Myths about Deaf People

The aim of this article is to broaden cultural understanding of deafness and break down some of the myths about deafness.

Myth One
Deaf people cannot talk and use their hands, not their mouths to communicate. This is so call the Sign language which  is a recognized language with its own structure, grammar and tenses. It can convey the same complexity of meaning as spoken language.

Myth Two
All deaf people use the same sign language. However the differences are on the spoken language of each country. For example in Malaysia they use Malaysia sign language where as in British they use English for the sign language. Often when deaf people meet other deaf from a different country they rely on mime and gesture to communicate.

Myth Three
The best way to communicate with a deaf person is by writing. Because he deaf people are very visual so the written form is often confusing for them. Therefore it is far better to use gesture and mime.

Myth Four
Lip reading is another way to communicate with the deaf people. However not every individual can read the lip reading. A part from that there are also language barrier for lip reading. This is because not every person know all the language in the world to understand lip reading.

Myth Five
Intellectual of a deaf person also can  become a barrier for them to improve their standard of living.

Myth Six
In this 21st century there is a new method to make a deaf person able to speak, which is to have a cochlea implant. But this method is very expensive and not every country has this method.