take the time to educate. It’s not easy. Emotions run high with comments that are not thought out first.
My husband is Deaf and I am constantly getting the same questions over and over (sure wish I had a dime for every time…).
“You’re Deaf just get a cochlear implant. You’re Deaf, learn to speak and you’ll be fine. You’re Deaf, can you lipread?”
At my husband’s workplace, I taught a sign language class for his co-workers. I told them, it’s NOT about how the Deaf person can fit into your world. They have been doing it since they became Deaf. They already adapt to the hearing world. It’s about hearing people learning how to understand Deafness.
It’s a start! Let’s continue to talk about it my favorite subject, deafness!
Oh and Marlee, yes she is Deaf but let’s face it the girl has got talent too! I’m hearing and I can’t shake it like that!
Hat tip to Mishka for community board at ABC.
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