Show put across misconceptions

[Miss-Delectable]

TODAYonline | Voices | Show put across misconceptions

I AM an avid fan of the Channel 8 series Life Transformers. But I was shocked by the Jan 18 episode about a hearing-impaired couple, Mr and Mrs Wang, in which certain things were put across that could cause misconceptions about deaf families.

A hearing-impaired friend (the co-signatory of this letter) said she and several of her deaf friends felt the same way.

Firstly, when the host installed an electronic cooker for the family, a remark was made that - if a conventional rice cooker were used - the deaf parents would not know if the child was being scalded.

This is a stereotyped view of the deaf - that they cannot hear at all. In fact, depending on the degree of hearing loss, they are able to make out sounds around them.

More importantly is the fact that Life Transformers wanted to place the boy in a childcare centre. It was repeated many times during the show that the child would not be able to grow up normally in a "deaf" environment. Many children around the world, including Singapore, grow up with deaf parents and are able to adapt to a society where communication through speech is the norm.

The qualification should have been made that the environment brought about by the Wangs' low education and lack of access to resources has made it hard for them to raise a child. Otherwise, the impression given is that deaf parents cannot raise a child properly.

 

[Lighthouse77]

Didn't they use to take hearing children away from deaf parents (if they weren't living with any hearing people like parents)? I read about that somewhere.

I know for a fact that when two parents, neither have a history of mental illness or medical condition...both have equal education and job, fight over custody, it is easy for a judge to choose a hearing dad over a deaf mom. But I'm glad that most judge will just choose joint custody instead.

 

[Bebonang]

That is exactly why I have been debating here on AllDeaf. Many hearing people never understand why we have to be deaf and thought they can cure us by going to the doctors and get us into mainstream school without visual aids and ASL. It is very hard to explain to stubborn hearing parents and other people who knows nothing about our deafness. I found one comment after this show which is what I am trying to make a point. Here the comment.


May I suggest to change from Hearing Impaired to Deaf/Hard of Hearing or People with Hearing Loss because Hearing Impaired is politically incorrect because it implies that Deaf people are impaired in some important way. Do not want all teachers and parents think their children’ ears are broken!

Again, people with hearing loss do not have a disease. We are not looking for a cure but ACCEPTANCE. Please accept who we are, not why we are deaf.

Many hearing people do not accept our deafness at all and they make our life very hard. That mean we do not have our say just because they are the parents and we are the children. We get frustrated why they are doing this to us if they do not accept us as who we are, and do not understand why we are deaf. That is what make me pissed off. Hearing parents do not get it and they think we, Deafies and HOH, are against them but they are against us wanting us not allowing us to use ASL, Deaf Culture and Deaf communities. They want us to be alone fighting with the hearing world, no deaf people, no ASL and no Deaf communities. Hearing people just do not understand how we have gone through for many years. It is getting to be tiring after all the battle we all have gone through in the hearing world. Whew!

 

[Bebonang]

Didn't they use to take hearing children away from deaf parents (if they weren't living with any hearing people like parents)? I read about that somewhere.

I know for a fact that when two parents, neither have a history of mental illness or medical condition...both have equal education and job, fight over custody, it is easy for a judge to choose a hearing dad over a deaf mom. But I'm glad that most judge will just choose joint custody instead.

I have custody of my son without my husband who is hearing not showing up in court. But if other countries are trying to have hearing parent taking over the custody of children from the deaf parent. Then it is not fair. Yeah, I would agree with you if the hearing judge would favor over the hearing parent over deaf parent to take the custody. There is no equality for anything we have gone through. That is very sad.

 

[Kateweb]

can't people do thier research b4 putting out crap?

 

[Lighthouse77]

I think it is funny how they think a rice cooker is not a good idea because a child could be scalded and a deaf parent would not hear him.

we watch our cooking, fireplace, or anything hot like a hawk. And we know how to childproof our house especially we know we are deaf, so we have to be creative to protect our children because we love our children. To me, childproofing is a big sign of responsible, caring parent and that should be good enough.