#sign language representation

[cripplecharacters]

Write more Deaf characters!

[Large Text: Write more Deaf characters!]

When answering questions about deaf and hard of hearing characters, I have noticed they are overwhelmingly about:

A character who is deaf in one ear or hard of hearing because of an accident

A character who was born deaf and knows sign language, but seems to have 0 connection to the broader Deaf community

This is not the experience of most d/Deaf people! So, here's your primer to Deaf community and culture, and writing a Deaf character, because they are sorely underrepresented.

(Disclaimer: this post was written using viewpoints I, a singular Deaf person in the United States, have encountered. I tried to make this as general as possible to encompass many Deaf views, but it is possible that I have misconstrued something. Do not take this guide as the be-all and end-all of your knowledge on Deaf culture. Keep reading and researching the Deaf community, and explore viewpoints from many different Deaf people of all backgrounds.)

Why do you write Deaf with capital D?

[Large Text: Why do you write Deaf with capital D?]

The term "deaf" with the lowercase d means not being able to hear. The term "Deaf" with an uppercase D refers to the cultural identity formed by deaf people. This identity is difficult to explain but it includes knowing sign language and engaging with other Deaf people.

There are varying opinions within the Deaf community on who is allowed to call themselves culturally Deaf. Some Deaf believe that only those who were born into the Deaf community (whose family is Deaf, who attended a Deaf school, and/or who have sign language as a first language) are allowed to consider themselves culturally Deaf. On the 'flip' side, some Deaf believe that anyone with hearing loss can claim the label. And of course, you can find someone Deaf with any opinion in between.

This is all intracommunity nuance. If your character is born deaf and learns sign language at a young age or as a first language, they are likely culturally Deaf.

Sign Language Use

[Large Text: Sign Language Use]

Sign languages are the language of Deaf communities. (Note that there are many sign languages in different regions, and they are not related in the same way spoken languages are!)

Most sign languages did not originate alongside spoken language, either, so they usually have different grammar than the spoken language in a region. This means that someone whose first language is sign may have difficulty learning even the written version of the spoken language due to the different grammar and translation. For native signers, the spoken language of their area is their second language.

Sign languages are fully developed languages, with grammar and structure. Sign language is not "less" than spoken language, and encouraging sign language does not discourage speech. (Even if it did, that's not a bad thing! Sign languages are still a valid and rich communication form!) Sign languages have slang and expressions/idioms too.

Sign languages typically have a "manual alphabet" otherwise known as "fingerspelling". This is a way to represent words that don't have a sign. Fluent signers very rarely fingerspell; normally fingerspelling is for proper nouns which don't have a name sign.

Name signs are the last big point I want to cover about sign language. A name sign is a way to refer to someone so you don't have to spell their name every time. It's usually related to someone's attributes, like dimples or a specific way of moving. Sign names can only be given by Deaf people who are fluent in sign language.

Deaf Education

[Large Text: Deaf Education]

For a long time, deaf people were considered unable to learn, just because they couldn't hear. And since 1880, for about 100 years and even still today, the prevailing tradition in deaf education was/is oralism--a teaching method based on speech that rejects sign language.

Historically speaking, if deaf children were to receive an education, they would be sent to a Deaf residential school. These still exist, although there are also many Deaf schools that are typical day schools, just for d/Deaf/hoh students.

Deaf children may also attend "mainstream" schools; they might have sign language interpreters and other accessibility accommodations, or they may be forced to rely on lipreading and context, or placed in special education where their needs often still are not met.

Oralism still has lasting effects today. Deaf people have received, and still do receive, worse education than hearing people.

One common problem is language deprivation. Many deaf children grow up without access to sign language. About 90% of deaf people are born to hearing parents; even if hearing parents do send their deaf kids to a Deaf school, they may not learn sign language themselves, so the child must rely on what they can gather of spoken language at home. Sign language is even discouraged by some audiologists and speech professionals, because it "might interfere with speech". But by depriving deaf children of sign language, more often than not, they are being deprived of all language.

People who are born deaf do not learn spoken language naturally, even when provided with aids like hearing aids and cochlear implants. Many deaf kids who learn speech learn it through extensive speech therapy, and often have a "deaf accent" from copying mouth shapes but not being able to hear or process what sounds they are making, which may also include having an atypically pitched voice (e.g., very high-pitched). Lip-reading is inaccurate and the best lip-readers can only follow about 30% of a conversation, and that's by intently watching with no breaks.

It is possible to learn a language at any age. But it is easiest to pick up a new language when one is young. Children who do not learn a first language by around age 5--the age at which they would start school--have more difficulty learning any language, and may have frequent outbursts or trouble expressing emotions as a result of communication difficulties.

Another problem, especially within the Deaf community, is literacy. Spoken languages are often unrelated to the signed language of the same region. Learning to read and write, as a Deaf child, is like learning a whole new separate language, with different grammar and structure than their native language. This is why captions are not a perfect accessibility tool--it is, for many Deaf people, being offered an alternative in their second language, if they have learned to read and write at all.

Deaf Culture Norms

[Large Text: Deaf Culture Norms]

To hearing people, Deaf conversation can seem very blunt and to the point. This isn't to say Deaf people are inexpressive--quite the opposite: sign languages often use facial expressions as part of the grammar, and there is a lot of expression that can be incorporated into a sign--but there isn't a lot of "talking around" things. You can see part of this culture in name signs, which are usually based off a trait of the person. It's not offensive--it's just how they're recognized!

Another conception is of Deaf people being over expressive, but again, that is just part of sign language grammar. Face and body movements take the place of tone of voice, as well as other grammatical clarifications.

Deaf people talk a lot! It's very hard to end a conversation, because there will always be something else to say or a new person to meet. Hugging and other physical touch are really common greetings.

Tapping people on the shoulder to get their attention is fine. Other ways include flicking the lights or rattling a surface (for vibrations). Eye contact while signing is also important to make known that you are listening. Groups of Deaf people will sit in a circle so everyone can see everyone else. It's rude to talk in a Deaf space. If you are lost in the conversation, you'd ask if you can write or type instead.

Deaf Space also refers to design concepts that are more accessible to deaf people. This includes good lighting, minimal signing-height visual obstacles (e.g., low waist-height shelves), visual indicators instead of bells, open spaces so people can sit in a circle to talk, and automatic doors and wide hallways/passages so it is easier to continue a conversation while walking.

It's also very rude to comment on a Deaf person's voice. Do not mention you're surprised they can speak. Do not call their accent "cute" or "weird" or anything like that. Do not ask them to speak. Do not say their voice sounds really good ("for a deaf person") or that you wouldn't be able to tell they are deaf.

Deaf Views on Deafness

[Large Text: Deaf Views on Deafness]

The Deaf community is incredibly proud of their Deafness. You'll often hear the phrases "hearing loss = deaf gain" or "failing a hearing test" as "passing the deaf test". Continuing the Deaf community and culture is highly valued, and learning sign language is encouraged for everyone.

Many people in the Deaf community dislike cochlear implants as their success is incredibly variable and they require invasive surgery and therapies from a young age. Another big argument against CI is that they are often presented as the only or the first option to hearing parents, who misunderstand CI as a "cure" and then do not give their child access to sign language.

Deaf people also reject any sort of cure for deafness, especially genetic therapies. Many Deaf people do not think of their Deafness as a disability.

(Deaf people will often point out the advantages of Deaf culture and sign language, such as being able to talk over long distances, through windows, and even underwater.)

Most hard of hearing and some deaf people have hearing aids, although it is really an individual choice whether or not to wear them. Many d/Deaf/hoh people are overwhelmed and startled very easily by noise (since they're not used to that much auditory input) and get tinnitus from auditory overstimulation. They may also struggle with auditory processing--locating sounds, interpreting sounds, recognizing and interpreting speech, and other issues.

The Deaf community doesn't have any general complaints about hearing aids, just many prefer not to wear them. Do know that they are an imperfect aid; they just amplify sound, which doesn't improve processing or understanding, and it doesn't make people hearing. Not everyone even benefits from hearing aids--their specific hearing levels may make hearing aids a bad choice of aid.

A big point you'll hear in Deaf spaces is Deaf Can (and Deaf Power). Hearing people have historically treated deafness as a sign of incapability, but Deaf people can do everything hearing people can--except hear.

Myth Busting

[Large Text: Myth Busting]

Myth #1: All Deaf people are completely deaf. This is very far from the truth! Most deaf people have some degree of residual hearing, although this may require very loud sounds and/or at very specific pitches. Plus, there are many culturally Deaf people who are not deaf/hoh at all--CODAs, hearing children born to Deaf parents, are part of the Deaf community.

Myth #2: (Non-speaking) Deaf people do not make noise. Also very far from the truth! First off, Deaf people laugh. Many Deaf people also vocalize without knowing or intending, especially when excited. We can get very loud!

Myth #3: (Speaking) Deaf people talk loudly. While this can be true, often d/Deaf people talk more quietly than expected. This is because with severe to profound levels of deafness, no speaking volume is really going to be audible, so they will often rely on feeling vibrations in their throat to know if they're making noise. Vibrations are detectable at lower volumes than hearing people like to listen to.

Myth #4: Deaf people can't drive. I actually have no idea where this one came from but it's false. Deaf people can absolutely drive, and tend to have a lower rate of accidents and violations than hearing drivers. There is a common trend of treating d/Deaf people like they can't do things unrelated to hearing, but deafness on its own only affects hearing.

Deaf Struggles in the Hearing World

[Large Text: Deaf Struggles in the Hearing World]

A huge problem is just basic accessibility. Many places do not have captions or visual indicators, or rely on hearing (like drive-throughs). Movie open caption screenings are often at awkward times, and caption glasses are hard to find or access and awkward to wear.

Deaf people are also at increased risk of police violence. Police often treat signing as aggression, rather than attempts to communicate. When they yell, talk quickly, or shine a flashlight in Deaf people's faces, it's even harder to understand what is going on. Deaf people are also not often provided with a qualified interpreter and may not understand what is going on or why they were arrested.

Deaf people, specifically those who are mainly kept in the hearing world, have higher rates of drug use and addiction.

Hearing people also treat Deaf people as incapable or lesser. Gallaudet University had only hearing presidents until 1988 after the Deaf President Now protests; then-chair of the board at GU said in a statement that received heavy backlash from the students, "deaf people cannot function in the hearing world".

When writing your Deaf character:

[Large Text: When writing your Deaf Character:]

Were they born to hearing parents or to Deaf parents? (90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.) Is anyone else in the family d/Deaf?

At what age was their deafness noticed? (It can be at birth, or it can take several years, even for children born deaf.) Is their hearing loss progressive? Is their hearing loss significantly different in each ear?

Were they eligible for cochlear implants? Did they get CI? Did they get hearing aids? (Consider cost as a factor: CI requires the surgery as well as intensive speech therapy; hearing aids are also expensive and can need replacement and refitting.) How well do the aids work for them? Do they have them in one or both ears?

What advice did their family receive from audiologists and speech therapists about sign language and communication, and did their family listen? Did they learn sign language? At what age? Did their parents and family learn sign language? Are they language-deprived? Did they go through speech therapy? What is their speech like? Do they like using their voice?

Did or do they attend Deaf school? Is it residential or day school? If it's residential, did they understand what was happening when they were dropped off? Does the school use sign language or rely on oralism? (Consider time period; most schools now use sign language, but from 1880-about 1980 the predominant method was oralism.)

If they don't attend a Deaf school, what accommodations are they receiving in mainstream setting? Are they in special education? Are they in a Deaf program at a mainstream school? Do they have an interpreter? How much do they understand what is going on in class?

How involved are they in Deaf community and culture? Are their friends and family involved and supportive of the Deaf community? Do they treat deafness like something to cure? Do their friends and family frequently ignore or "forget" that they are deaf?

In general, consider their scenario, what ableism they've faced, and what their Deaf identity is.

Happy writing, and please continue to send in your questions!

Mod Rock

[heretherebedork]

Take your time. It's okay. Together... in the future, there's plenty of time.

[sparrow-the-tired-lesbian]

So I’m learning ASL and why the FUCK is it so hard to find decent free learning platforms for it? I really want to continue learning but so many of them cost hundreds of dollars???

[hangryartist]

good idea

Sign Language, Asexuality, and Muppet Intersectionality.

The sign language for Asexual is the same gesture you use to make a Muppet grimace. I refuse to believe this is a coincidence.

Image Description: YouTuber Rogan Shannon raises a hand to display the a sign language gesture for Asexual, which seems like four fingers curved in an arc as if one were climbing a ladder, while the thumb moves from extended to retracted towards the palm. To Rogan’s right appears a grid of several images of Kermitt the Frog grimacing in frustration, revulsion, repulsion, or annoyance.

[sparrowlucero]

Reading comprehension site. As far as I understand it, your point is moreso that often stories set in a world without homophobia, transportation, etc. Are treated as morally better. Meanwhile stories which are parallel to real world queerness, identity, and oppression are often viewed negatively. Mostly because there's a standing idea of "you could have made it better by simply not including the homophobia and transphobia".

In my mind, both are morally equivalent, and both are examining themes which may be interesting in the context of queer experiences and liberation.

yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about... I'm basically just arguing against that more extreme mindset you sometimes see around queernorm stuff and pointing out that maybe it's not great to implicitly lump stuff like, say, steven universe, queer as folk, and i saw the tv glow together as the 'lesser' or "more harmful" type of work we should seek to avoid because they focus on queer struggles, or otherwise downplaying the value of themes that aren't like, escapist enough in some way.

Honestly I think at some point the discussion around depictions of homophobia- specifically, criticism aimed at the thought that (often quite fetishistic) homophobia (or sexism, racism, etc) needed to exist in fantasy for the sake of "historical realism", and of bury your gays-type stuff - sort of got telephone game'd into "it's weird to depict bigotry or gay characters suffering/dying when you could just not do that; no one wants to see that" and then in turn "the best, most valuable and desired way to depict queerness (race, disability, gender, etc) is to make it normal and as downplayed as possible" and i think it's worth pointing out that that's often not great advice/a good metric for judging queer fiction overall.

[the-aila-test]

ECHO poster in sign language!

[galaxywantsacookie]

starts crying

[sothisisablog]

The way the Echo show portrays communication is phenomenal. For a deaf/hoh person, sign language is the prominent form of communication. Every person that truly cares for Maya incorporates sign into conversation. Which further proves the point that Fisk doesn’t care. He starts with interpreter. A completely separate person to communicate for him. Then creates a piece of technology that does the same thing. But he never learns sign. He never actually puts in the effort to actually communicate with her.

[slveepyscwrs]

HEAR ME OUT bc this idea would be so cool for Silent Salt

Okay, so we know how Silent Salt has got the whole silence thing going on, so he might be mute/selectively mute.

(I did hear someone say that they're NOT going to make Silent Salt mute but idk if it's been confirmed so if anyone has the source pls lmk. But it is almost certain that he is male.)

And we know CRK has a lot of mute characters, but none of them really had any way to communicate their feelings properly, so what if this time they made Silent Salt use sign language??

(In the story it could just be written as *signs [insert whatever he wanted to say]*)

AND what if one of his minions acted as his interpreter?? It would be a great way to represent that not all sign language users are deaf, and as a selectively mute person myself you can never have enough proper representation.

(I know realistically this probably won't happen but I WILL be writing fanfic based on this when Silent Salt comes out nonetheless.)

[kateknowsdramas]

In this class we will try to find something rather than learning something specific. I will help you find your true selves.

[cripplecharacters]

Hi!

We will no longer be taking asks about name signs or giving characters sign names.

If you (writer) are not Deaf do not make a name sign. If your character is not Deaf they cannot give name signs. Noun names (e.g. my name Rock) are not literally translated to be sign name, they are spelled.

Initials, abbreviations, nicknames, and initialized spellings are fine to use/make if you are not Deaf. Be aware these are for use in conversation after person being referenced has been established by spelling whole name.

If you are unsure what your situation is, just do not make name sign. Name sign will be such a small part of a story about a d/Deaf or signing character it does not matter much!

We are of course accepting other asks about sign language and Deaf culture! I'd love to see your characters and questions!

Mod Rock

[heretherebedork]

This is the single most romantic thing in the entire world. Hi. This? This is it. We've hit the peak of romance. Look at them. Zixiang using sign language, talking about the advantages and so specifically making sure that Shaopeng knows he never needs to anything more from him. That what he gives and what they share is exactly what he wants. Absolutely peak.

[exvangelical-christian-nerd]

I have been thinking altogether too much about Fizz, so don't be too surprised if there's a lot of Fizz heavy content in the near future.

But one thing I've been thinking about is Fizz knowing sign language. I love that he knows it. The scenes with the little deaf kid are so sweet, and show a side of Fizz we don't usually get to see. I would love to see more of Fizz using sign. But what I've been thinking about are why and how he knows it. I haven't seen discussion around it (although I'm sure there is some).

So why and how does he know it? It doesn't appear to be something Blitz knows so I'm guessing it's not something they learned growing up. And if he learned it for performances I would expect him to use it a bit more. My theory? the explosion that took Fizz's limbs also (temporarily) took or damaged his hearing. Fire works are loud, and several of them blew up within inches of his face. I do think he has his hearing again now (not sure whether that was medical intervention like with his prosthetics, or just time and healing), but I think there is a good chance he learned sign, because he had to in order to communicate.

[bean-writes]

HOLY GODS OF GREEN DAY, YOU GUYS

If you have a chance to see Deaf West Theater and CTG's production of Green Day's "American Idiot" stage musical before the end of their run - DO IT.

The Deaf/signing actors and their hearing/singing counterparts are spectacular, the music and dancing are off the charts, and this whole production is FUCKING CHAMP.

It's like all my hopes and dreams of Deaf representation and art and creativity come true in a FIREBALL EXPLOSION OF ROCK GOD MUSIC.

Literally as soon as I got home I bought tickets to see it again.

Hearing, Deaf, or HoH, this musical will ROCK YOUR SOUL.

[writing2changetheworld]

When talking and thinking about Angela, I keep thinking about a specific moment. I didn't know how to put what it means to me into words until last night.

This is the moment I'm referring to.

I was born hearing. I ruptured one of my ear drums when I was 10 years old. After that, I could understand verbal in person speech if we faced each other and I didn't really have an issue with phone calls. Now (in my early 20s) that's not the case. Over the past 2 or 3 months, my hearing has basically gone. I can't understand in person or over the phone speech. I can't really hear myself.

As soon as it started happening, my mom made it a top priority to learn more sign language. We're not working on ASL [American Sign Language] grammar yet, but we're learning signs and facial expressions.

For the past couple months it's been a mission of mine to be completely nonverbal one day. As my mom and I learn more sign, she doesn't force me to verbally talk unless she really doesn't understand what I'm trying to say.

I didn't know how to talk about this because it is Spencer signing the word "no". And while I do absolutely acknowledge that, along with everything else Angela says and does, this is proof she knows at least one word in ASL (which is more proof she meant it when she said she loves learning). This shows me I'm also safe with her when I'm voice-off and signing. It is SO RELAXING to be able to talk to someone in a language that probably isn't either of your first and be understood. (Angela is also the only person I've seen Spencer sign with - this is also the first time I've ever seen Spencer sign at all - and that's huge to me.)

[allygatoor]

i think it's time that we as a society realized that actually eternals wasn't bad it was just not standard marvel fare and that's okay