Bridging the Communication Barrier Between the Deaf and Hearing People

Fabian Luna and Brian Mireles

Professor James Patterson

English 201 Online

May 27, 2016

Bridging the Communication Barrier between the Deaf and Hearing People

Today, it can be hard for the deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate smoothly with people that have a fully functional hearing. The deaf community has a term for people that do not have a problem with their hearing, and the term is “hearing people”. It is normal for hearing people to be accustomed to the verbal form of communication. Many people view verbal communication to be the most effective as it allows information to travel faster. The problem is that not all individuals are capable of speaking and listening, or just listening. The barrier between the deaf and hearing people is two different worlds. The deaf people are more visual oriented, while the hearing people rely on sounds and are naturally accustomed to it. Deaf people can attempt to interact with hearing people, but many deaf people would not feel involved in the conversation. In small communities for which there are few deaf people, and the majority are hearing people, deaf people would like to stop feeling left out and attempt to feel normal. There are almost no issues in large communities that involve both the deaf and hearing people. There are still issues with how the world is made to run for hearing people rather than all type of people. For example, a deaf person seeks help at a local hospital that does not offer certified interpreters. The deaf person requires a more accurate way to provide valuable information to doctor and nurses. As the valuable information depends on the doctor and nurses that may save the deaf patient’s life. The doctor and nurses do not know the patient’s native language, which is Sign Language. The deaf patient may not be able to read the English language well, and even by speechreading, and they may not be able to understand the doctor and nurses well. In a life and death situation, the deaf patient, even with an understanding of English writing and skilled speechreading, will have to be able to provide information to the doctors quickly. Writing or speechreading will take time then at that point it may be too late for the deaf patient to survive. Some alternatives can help bridge the communication barrier between the deaf and hearing people. Even though communication barriers between deaf and hearing individuals can be overcome by the most common speechless communication of American Sign Language, there can also be a way to set up a communication bridge between both individuals through new technology or language implementation.

Different forms of technology gives help to the deaf people and help in their communication. They are grouped into three which are prosthesis technology, assistive