Do you know the truth about these deaf myths?

Question

True or false?
1. Sign language is universal.
2. Deaf people can't drive.
3. Deaf people are not very bright, so they can't have jobs.
4. Deaf people can't talk.
5. Deaf people can't use the phone.
6. Hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc. completely correct hearing loss.
7. Deaf people can read lips.
8. Deaf people have selective hearing.
9. Deafness is an old person's problem.
10. All deaf people are taught in special schools.

Answer them all right with explanations and I might pick your answer for the best answer!

Answer 1

They are all false.

Answer 2

The answer is false for 1-6 and 8-10. Number 7 is true.
1. There is no universal sign language. There was an attempt, "Gestuno," but it is not a communication choice of the Deaf. American Sign Language is based on French Sign Language. In many third world countries ASL is used because there is no established sign language.
2. Why wouldn't Deaf be able to drive? To be able to drive you must be able to see, right? Well, last time I checked Deaf can do that. (Unless they are deaf-blind, of course)
3. Deaf people are very smart. Many go to college. Check out Gallaudet University, a university dedicated to Deaf and hard-of-hearing students!
4. Some Deaf are raised oral, meaning they have vocal communications. In fact, from my experience, some Deaf have excellent vocal skills.
5. Yes they can! Deaf use video relay, a system has several different setup options. They can use text messaging/TTY, much like IM, to communicate with an operator who is voice to the hearing person on the other end. When the hearing person wants to say something to the Deaf person, an operator will type the response back to the Deaf person. Or the Deaf person might have a video phone, where they can sign to an interpreter at the relay center. That part of the conversation is then voiced to the hearing. When the hearing person responds, the interpreter relays the message to the Deaf person.
6. Hearing aids and cochlear implants do not help every Deaf. Much of the gained hearing has to do with how the Deaf person was raised (sign communication or oral) and how early it is utilized. Just like not every person with glasses has the same prescription, not every Deaf person benefits from hearing aids/ cochlear implants.
7. Because this was not an inclusive statement "ALL Deaf..." I have to agree with it. Those who are Deaf, especially from childhood often have at least some ability to read lips.
8. Selective hearing? Not really. It depends on your definition of selective. Most can feel extremely loud noises/sounds either through their body or with their eardrum.
9. No. Some people are born Deaf. Often those who lose their hearing with old age cannot be classified Deaf, but instead deaf. They rarely embrace Deaf culture.
10. No. Many Deaf are mainstreamed (in public schools with interpreters) now and do quite well with it. Some choose to attend a Deaf school during high school. Some parents choose their schooling for them. They don't ALL go to "special" schools, but most of the older generation of Deaf (65+) did attend schools for the Deaf.

Answer 3

1. no there is american sign language which is different i think than for example european sign language.
2. deaf people drive just fine.
3. deaf people are as smartas anyone and many have great jobs (hoever they are discriminated against because others have difficulty communicating with them and don't accept them sometimes)
4. some deaf people talk well (usually folks who could hear at some point). some talk poorly (because they had to learn it without hearing). some deaf people probably choose not to talk.
5. deaf folks can use the phone just fine with TDY, which i have used.
6. prosthetic devices do not completely "correct" hearing loss.
and i feel that this question contains the idea that deafness is a defect, which deaf people may find offensive.
7. only deaf people who have been taught and worked hard on it can read lips. some can, some can't. it's a skill.
8. deaf means deaf, they cannot "selectively" hear. unless it is a person just pretending to be deaf.
9. loss of hearing is an old person's problem, our hearing deteriorates as we get older, but many people are born deaf.
many young people and even babies are deaf. people of all ages are deaf.
10. some deaf people go to special schools but many are mainstreamed. I know some CART folks who use machines to interpret (regular college) classes for the deaf. also i knew a girl who was an interpreter for deaf kids in regular grade school. many deaf people go to the same schools as hearing people.

i have a friend whose parents were deaf and so i understand some of the issues. the more controversial issues are not mentioned here, such as deaf parents prefering a deaf child or hearing parents prefering a hearing child. deaf people are a language minority and there's an issue of whether the rest of the world should "have to" learn sign language as a regular thing to communicate.

Answer 4

They are all false, but I would need to look into #2 to answer it completely. It is illegal to drive with earphones on because you cannot hear what is going on around you, I am not sure what the workaround is on that.

1. Sign Language is no more universal than oral language
3. Not being able to hear has nothing to do with intelligence
4. Anybody who was not deaf at birth can talk. Even those deaf at birth can be taught with some success.
5. That is what tty is for. They can't hear over a normal phone, but they can get and send messages from them.
6. Sometimes. But if the nerve is gone, nothing you do to the mechanics of the ear is going to help. The statement 'completely' is incorrect.
7. They can be taught. It is not an inborn talent you get from being deaf. Anybody can be taught to read lips. It is part of the way they catch lip-syncers.
8. Some forms of deafness knock out certain ranges of sounds, but not all sounds. Generally, the lowest tones are the last to go, which is why music systems for the hearing impaired feature very large woofers and sub-woofers. Selective is incorrect however.
9. Nope, you can be deaf from birth. Proportion wise, deafness is more common among the elderly.
10. Nope, You don't need hearing to read, and lip reading helps with the oral cues. It is a hurdle, but it in not insurpassible. Quite a few deaf people are taught in normal school. Some accomidations are made for their lack of hearing.

-Dio

Answer 5

1.False(there are several different kinds of sign language, asl, bsl, etc.)
2.False(they aren't stupid)
3.False(again they aren't stupid)
4.False(my deaf dad talks to me all the time)
5.False(they use a tty or tdd, they also use relay)
6.False(they help some but don't completely help you hear well)
7.True(my dad reads my lips I don't have to sign)
8.False(they can't hear)
9.False(sometimes but not it's not only old epople who are deaf)
10.False(my deaf friends go to my school a public school. It's just a regular school)
Deaf people can read lips. My dad can talk to me and I don't have to sign he can read my lips. Deaf people aren't different from others exept that they can't hear. They aren't stupid or anything.

Answer 6

Come on, this is really dumb, since most of them are pretty bad generalizations. However- I am not so sure on #2 that this one can actually be classified as "False". It not a matter of deaf people not being able to drive physically, but Im not sure it would be legal in all states. I know the state I live in makes it illegal to wear headphones or ear pieces while driving, as they believe you need to be able to hear emergency vehicles and horns, etc. So I dont know if that means its illegal for deal folks to drive? And I dont know the laws in all 50 states- do you?

Answer 7

um... most of these are too absurd to warrant explanation, because they're just that wrong. except...

some deaf people can read lips. not all. some hearing people can read lips, too.

cochlear implants sometimes come close to completely correcting hearing loss... but only in certain people who happen to be good candidates for cochlear implants.

Answer 8

They are all false. I would have thought that common sense would have led most people to the same conclusion for most of these, so I think an explanation for each not only wastes my time, but insults your intelligence as well.

I don't care whether you you pick me as best answer or not - I just want to make sure that nobody believes any of these ridiculous so-called myths.

Answer 9

I hate different halves thoughts. I stay in Mexico the place different halves thoughts are rampant. Suposivly if I squirt lemon juice on her abdomen she will have the skill to nod off. So no, your high-quality. That makes no sence. LOL i presumed you have been trolling.

Answer 10

They are all definitely true.