Proper label for A remarkable visitor to Ealing
Latest news tells of an interesting biker from Minsk who is travelling the world at age 69 for over 10 years now. Good human interest story BUTam not happy with the labels deaf mute - here is why in a lift below from WikipediaSo should the description used be better and how do deaf or deafened forum members view this?For "deafness", see hearing impairment. For "Deaf" as a cultural term, see Deaf culture. For "inability to speak", see muteness.Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically, by hearing people, to identify a person who was both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people, mainly within a historical context, to indicate deaf people who cannot speak, or have some degree of speaking ability, but choose not to speak because of the negative or unwanted attention atypical voices sometimes attract.The classification has a particular importance in Jewish law; deaf-mutes were not moral agents, and therefore were unable to own real estate, act as witnesses, or be punished for any crime.In the past deaf-mute was regarded as a socially acceptable term, usually to describe deaf people who use a signed language, but in modern times, the term is frequently viewed as derogatory[citation needed][neutrality is disputed]. The preferred term today is simply "deaf"[1].Additionally, it is sometimes used to refer to other hearing people in jest, to chide, or to invoke an image of someone who refuses to employ common sense or who is unreliable. "Deaf and dumb,"[2] "semi-deaf" and "semi-mute" are other historic references to deaf people. Of these latter examples, only "deaf and dumb" prevails as a reference.There are connotations of insensitivity to deaf people concerning these terms of reference and for this reason the prevailing terms are generally looked upon as insulting, inaccurate or socially and politically incorrect.[3] From antiquity (as noted in the Code of Hammurabi) until recent times,[4] the terms "deaf-mute" and "deaf and dumb" were even considered analogous to "idiot" by some hearing people.In Europe and Western society, most deaf people are taught to speak with varying outcomes of ability or degrees of fluency. The simple identity of "deaf" has been embraced by the community of signing deaf people since the foundations of public deaf education in the 18th century and remains the preferred term of reference or identity for many years.
Colin Izzard ● 5720d0 Comments