Normalcy In The Deaf Community

What is “Normalcy?” Everyone desires to feel apart of a community. As humans, we aspire to be accepted by our family and peers trying to fit in. The term “fitting in” describes the action of changing oneself to fit the standards of others. This standard is referred to as “normalcy” or being “normal”, implying that it is ordinary, accepted, or typical. Who gets to decide what is accepted? We are all human and share the same needs but often made to feel ashamed for being true to ourselves. Society is constantly manipulating us to fit in this standard of “normal” without thinking of the personal repercussions. When it comes to humans, “normal” is an umbrella term that serves a different meaning for each person. One person’s “normal” could be another person’s nightmare. We don’t choose our bodies and yet society feels it knows how we were meant to look and sound. The idea of “normalcy” is an ever-changing concept than shatters upon analyzation.
Audism Unveiled is a perfect example of how society tries to shape the deaf community to their idea of “normal” and the personal repercussions the deaf community faced.
We meet several deaf individuals that tell us their stories of being discriminated against due to being deaf. They seem to share the mutual struggle of being misunderstood and excluded from a conversation or group. They share stories of being left out of family gatherings due to lack of communication and how it affected their relationships. They include stories of not being accepted and how some were forced to change. They speak of the lack of acceptance of signing in schools and the regulation of signing. Several people remember getting hit with rulers for signing in school. One man solemnly reflects on the cochlear implant he was forced to get that left his face half paralyzed. Each person contributed a story of how society made them feel like being deaf was not “normal” and
wrong. This is the second time I’ve watched Audism Unveiled, and their stories still resonate with me. Their stories bring my attention to the struggles of being deaf and dealing with society and how wrong society is for treating a group of people this way. The worst part is the professor from Gallaudet made it clear that this has happened throughout history and is nothing new. Generations and generations of deaf individuals have endured suffering because close-minded people couldn’t fathom a person living a “normal” life communicating without speech or hearing and decided it would be acceptable to deem them as less-than a hearing person. It is absolutely crazy that these people thought they were entitled enough to make that kind of decision. These are the same people that define what “normal” is and are concerned with everyone fitting in their boring little box of a standard. I feel like Audism Unveiled is a great video to show in an ASL class to help hearing students understand the struggles that come with being hard of hearing or deaf. By releasing videos like this and making ASL classes more accessible, hopefully the negative stigma behind being deaf or hard of hearing will dissipate over time.