Helen Keller

Today in our ASL class, Mrs. Tamara was talking about Helen Keller.

One of Helen Keller's less famous quotes was, “Blindness separates us from things, but deafness separates us from people.”

What a profound statement. 

It's so true. Blindness separates us from things (objects in life, what we can't see, colors, light). However Deafness separates us in a much more intimate way. It separates us from people, from relationships, from communication.

Blindness as a disability is very obviously seen by outsiders. You can physically SEE that someone is blind most of the time. Either they have a seeing eye dog, or a white cane, or read braille. It's an "obvious" disability most of the time.

However Deafness is not. You can't just look at someone and know they are Deaf or hard of hearing. I could talk to you on the street and unless I TOLD you I was Deaf, you'd never know.

Some Deaf (especially late-deafened) talk perfectly. Some Deaf lip-read well enough to "fake it". With some Deaf it's more obvious than others. So the "recognition" part is sometimes missing.

It leads to misunderstandings.

Growing up people at school would say I'm snobby because I wouldn't answer them when I simply didn't hear them. Even today people think I'm offended when I "ignore" them, but I just didn't hear the comment in the first place.

And what about those that are obviously Deaf. Even though they are in and of themselves absolutely 100% NORMAL, their Deafness creates a chasm that many do not want to take the time to overcome. Deafness can (though not always) builds a wall between mother/father and Deaf child, Deaf parent from hearing child, Deaf siblings from brothers/sisters, and Deaf from the Hearing world. It is the harshest of realities that come with not being about to hear.

But all is not lost.

You see when Helen Keller said she'd rather be blind than deaf, I disagree. I'd rather be Deaf than anything else in the world.

Why? Because Deaf people overcome. Parents, siblings, children CAN learn to sign. Language can be learned, people CAN communicate.

It just takes time, patience, and a lot of understanding.

I hope if you are reading this today- you commit to bridging the gap. Break down that wall.

Don't let Deafness separate us as people.