Why I Hate My Voice As a Deaf Person
<p>My OB-GYN’s hands were up my cervix as she raved about my lack of a Deaf accent. I was incensed, but in no position to sit up and defend my community. Driving home, I raged. <em>What was so wrong with a Deaf accent?</em> Recounting the tale to my mother, who agreed with the doctor’s ableist sentiments, I dissented. What kind of Deaf advocate was I? I had laid in silence with my legs spread-eagle instead of calling out her impropriety.</p>
<p>There is a term speech-language pathologists and audiologists use for people like me: oral success. Before you dirty-minded folks go there, it refers to my ability to speak. The “success” part is defined as the ability to speak (and, theoretically, live) like a hearing person. Oral failures are the opposite: those poor Deaf people whose utterances cannot be understood by hearing people, no matter how hard they try.</p>
<p><a href="https://aninjusticemag.com/what-its-like-to-speak-as-a-deaf-person-40d80b2977d9"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>