What is Deafhood?
Dr. Paddy Ladd wrote books, including one popular book – Understanding in Deaf Culture, in Search of Deafhood. He is Deaf himself and Deaf scholar, author, activist, and researcher of Deaf culture. Paddy taught many students, Deaf people, and people in the community about ‘Deafhood.’
How anyone uses the correct word to label or to describe the person who is born Deaf? Many Deaf individuals refuse to use the word ‘Deafness’ in any application form, detail of their disability, and Deafhood is a better word. Why that?
Let see how these two words describe.
Deafness is a medical/pathological, and it had been around for many years. On the other note, it showed a negative experience of oppression by hearing people such as a doctor, specialist, audiologist, ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist.
- a state
- the negative experience of opp[ression by hearing people with the desire for a medical or pathological – fix, e.g., cochlear implant, hearing aids
- a medical condition
- oppression of the use of sign language for speech-language
- phonocentrism
- audism, colonialism
- arose from colonialisation
Deafhood is an identity where a Deaf person has their first language – sign language and their Deaf community, Deaf culture, and a whole family who are Deaf.
- a process
- a positive experience of Being
- humanhood
- the use of natural languages of Deaf people
- disapproval of oralism (as a result from phonocentrism)
- language and culture-oriented
- acceptance of who one is nature and diversity
- Deaf-gain
Here is a quote from Dr. Pddy Ladd – “Deafhood is not seen as a finite state but as a process by which Deaf individuals come to actualise their Deaf identity, positing that those individuals construct that identity around several differently ordered sets of priorities and principles, which are affected by various factors such as nation, era, and class.”
Deafhood: A Journey Toward Being Deaf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.handspeak.com/culture/index.php?id=5
Here is another quote from Genie Gertz. “Deafhood means a process, a journey for all Deaf people. It is not a measurement who is Deaf and who is not. it is a process of becoming the best Deaf human being one can become.”
Deafhood: A Journey Toward Being Deaf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.handspeak.com/culture/index.php?id=5
As far as the deaf blogger – Jean understands, many Deaf people in New Zealand are starting to realise about using the wording ‘Deafhood,’ and they need more information by having a workshop along with the NZSL interpreter than the English language. Jean bought the book – “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood” by Dr. Paddy Ladd and the book found through any online website or The Book Depository.
It is time to have a workshop about what is Deafhood here in New Zealand because many Deaf people feel oppressed or being negative without an interpreter in the interview meeting, in social media such as News on television or a video relay conference through interpreter service when making an appointment at the hospital.
Jean is an audist, and in the early days, Jean spent her time with her Deaf friends in the Deaf community until she transferred to the mainstream high school because Jean wanted to gain a good education in order to get a job such as a bank officer, health carer, advisor/advocator. She uses two ways of communicating in her lives with her family/friends and with the Deaf individuals who come to visit her for consultations, literacy lessons, or support groups via sign language (NZSL and English TC – Total Communication sign language). Jean did not discover that she was born deaf until she was a teenager at the Deaf Unit, Melville High, Hamilton. However, Jean is still deaf without hearing aids, in the noisy environment, in a medium-large public meeting, and finding it difficult to follow more than one person arguing or talking at the same time. She uses interpreters whenever she goes to the Leadership meeting, public meeting because the body gets tired of concentrating at the persons who are speaking by lip-reading. Jean has many experiences throughout her life than anyone does not know her well, know her a bit but forgotten about her to take a part of the role in the meeting or in the Leadership meeting or first time to get to know her. Jean was born deaf, and this is her life as a deaf person.
There are many Deaf people out there, but they do not have a full positive life in the workplace, fitting in the hearing world, unable to gain a good job they want because of their Deaf and communicate barrier in the workplace, and many other things. The funding by the Government such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development or Workbridge is limit or struggling to give them an opportunity for any technology in communication methods, interpreters in social media, the service, and pieces of equipment such as flashing fire alarm, baby crying monitor, tablet/IPad for video interpreting service.
It is time to think about how anyone would put down on the application form when seeing a Deaf person, or willing to learn sign language with Deaf friends, Deaf staff in the workplace, Deaf customer at the hospital, the University. Start learning to understand their Deaf culture, their needs of an interpreter in order anyone and Deaf person understands better and how to contact the Deaf individuals. Do not take a negative side toward any Deaf people, or offend them, do the positive side or to encourage them in the workplace, to get to know each other by sign language.
To understand why Jean uses two ‘D/d’ letters in this blog. Here are the definitions when using a capital letter or a small letter.
Deaf (with a capital “D”) refers to embracing the cultural norms, beliefs, and values of the Deaf Community.
The “lowercase “d” deaf is the medical condition of having hearing loss. Moreover, any persons identify as deaf and often do not have a secure connection to the Deaf community and most likely do not use sign language, preferring to communicate orally.
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Deafhood: A Journey Toward Being Deaf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.handspeak.com/culture/index.php?id=5
