Many hearing people do not realize that the term ‘hearing impaired’ is considered highly offensive to deaf people’s self esteem, because it’s just like "deaf-mute" and ‘"deaf and dumb", which are also are inappropriate labels. Also, the term ‘hearing impaired’ is an old-fashioned way to label people with any level of hearing loss, as does not accept for culture identity. Most doctors who use the term hearing impaired because they focus on the fact Deaf person’s ear need to be fixed and view hearing impaired as an individual unable to hear, speak, and therefore cannot and not properly function.
This magazine, The San Diego Union-Tribune, recently published this magazine spread. I think this is awesome to read about a young guy name is Armando Bravo, who created skits of an art form storytelling in American Sign Language (ASL) to deaf children. However, the author views on the deaf children and deaf adult are labeled 'hearing impaired.'
According, Deaf blogger Mark Levin, who opposes hearing impaired, explained “while the mainstream public and doctors may view Deaf people as having something wrong with them, we (Deaf and hard of hearing individuals) don’t view ourselves in such a manner. We’re fully able to function in society without being “fixed”, nor do all of us want to be fixed. Doctors and audiologists, who insist on fixing the problem, rather than working towards a common understanding, are part of the problem.” This quote points out that doctors think deaf and hearing impaired mean the same thing, it is a medical term to use ‘hearing impaired’ and some medical professionals feel they need to fix the hearing impaired. Sadly, these hearing people still are labeling hearing impaired as a deaf people and feel they subhuman. The use of hearing impaired may be considered less blunt by many hearing people, but within the Deaf community, it is an inappropriate term and sign of ignorance.
Hearing impaired makes deaf people feel less than a person, and may make there self esteem low, and that they need to be fixed. We need to get rid of labels like "hearing impaired" and focus using the label "deaf", an much more appropriate term that defines a cultural identity, not a medical issue.
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