Stories/Lived Experience
Authors: Shauna Louise Byrne, Sales Assistant, studying Sign Language and QQI Level 5 Medical Terminology & Kimberly Wright, Postgraduate LLM student Global Legal Studies
“My name is Shauna Louise, and I was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of 2. I contracted Scarlet Fever and have since lost 100 per cent of my ability to hear high frequency sounds. Throughout childhood, my teenage years and continuing into adulthood, my only form of communication is lip-reading.
The pandemic has highlighted just how much I rely on lip-reading as a primary method of communication in addition to the struggle of those around me to accommodate me by removing their face masks. Although, many deemed this as high-risk and left me feeling extremely isolated in my social and work life, resulting in me feeling as though I was a burden to those around me.
Consequently, I feel no other choice but to remove myself from social gatherings while it is required to wear a mask in public. The risk of asking someone to remove their masks when speaking to me isn’t a responsibility I want to bear. This goes as far as saying that I will only engage with people on video call as I can see their lips and it is safer, thereby lessening my physical social interactions where possible.
I have no shame in being Deaf and I embrace it as much as I can. I recently purchased hearing aids which allows me to pick up background noises. Furthermore, it has allowed me to connect to my phone where I can video call with ease, listen to music and has even allowed me to connect to my laptop so I can achieve my dream of completing an online course. This would have not been made possible without such hearing assistive technologies. Nevertheless, it does not provide me with the ability to communicate with others.
I think more awareness needs to be echoed in terms of accommodating those who are Deaf and hard of hearing. For instance, cinemas have their hearing aid loop signs to help those who wear hearing aids. I think all establishments should adopt similar strategies to allow those who are Deaf to have access to different ways of communication. In addition, I strongly believe that sign language should be provided as an optional language alongside Spanish, French, German, and others. It gives the opportunity to enable everyone to engage in a form of communication between the hearing world and the Deaf world” –Shauna Louise Byrne.
Shauna’s experience has prompted me to reflect on the rights of persons with disabilities, and on the need to value their diversity.
The right to use one’s language is a fundamental right. This right is also enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Article 2 of the CRPD prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability meaning any distinction, exclusion or restriction based on disability that has the intent of effect of nullifying the acknowledgement, enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others. The rights of Deaf people include access to sign language through education and public services. Although, due to the lack of knowledge and awareness around sign language, Deaf persons struggle with inaccessibility in public services such as health care, education and employability.
As stated in the personal piece above, the obstacle to communication and access for people with hearing impairments has become more visible than ever before due to Covid-19 pandemic and the mandatory practice of wearing face masks in public spaces. Lip-reading for the most part, is not an efficient mode of communication. Research has shown that only 30 to 35 per cent of English is visible on the tongue, necessitating a lot of guesswork and focus when lip-reading. If this barrier to communication was addressed as part of the school curriculum prior to the pandemic, it would not have been such a communicative barrier as it now has become.
Education plays a crucial role in the development of communication skills, personal development, and empowerment. At school, everyone develops their first true sense of belonging to a group outside of their immediate family. In the hearing culture, the ability to express oneself, to be heard, to gain trust, to form friendships, and to experience the fundamentals of life are taken for granted. For members of the Deaf community the lack of sign language in education puts them at a further disadvantage.
There are several benefits to teaching sign language in schools. The normalisation of sign language education and its usage in daily life will help marginalized communities such as those who are Deaf or hard of hearing participate fully in society. Learning a new language is encouraged as a means of communicating with people of other languages. Paving the way for individuals to have a more advantageous link to increased opportunities. Therefore, sign language should be made accessible in all schools whether primary, secondary or both, or at the very least provided as an optional class alongside other languages.
According to the World Health Organisation, over 700 million people will have suffered hearing loss by 2050. Therefore, learning sign language has an added advantage not only for the Deaf community but also for those who will suffer hearing impairment due to age. Consequently, the use of sign language would reduce the need for hearing assistive technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.
It is society’s duty to create an atmosphere that is most conducive to everyone’s well-being. In the same regard society ensures wheelchair users to access services and the use of public places; people with hearing difficulties should be awarded the same accommodations. Assuring that as many people as possible can connect through communication is an important part of this process. Recognition of sign language is a linguistic connection for Deaf people to full participation in society. Integrating this into the school curriculum and public places would be the most successful way to do so.
In my opinion, of the more widespread use of sign language will pave the way for better access to services, education, and employment opportunities. It is no longer acceptable to have awareness alone around the barriers imposed on the Deaf community, it is each of our responsibility to bridge the gap of communication. It is unfair to put the onus of Deaf community to accommodate the hearing society, it is time we adapt non-verbal skills to accommodate all.