A deaf woman named Barbara told the following story: “During conversations at work, my colleagues who know sign language communicate with each other using their voice, even when I am there.” She says that when she asks what they were walking about, “They often say, ‘I will tell you later.’ Then, I always get very short summaries. They could just use sign language so that I could follow along. I’m always the last one to get information or even no information at all.” This is one of the many examples of audism: discrimination or prejudice against Deaf or Hard of Hearing people (DHOH.) Hearing people treat people in the DHOH community unfairly every day, whether it’s refusing to communicate with them or not giving them fair job opportunities. This is why local governments and organizations should institute DHOH programs so that hearing people can recognize the deaf community for who they are—other humans with real personalities, thoughts, and feelings. I live right next to Gallaudet University, the only university in the world where sign language is the expected form of communication, and every day, I see students signing with each other. It pains me to know that hearing people mistreat them just because they can’t hear.
According to Success for Kids with Hearing Loss, “deaf and hard of hearing students are being bullied at rates as high as 2-3 times higher than students that can hear.” This shows that Deaf and Hard of Hearing students have a harder time thriving in school environments than their hearing peers. Hearing people also mistreat the DHOH community outside of school. Other forms of audism include hearing people not making an effort to communicate with the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community or asking them to “tone down their facial expressions because it is making them uncomfortable,” even though it is crucial to their language.
Hearing people should have more exposure to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community so people can recognize the negative effects of audism. According to Verbit, “Prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing can improve their quality of education,” and “Building more inclusive learning environments can also help expose hearing students to Deaf culture.” This could be field trips to deaf programs or more access to American Sign Language classes. Creating spaces where Deaf/Hard of Hearing and hearing people can socialize will decrease audism because it would allow the hearing community to realize how audism can be hurtful and stop themselves or others from engaging in it.
According to Frankie, a Deaf man, hearing people expect “any effort to communicate, to adapt, to come exclusively from us, the deaf. I think life would be much easier if everyone did their bit.” Frankie is like Barbara, affected by audism on a daily basis and getting the chance to speak their mind about it. He adds, “We are seen as nagging.” Audism takes on many forms, whether it’s increased bullying in schools or unfair job opportunities. We can stop this if we institute programs revolving around Deaf/Hard of Hearing culture. If we do, the majority of the hearing community will see how hurtful audism can be to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community. The hearing community could see that their entire personality isn’t just that they can’t hear. With all forms of injustice, younger generations learn from those older than them, so if we teach people now, then audism will slowly fade away into a speck of the past. Even though audism might not seem like a big problem in your mind, it’s affecting almost 30 million people in America.
