Normalcy In The Deaf Community
What is “Normalcy?” Everyone desires to feel apart of a community. As humans, we aspire to be accepted by our family and peers trying to fit in. The term “fitting in” describes the action of changing oneself to fit the standards of others. This standard is referred to as “normalcy” or being “normal”, implying that it is ordinary, accepted, or typical. Who gets to decide what is accepted? We are all human and share the same needs but often made to feel ashamed for being true to ourselves. Society is constantly manipulating us to fit in this standard of “normal” without thinking of the personal repercussions. When it comes to humans, “normal” is an umbrella term that serves a different meaning for each person. One person’s “normal” could be another person’s nightmare. We don’t choose our bodies and yet society feels it knows how we were meant to look and sound. The idea of “normalcy” is an ever-changing concept than shatters upon analyzation.
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We meet several deaf individuals that tell us their stories of being discriminated against due to being deaf. They seem to share the mutual struggle of being misunderstood and excluded from a conversation or group. They share stories of being left out of family gatherings due to lack of communication and how it affected their relationships. They include stories of not being accepted and how some were forced to change. They speak of the lack of acceptance of signing in schools and the regulation of signing. Several people remember getting hit with rulers for signing in school. One man solemnly reflects on the cochlear implant he was forced to get that left his face half paralyzed. Each person contributed a story of how society made them feel like being deaf was not “normal” and
We meet several deaf individuals that tell us their stories of being discriminated against due to being deaf. They seem to share the mutual struggle of being misunderstood and excluded from a conversation or group. They share stories of being left out of family gatherings due to lack of communication and how it affected their relationships. They include stories of not being accepted and how some were forced to change. They speak of the lack of acceptance of signing in schools and the regulation of signing. Several people remember getting hit with rulers for signing in school. One man solemnly reflects on the cochlear implant he was forced to get that left his face half paralyzed. Each person contributed a story of how society made them feel like being deaf was not “normal” and