Getting in the Mindset
Have you ever wondered what it was like to completely lose your sense of hearing, to have to function in a world of silence? Nathan Kester, a deaf blogger, describes being Deaf in the following way,
Being Deaf doesn’t simply mean you cannot hear and still be able to function within the hearing world as if there’s a perfect harmony between us. When you cannot hear a word since you were born, you perceive the world differently. You learn the language differently. You can only imagine the sounds but never actually hear it. You end up interacting with similar people, not those who could hear. When you have more than one generation who’s also Deaf, the pattern continues and gradually becomes into this world we all have come to know—the Deaf world. We’re not just deaf; we’re Deaf. (2007)
For the purpose of this digital museum exhibit, invite yourself into that Deaf world, a culture that embraces being different and acknowledges the fact that not everyone is perfect. Instead of looking at being deaf as a disability, consider it a rich culture, one that doesn’t hinder the individuals it includes.
Being Deaf doesn’t simply mean you cannot hear and still be able to function within the hearing world as if there’s a perfect harmony between us. When you cannot hear a word since you were born, you perceive the world differently. You learn the language differently. You can only imagine the sounds but never actually hear it. You end up interacting with similar people, not those who could hear. When you have more than one generation who’s also Deaf, the pattern continues and gradually becomes into this world we all have come to know—the Deaf world. We’re not just deaf; we’re Deaf. (2007)
For the purpose of this digital museum exhibit, invite yourself into that Deaf world, a culture that embraces being different and acknowledges the fact that not everyone is perfect. Instead of looking at being deaf as a disability, consider it a rich culture, one that doesn’t hinder the individuals it includes.