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Katherine
Student
Renton, Washington
2
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What are some challenges that come with working in the Deaf Community while being Hearing (especially in education/teaching)?
I'm a senior in high school looking to major in early childhood education with emphasizes on special education, Deaf and HoH, and visual impairment!
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Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1179
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Katherine. Since I have trained and worked with the deaf community for many years, I would like to shed some light on what you've asked.
I am a hearing person and I will tell you, it is a great pleasure to work with the deaf community and their supports. The biggest challenge and maybe the only one I found, was the limitations of understanding from hearing people. I want to assure you, once you focus on Deaf Culture Training and hands on interaction with the deaf community, you will see that you can get by on minimal use of American Sign Language (ASL). You will begin to learn how to spell and some important word signs, even your students/clients will teach you ! There is a definite culture among the Deaf and naturally, everyone is unique and individual and you learn more as you continue in this work. I did intensive case management with Deaf adults.
Some Deaf people do not speak, some do. Some use ASL, some don't. Everyone I worked with writes and many times, for specific and intricate conversations when an interpreter was not available, we communicated by written word. Keep in mind that ASL is not English. It is a language unto itself, but you may learn about this by taking a class in the community or at college. I was taught ASL by both a deaf teacher and another time from a hearing teacher and it was easier for me with the hearing teacher. Most of my ASL education was from a non-speaking deaf individual, though. My own challenge was my limitation on use of ASL, although what I could do always seemed to work. I can do ASL but I cannot understand it if someone else is doing it. I think that I started learning it too late in life.
Other than the hearing community's limitations about Deaf people, I can't say that there were any real challenges. The clients I had were wonderful to work with and always effectively expressed their needs and ideas. I would say that my extensive training really helped, however and I feel very fortunate to have had that opportunity for the training and the work.
As an aside, I want to mention that I acted in a theatre production play with a deaf actress that I had a scene with. We used special tactile and visual ques so she knew when to deliver her lines. It was fabulous ! So, you see, there are no limits, just different ways to approach working with the deaf population.
I am a hearing person and I will tell you, it is a great pleasure to work with the deaf community and their supports. The biggest challenge and maybe the only one I found, was the limitations of understanding from hearing people. I want to assure you, once you focus on Deaf Culture Training and hands on interaction with the deaf community, you will see that you can get by on minimal use of American Sign Language (ASL). You will begin to learn how to spell and some important word signs, even your students/clients will teach you ! There is a definite culture among the Deaf and naturally, everyone is unique and individual and you learn more as you continue in this work. I did intensive case management with Deaf adults.
Some Deaf people do not speak, some do. Some use ASL, some don't. Everyone I worked with writes and many times, for specific and intricate conversations when an interpreter was not available, we communicated by written word. Keep in mind that ASL is not English. It is a language unto itself, but you may learn about this by taking a class in the community or at college. I was taught ASL by both a deaf teacher and another time from a hearing teacher and it was easier for me with the hearing teacher. Most of my ASL education was from a non-speaking deaf individual, though. My own challenge was my limitation on use of ASL, although what I could do always seemed to work. I can do ASL but I cannot understand it if someone else is doing it. I think that I started learning it too late in life.
Other than the hearing community's limitations about Deaf people, I can't say that there were any real challenges. The clients I had were wonderful to work with and always effectively expressed their needs and ideas. I would say that my extensive training really helped, however and I feel very fortunate to have had that opportunity for the training and the work.
As an aside, I want to mention that I acted in a theatre production play with a deaf actress that I had a scene with. We used special tactile and visual ques so she knew when to deliver her lines. It was fabulous ! So, you see, there are no limits, just different ways to approach working with the deaf population.