Health Disparity Among Deaf Community Essay

In Mark Drolsbaugh’s educational and witty autobiography “Deaf Again”, he describes his journey as a child born to deaf parents, losing his own hearing in his childhood, and navigating both hearing and deaf worlds while trying to discover his identity.

I spent the early evening this past Friday at an open discussion meeting of Alcoholic’s Anonymous at Boone’s own Club 12 establishment. I attended this meeting as an able-bodied young woman capable of hearing and seeing the happenings around me. The pressing concern on my mind for the evening was to consider barriers I might experience if I were attending this meeting as a deaf person.

Net’s Solution – A provider may find communicating with someone who is hearing impaired very difficult to deal with at times. Although,

In the novel “Deaf Again” by Mark Drolsbaugh, the reader is taken on a journey through the life of the author himself, from birth all the way to present day. Drolsbaugh, a once hearing child but now Deaf adult, takes readers through the struggles and situations he faced as a child born into the Deaf culture, yet still forced to try and suppress his deafness when his ability to hear started to decline. The author shares his experiences of becoming “deaf again”, and how he had to learn for himself what being Deaf really meant in regards to not just in his own life but the people in it. Drolsbaugh’s novel explores many of the issues and debates surrounding Deaf culture, while still giving his personal views and understandings on what it really means to be Deaf.

This book was mainly focused on looking at Deaf culture of today and comparing it to the culture of the past, and what kinds of struggles deaf people had to endure to get where they are today. The two authors of this book are deaf; one was deaf her whole life and the other became deaf as a child. In my opinion, that was a major contributing factor to why it was so interesting. The reader gets a chance to travel through the history of the Deaf through words from those who have experienced it. It also had a positive impact because the authors let the readers know in the introduction that they are deaf and a brief history of themselves, which I

Difficulties communicating with the hearing people around them and inaccessible circumstances interfere with daily life. Deaf people believe that these problems are due to the society of the world, rather than their deafness. Comparing deafness to other minorities in the world, Sparrow points out that some people are at a disadvantage in this world, but they do not change their entire identity to fit in (138). Women and people of color face challenges in a world dominated by the majority, but instead of changing who they are, they create support groups that give them a sense of belonging with like-minded people. The question to ask ourselves is: who decides the definition of ‘normal,’ and who decides what defines

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class.” The

Currently in the Unites States, Americans are struggling to maintain quality health without proper healthcare. As a result, health disparities have become a widespread epidemic plaguing minorities. Many of the various health disproportions stem from the government’s inequality and racism. In other cases, genetics and socioeconomic status may cause health disparities. Overall, these disparities may be avoidable or unavoidable depending on the individual. Recently, health disparities have begun to implicate the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Speech pathologists have developed a larger caseload stroke

For many years, a grapevine-like system of communication has kept deaf people informed of community news across the United States. Frequently, deaf individuals who live in one area of the country socialize and communicate often with deaf individuals in other areas. Members of the Deaf community often express concern that sharing information in treatment will result in having one 's life story fed into that grapevine. As a result, many who struggle with a chemical dependency also fear a loss of respect and status within the Deaf community should their struggles be made a part of that shared information. The confidentiality that is an integral part of therapeutic treatment consequently can come into conflict with the communication style of the Deaf culture (Guthmann & Shelley, 2001).

“The biggest handicap in the world is negative thinking and that people handicap themselves by concentrating only on the negative instead of the positive,” said Heather Whitestone (Premiere Speakers Bureau). Even though Heather Whitestone was deaf, she showed the world that she was willing to work hard to achieve success. Hearing loss affects many people throughout the country. About two million people in the United States are completely deaf, while eighteen to twenty-one million people need hearing aids (Mango 21).

According to Edwards, the Deaf community began to rise in response to the social view of deafness as a handicap rather than a difference that a whole “Deaf” community is characterized by. Their shared

On June 11, 2016, I attended an event at the Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN) Center in Cranston, RI. The RIPIN Center helps families and children get the help they need to achieve health and education goals. There are different sessions that go on within the month for different needs; every second Saturday is the meeting specially geared to Deaf children and families. The meeting was held by Elsbeth, who is a mother of a child who is hard of hearing.

According to World Health Organization, in 2017, there was an estimated three hundred sixty million people worldwide; who had reported some type of hearing loss. While this may seem like a lot, it only makes up a little over five percent of world population. When talking to the general public, it is learned that most people have similar stories. Either they have never had an encounter with a Deaf person, or maybe they saw some people signing in the mall once. Because these occurrences are so few and far between, it is not surprising that our biological instincts take over. We fear the unknown, and we panic when we do not have solutions. Regardless of excuses; actions have consequences. From a very young age, we are lead to believe that when something is different, it is wrong. This mindset has an influence on how we view ourselves, as well as how we view others. Deaf people are labeled as handicapped from day one, and deafness is considered a disability. This creates a stigma that Deaf people are something to be feared, unintelligent, and need ‘fixing.’ Despite having strict laws with the American Disability Act, Deaf people are frequently mistreated. Sadly, most officials are not taught how to communicate with American Sign Language. It is not unheard of for a person to be falsely arrested, because they could not properly communicate with an officer. Patients in a hospital can receive improper care, because

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group,

Depending on their language experience, most deaf immigrants go through their immigrant process learning English and American Sign Language simultaneously. Many struggle trying not to confuse the different grammar and syntax (Powers). They struggle with basic concepts. This struggle only causes a strain in creating a common language, which leaves deaf immigrants feeling isolated from the rest of the Deaf community. But even when they do begin to fully grasp the language they still can not communicate with family members who have not invested the time to learn American Sign Language. For many deaf immigrants they face adapting to an unfamiliar culture. American culture and sayings are difficult concepts to understand when there is a language barrier. Deaf immigrants are forced to quickly learn how to “Americanize” in order to fit in. Along with that, deaf immigrants face the challenge of finding transportation. Obtaining a drivers license is a very long and strung out process. Deaf immigrants must be literate in order to pass the written portion of the exam, which for some is a whole separate skill they must learn. But a major struggle many deaf immigrant face collectively is the search for their identity. Many fighting between the argument: is their deafness is a disability, or another human condition that builds community. For many Deaf Americans their deafness is not a disability, it is a culture.