Audism: Oppression Within the Deaf Community
When people think of the term “oppression,” concepts such as racism, sexism, and classism will often come to mind. Systemic oppression due to various identities continues to be an ongoing issue for countless individuals — including the Deaf community. Audism is a form of discrimination that is directed toward the Deaf community. Unfortunately, the notion of audism is discussed far less frequently than other types of discrimination.
Audism can be seen in a variety of different circumstances — below are some examples:
Jumping in to help a Deaf person communicate.
Asking a Deaf person to read your lips or write when s/he has indicated this isn’t preferred.
Making phone calls for a Deaf person since they "can't."
Refusing to call an interpreter when one is requested.
Assuming that those with better speech/English skills are superior.
Asking a Deaf person to "tone down" their facial expressions because they are making others uncomfortable.
Refusing to explain to a Deaf person why everyone around him is laughing – "never mind, I’ll tell you later, it doesn't matter."
Devoting a significant amount of instructional time for a Deaf child to lipreading and speech therapy, rather than educational subjects.
Helen Cherry recounts her stories as a Deaf nurse, and the discrimination that the Deaf community faces on a daily basis. As Cherry says:
“I’ve always been open about my disability — I have severe-to-profound deafness, and wear hearing aids and lip-read to understand people — but I’m aware of nurses who won’t say they wear hearing aids because they feel they will be discriminated against. Because of that, they are missing out on communications support that could make such a difference to them.”
Audism does not refer to individuals that are unfamiliar with Deaf culture; the term is specifically used to describe the deliberate discrimination against individuals within the Deaf community. To help prevent audism from occurring, it is important for people to follow Deaf culture etiquette.
Additionally, it is also important for hearing people to follow the lead of a Deaf person when communicating. There is not a “one-size-fits-all” way to communicate with people within the Deaf community; one can accommodate a Deaf person by following their communication style, and letting them lead the conversation.
The following list includes 10 tips to utilize when communicating with a Deaf person:
Before speaking, get the person’s attention with a wave of the hand or a gentle tap on the shoulder. Do not shout for the person’s attention.
Face the person and do not turn away while communicating.
Try to converse in a well-lit area and do not cover your mouth or chew gum.
If a person is wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant, do not assume the individual can hear and understand you completely. Minimize background noise and other distractions whenever possible.
Talk at your normal rate, or slightly slower if you normally speak very fast. Yelling or raising your voice will not help you be understood better. Only one person should speak at a time.
Use visual aids when possible, such as pointing to printed information. Remember that only about one-third of spoken words can be understood by lipreading.
When communicating via written notes, keep in mind that the Deaf person may lack fluency in written English but may not admit it to you and instead pretend to understand what you are writing.
If you feel a Deaf person may not be understanding you, write a note to ask what communication aid or service they need.
When you are in any complex conversation with a person whose primary language is ASL, a qualified interpreter is almost always needed to ensure effective communication. When using an interpreter, look at and speak directly to the Deaf person, not to the interpreter.
Never use their family members or children as interpreters. It is not only disempowering to the Deaf person, but the family members and children are not professionally-trained interpreters who have a college degree in sign language interpretation and they will almost certainly lack the vocabulary or the impartiality needed to interpret effectively.
