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Deaf Types Essay

Decent Essays

There are two D/deaf “types” discussed in Powell-Williams’ research. There is Deaf with a capital “D.” This is culturally deaf which is an achieved status. This is something that constantly takes work. The second one is deaf with a small “d.” This type of deafness is pathological. This is an ascribed status. This is a status that is given. The people of the “deaf” community are trying to be a part of the hearing world by cochlear implants. Some characteristics that divide them by rather the person is authentic or genuinely a “Deaf” person. The Deaf students go to a deaf school. One may be also born Deaf into a Deaf. From the article it talked about a person has to be comfortable with being Deaf. They have to be confident in knowing that being Deaf is okay. The deaf students go …show more content…

deaf communities. They are keeping and define social order. If someone who is not deaf goes to the school can weaken their collective identity and solidarity. They are also trying to keep their social identity. The gatekeepers do this by inclusion. In the example of Are You Deaf Enough, this is done by someone who is Deaf going to a deaf school will be accepted into the Deaf community. There are individuals those “kept” from the deaf community. They are the ones not deaf enough. The ones were not being read as authentic or normalcy in the pro-deaf people lives. Also, the ones who want to hear. They are using the stigma markers by using the cochlear implants or hearing aids. They are not authentically dead. They do not identify as having a “death love” (Powell-Williams 2012:245). From the article, Carol’s deafness is understood as, “Vulnerability to her full inclusion” (Powell-Williams 2012: 246). This idea of Carol was formed because she did not attend a state school for her deafness (Powell-Williams 2012: 246). Some would take off their hearing aids when they were around other death people, so they would not be called out or

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