Deaf People in Malaysian

Common Misconceptions About Deafness

1.    DEAF PERSONS CAN READ LIPS

Speech reading or lip reading is a skill that some deaf persons are good at, others
have difficulty mastering such a talent. While good speech reading skill can help in communication, only 26 - 30% of speech is visible on the lips, and even the best
speech readers can't speech read everything that is said.

 

2.     DEAF PERSONS ARE NOT DISTRACTED WHEN
        THEY WORK IN A NOISY ENVIRONMENT

Most deaf persons have some residual hearing, and if they wear hearing aids
they may be even more sensitive to sound and vibrations than most hearing
persons. The right deaf person can often handle a noisy job, but it is wrong
to think any deaf person can work in such a situation.

 

3.    PEOPLE WHO HAVE UNUSUAL SOUNDING SPEECH
       ARE MENTALLY IMPAIRED

There is absolutely no correlation between a deaf persons' speech and intelligence.

 

4.    DEAF PERSONS ARE MUTE

Deaf persons are not "mute". Deaf persons have normal vocal organs. Some
deaf persons choose not to use their voices if they think that they are difficult to
understand or have inappropriate pitch or volume. Terms like "deaf" and "dumb"
or "deaf mute" are outdated and considered offensive by most deaf people.

 

5.    DEAF PERSONS CAN'T USE THE TELEPHONE

Some deaf persons have enough residual hearing or have developed the speech
skills necessary to use the telephone. Special telecommunication aids have been
developed for deaf people.

 

6.    DEAF PERSONS SPEECH IS DIFFICULT TO
       UNDERSTAND

The speech intelligibility of deaf persons varies greatly from one deaf person to
another. Many deaf persons have speech that seems difficult to understand at first,
but after spending some times with these persons, their speech becomes easier
to understand

 

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