Page 138 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

American Deaf Culture 123

enumerates behaviors that are considered rude in such contexts:
holding down someone’s hands to stop them from signing and
turning your back on someone trying to tell you something (S.
Hall 1989, 101).
We have already mentioned several behaviors that are consid-
ered rude in Deaf culture: withholding information, refusing to
watch someone signing to you, pretending to be deaf if you are
hearing. Here are a few other taboos.

Asking Inappropriate Questions
Just as one’s ability to speak is irrelevant in Deaf society, so are
the details of one’s audiological status. Questions regarding one’s
decibel loss or when and how one became deaf are more ger-
mane to those who have recently lost their hearing. It is the use of
ASL and the identification with similar cultural values that make
someone culturally Deaf, not the percentage of hearing loss on
his or her audiogram. Those who have grown up in Deaf culture
focus more on what they have than on what they are missing.
Questions from hearing people about how they feel about “miss-
ing out” on music or birdsongs are considered ignorant.
Another type of remark that is considered rude are statements
or questions that seem aimed at trying to make Deaf people act
more like hearing people. Comments such as “Use your voice,”
“You should wear your hearing aids,” or “Why don’t you get a
cochlear implant?” demonstrate a lack of understanding and re-
spect for Deaf identity and values.

Hearing People Talking behind the Backs of Deaf People
One of the rudest things a hearing person can do is deliberately
talk in front of (or behind) Deaf people in a manner that prevents
them from understanding what you are saying. Talking through
clenched teeth with a frozen smile like an amateur ventriloquist
will only garner more attention. Sometimes a hearing person may
be in the middle of a conversation with a Deaf person when the
phone rings. The hearing person will probably pick up the phone
immediately and start gabbing away without a word or a sign to
let the Deaf person know what is going on. If this happened with
another hearing person, that person could get the gist of the call
(business, personal, or family emergency) by subtly eavesdrop-
ping on the tone of voice or noting even a few words. Leaving the
Deaf person completely in the dark, therefore, is definitely impo-

05 MINDESS PMKR 123 10/18/04, 12:00 PM