"To me, disability is defined as a physical or mental incapacity which affects the day to day life of an individual. It is not so black and white however. I see disability on a scale and while I consider deafness to be a disability, it ranks low on the scale. I feel that this mindset is shared by many and results in both pros and cons. For the Deaf community, the discrimination they face is likely lesser than perhaps an amputee due to the lack of a perceivable incapacity. There have even been cases of people from the Deaf community successfully assimilating into the mainstream society with only slight difficulties. However, this also leads to many people trivializing the disability and we see this in terms of government aid especially in Hong Kong. Because deafness is seen as a “minor” disability, the government focuses more providing aid to more “severe” disabilities. This is evident when we compare the amount of research done in the West to those done in Asia. Furthermore, while the education system is constantly improving to accommodate the needs of the Deaf community in the West, little is done in Asia primarily because of ignorance.
Before entering University, I knew very little about the Deaf community and Sign Language. I always thought that Sign was an interpretation of the spoken language and didn’t know it had its own lexicon and grammar! I also do see a positive shift in perception towards the Deaf community especially among the younger generation. When my university first launched Sign language Level 1 as a foreign language class, they could barely fill up one class. Now, it is one of the most popular foreign language classes and they have even launched a level 2 and 3."
Gillian Chin Sze Min
"I’ve got to admit that I did associate deaf people with disability before digging into the oralism project I had in “Language and Prejudice”, since I was taught by my primary and secondary school teachers that deafness is a disability – especially in Biology and general education. They made it quite easy and depicted them as “people who lost the hearing ability” – and this is all written on our formal textbooks – almost as if there’s no exceptions or some special cases somewhere in the middle. These seemingly small messages, however, can be so subtly powerful that could basically shape our understanding or perceptions about Deaf people, thinking they are disabled with no ways of communicating at all. That’s the thought I had back then when I was a secondary school kid. When all the authorities are telling people that deafness is a disability in both explicit and implicit ways, they are also, unconsciously, creating hidden stereotypes and overgeneralizations that people may often overlook – even though they were starting from a good intention – to spread across the message of “looking out for our disabled buddies”.
Things started to change when I first took the “Language and Prejudice” course. It was not until then I realized that sign language is a legitimate language that has its own grammar system, and it could be served as a powerful, meaningful and symbolic means for the Deaf to communicate and to establish, secure their own sense of identity and even – dignity. Sign language has also known to have played a major role in Deaf culture, where Deaf people reinforce their own community by using sign language to distinguish themselves from the rest of the people, but also at the same time, to build bridges, bonding with each other. Although Hong Kong Deaf community didn’t get as much political, influential and outspoken as the American Deaf community did, they are also considered to be a “shelter” or “home” to many Deaf people – who are desperately wanted to extend their social circles and forge new friendship with others. As a member of this project and an interviewer, I’ve learn so much from them, amazed at their positivity, confidence, determination, and also their willingness to strive for unknown future. They taught me how to be “happy” in my own terms, regardless of how others may look down upon me or discriminate/tease/making fun of me. As a future teacher, I would definitely equip such awareness and sensitivity with me whenever I approach texts/issues regarding Deaf people."
Kam Wing Sze, Cathy
"To be honest, I have limited knowledge about the Deaf community in Hong Kong when we first started our project. It is my very first time to learn how the Deaf communicate by using Sign Language, Oralism, getting cochlear implant. The topic is distant to me. I do not know anyone belongs to the Deaf community and little do I know their perception of themselves in the society. Do they encounter any difficulties in Hong Kong society? How do they project themselves in the community? What have we done for them and what are needed to be done? I would like to find out all these answers.
Though I am not very familiar with the Deaf community in Hong Kong, I do aware the issue of students with hearing impairment in schools. As a student teacher, I notice there are students with special educational needs in the classroom. I have learnt that there are two schools specialized for the Deaf. However, most students with some hearing impairments are studying in the mainstream schools. I believe that they would possibly encounter different levels of learning difficulties. For instance, insufficient teaching support, lacking suitable teaching materials in the classroom, social problems with their peers etc. I assume that it would be more time-consuming for them to learn and they need to spend many extra hours on study. They may have fewer opportunities to pursue higher education. Because of this, they could potentially end with a relatively low-paid job as they do not have chances to acquire specialized skills. They may remain in the labor market or working class since they have a lower social mobility. Deafness hinder their development and limit them in different aspects. They may even face discrimination when things are getting worse.
What I know is we need to continue to work hard to promote inclusive education by adopting a whole school approach. The school principal, the staff, the teachers, the students, the parents and all should contribute to create a harmonious learning environment and cater the diverse learning needs. We need to educate our society to be more accepting and show respect to everyone in the community, just as how we treat one and other. We could do a lot more than that."
Tam Katrina Hor Lei
"I have never had any friends or family members who were from the Deaf community. I have only observed strangers on the streets signing to one another, although it might not necessarily mean they are hard of hearing. The first time I encountered and communicated with two Deaf members was at a two-day sign language introductory course I had joined through a voluntary organization. I remember vividly how frustrated they were when the topic of discrimination was brought up. While I empathized with them, I realize I never really thought what more I could do as an individual from the Hearing world.
Personally, I think a major issue is the lack of people who are able to sign. This creates a communication barrier between the Deaf community and the Hearing world. As the general public is unable to understand or respond to sign language, a line is gradually between the two worlds. While it is unlikely to have the whole of the Hearing world learn sign language to interact with the Deaf community, I think more sign language courses could be promoted to the public. Also, I am aware that inclusive education is highly encouraged, however, I feel it may not be the best learning environment for students who are hard of hearing. I think there should be better accessibility to resources and expertise to cater to the needs of students with hearing difficulty."
Patricia Leung Lai Yin
"Going into the research project, my knowledge on the Deaf/hearing-impaired is very limited. I am aware of the sign language with which the Deaf and hearing-impaired communicate, but have no idea what the signs mean or whether this particular group of people have any other means of language/communication. I also know that sign language is not heavily featured in the public discourse in Hong Kong, as it only appears on TV on rare occasions (i.e. Legislative council broadcasts).
As a prospective teacher with some teaching experience, I have encountered some students with hearing impairments, but it is not until this project that I begin the find out about the cochlear implants, and the controversy that revolves around them (perhaps less so nowadays). I have seen quite a few hearing-impaired students integrated into mainstream classrooms, more commonly and easily than students with other impairments or hindrances. Most of their classmates and teachers appear to be reasonably supportive and understanding as well, which is encouraging to see. It would appear to me that hearing-impaired students don’t suffer too much socially or academically, at least from outside looking in, but I am curious about how members of the Deaf community actually feel about their inclusion/exclusion from mainstream classrooms, and the society at large.
Through this project, I would like to find about more about how the Deaf community is currently being supported by the government, Non-governmental organizations, or other related institutions; whether or not enough is being done to accommodate their needs; and what else can be done to further facilitate inclusiveness and support the Deaf community. Having recently seen ‘Sound and Fury’ – a documentary detailing the struggles of a young girl caught in between the hearing world and her own deaf identity – I have gained a better understanding of the struggles of the members of the Deaf community but it is hoped that with research, I can develop a fuller and clearer picture of the Deaf community in Hong Kong specifically."
Sampras Lee Chung Shun
"What strikes me most about the attitude towards disability in Hong Kong is the policy of invisibility; it is very rare to see any sort of disability, physical or mental. This is particularly poignant for the Deaf community as they can so easily hide their “disability” in plain sight, silently struggling to navigate life at the ignorance of the hearing world. Perhaps it is because in the UK Deaf culture is comparatively visible that I notice its absence in Hong Kong – prior to this project I had no awareness of the Deaf in Hong Kong, while in the UK support is readily available and even advertised, with charities and support groups constantly campaigning to ensure that the Deaf community have access to the same opportunities as those that can hear. As such, I assumed the same support was provided in Hong Kong, but simply in a more discreet way in keeping with the cultural value of self-dependency. I was shocked to find that this is not the case.
While I do not consider Deafness to be a disability in itself, I recognise that it becomes so due to its treatment by mainstream society, with a lack of aid leading to discrimination against the Deaf community, thereby creating a marginalised and silenced group. While this is more prevalent in Hong Kong than the UK, this was not always so. My own father has had high frequency deafness since birth, but was not diagnosed until age nineteen because he learned to lip read from an early age so nobody noticed his hearing impairment, instead assuming he was a slow developer. The fact that his impairment was interpreted as a lack of cognitive ability demonstrates how important it is to have an awareness of Deafness in mainstream society, as it can be so easily misinterpreted and lead to unfair prejudice."
Heather McComb