by Katie Locus
In 1999, I started attending a public school for English class, while taking the rest of the classes at the Kansas School for the Deaf. I was in fourth grade, and I remember feeling disoriented because it was very clear just how different hearing culture was. I was noticing behaviors that were at odds with what I was used to in deaf culture.
The idea of “hearing culture” and “deaf culture” might seem strange to you, and I can understand why.
So, time for a crash course in Deaf Culture 101! The odds are pretty high that you will meet a deaf person in this archdiocese since there are around 10,000 deaf in the Kansas City metro area, and the Olathe area boasts a deaf population that is in the top five of highly-populated deaf communities in the country.
In hearing culture, it is considered very polite to walk around two people who are talking to each other and to say “excuse me” as you do so. In deaf culture, it is the complete opposite! It’s considered very rude to stop, say “excuse me” and walk around them. The reason for this is you literally stop the conversation.
What can you do when you’re faced with two deaf people talking to each other and you need to get past them? Just walk in between the two people! Don’t say “excuse me,” don’t stop, don’t duck — just boldly walk right in between them to your destination. Trust me, we are very good at signing around people as they pass by, and we won’t notice you — unless you stop!
In hearing culture, you simply do not point at people. It’s considered blatantly offensive. In deaf culture, again, it is the opposite! We point, and it’s considered acceptable because that’s often the only way to make it clear what we’re talking about. In American Sign Language (ASL) grammar, we express our pronouns and other parts of speech with pointing.
Now for the coup d’etat: words. In hearing culture, people are usually very careful with the words they use. No one wants to offend another person, so “nicer” euphemisms like “hearing impaired” are often used to show sensitivity.
In deaf culture, we are blunt and we call things for what they are. For instance, we go by “deaf” or “hard of hearing.” If you look closer at the phrase “hearing impaired,” the word “impaired” means broken. We don’t feel like we’re broken. So, if you’re stuck with how to refer to a deaf person, a basic rule of thumb is to ask the person directly: “How would you like to be called — deaf or hard of hearing?” Trust me, we have no problem telling you what we’d like to be called!
Those are just a few examples of cultural differences. I know navigating both cultures can sometimes feel like jumping into the other side of the looking glass, but I believe this awareness is critical to helping both communities feel welcomed in the church.
