Words by Mariah Lewis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A deaf man walks into the airport. The only physical thing that differentiates him from other travelers is that he won\u2019t hear the engines roar to life. He tries to board his flight, but can\u2019t hear the announcements either. Somewhere in the process, a staff member brings him a wheelchair. He has no use for a wheelchair. Embarrassed, he tries to communicate this to the airport staff but gets absolutely nowhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n[soundcloud url=”https:\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/263350710″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” \/]\n

Click here<\/a> for transcript.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cHearing people don\u2019t really know a lot about Deaf culture,\u201d says Calla Clemenson, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at Monroe Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. \u00a0\u201cThey don\u2019t really think about how to treat Deaf people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Clemenson says it\u2019s common for deaf people at restaurants to receive braille menus–something that would be helpful; but only to the blind. \u201cThat is so common in the Deaf culture to get a braille menu. Like really?\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t know if [hearing people] really understand.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Both the airport scenario and the braille menus describe forms of audism. <\/span>Gallaudet University<\/span><\/a>, a university for the deaf and hard of hearing, defines the term \u201caudism\u201d as the idea that someone is superior because of his or her ability to hear. Think racism but against the Deaf. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cAudism is oppression from the hearing world to the Deaf,\u201d says Abby Harvey, an ASL interpreter at East High School in Des Moines, Iowa. \u201c[It\u2019s] the misunderstanding of what deafness is.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n

This term audism is relatively new in the grand scheme of etymology. It was coined in the late 1970s. Deaf (capital D) is different from deaf (lowercase d). In his book \u201cIntroduction to American Deaf Culture,\u201d <\/span>Thomas K. Holcomb<\/span><\/a> explains the difference. \u201cDeaf\u201d with a capital \u201cD\u201d refers to an individual who embraces Deaf culture as a lifestyle whereas \u201cdeaf\u201d simply denotes a physical inability to hear. Therefore, a deaf person may not be Deaf. \u00a0Regardless of whether a person is Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, or anything in between, audism remains. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Practical Side of Audism \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u201cMy husband, who\u2019s hearing, puts a microphone in front of me and we use it at a restaurant,\u201d says Anne-Michelle Pedersen. Pedersen is a certified teacher of the Deaf and is hard of hearing herself. \u201cWhen it\u2019s a noisy restaurant and I can\u2019t hear him, we put it on the table so I can hear him. A lot of times the waitress will say, \u2018Oh is that a recorder?\u2019 No, it\u2019s just an FM system.\u201d <\/span>Frequency Modulation (FM)<\/span><\/a> systems are devices some Deaf or hard of hearing people use to amplify sound like a hearing aid. \u201cShe thought we were recording the conversation in the restaurant,\u201d Pederson continues. \u201cLittle things like that.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n

While audism can be hurtful to a Deaf person, recognizing differences isn\u2019t always offensive or negative. Leah Cone is a kindergarten teacher at Capitol View Elementary School in Des Moines. Cone is Deaf. She shared a moment that could\u2019ve been fraught with audism that she turned into a humorous situation. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cSome people would say, \u2018Oh, why do you talk funny?\u2019 [and] I would make it a joke,\u201d Cone says. \u201cLike in high school, one boy asked me what country I was from. I said I\u2019m from here. I was born in Des Moines. [But he continued asking] what country I was from. I finally caught on to what he was trying to say. I said I was from Sweden. He believed me for a week.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, recognizing differences between schoolchildren often results in bullying instead of humor. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter Michaela is 15,\u201d Tara Aunspoch says. Michaela is Deaf. \u201cI shelter her because I don\u2019t want her to get hurt. She is very social. Bullying is her big\u2026\u201d she paused. \u201cThat\u2019s what she deals with\u2026\u201d another pause. \u201cSince fourth grade\u2026\u201d at that point, Aunspoch began crying. \u201cSorry,\u201d she whispers in a barely audible tone. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

When a Family Dinner Goes Wrong <\/span><\/h4>\n

While audism often occurs in public places, sometimes the worst offense can be right at home. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Imagine a boisterous laughing family gathered around a dinner table. A heaping bowl of mashed potatoes is making its way around. Down at the far end, a father and his daughter let out a particularly loud guffaw. However, in the corner sits a young girl quietly staring down at her plate. No one talks to her. She tries to understand the joke between her father and sister. She asks another sister about it. Her sister replies with the infamous, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you later,\u201d but later never comes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Susan Rolinger\u2019s daughter Madeline was born Deaf. Madeline uses a <\/span>cochlear implant (CI)<\/span><\/a>. A CI is a hearing device attached via surgery. It helps create a sense of sound for the deaf person. Madeline also communicates by speaking. Susan says that Madeline still has trouble catching everything. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cOne of them [Madeline\u2019s sisters] laughs and Madeline says, \u2018What?\u2019\u201d Rolinger says. \u201cAfter a while, sisters get sick and tired of repeating. [It\u2019s] just completely devaluing her being able to experience what just happened in the family. As much as we try to be inclusive and provide access, it happens even at home.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t communicate with my family,\u201d says Sydney, a deaf teenager. \u201cI\u2019m always just quiet. My family doesn\u2019t understand Deaf culture, which is a struggle just to communicate. I\u2019d rather just be alone and be on my own.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family doesn\u2019t sign except for my sister and my mom,\u201d says Bob Greif, a deaf teacher\u2019s assistant for Des Moines Public Schools. \u201cSo yeah, I\u2019m used to it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

What can hearing people do to help stop audism? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like them to learn to sign, really,\u201d Greif says. \u00a0And while that\u2019s the best and easiest way to stop audism, it\u2019s not an easy goal to achieve. In the meantime, Harvey suggests you take time to learn about the Deaf community. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be aware of how we\u2019re treating people with hearing loss,\u201d Harvey says. \u201cPeople are different and may react differently\u2026[audism] is a very hurtful thing. It just needs to be put out there.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exposing a form of discrimination that\u2019s only had a name since the \u201870s .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n