Essay Sample on Deafness: Communication and Lifestyle in the Modern World

Introduction

Deafness is a condition that impedes one from hearing. Deaf people have particular deficiencies in the hearing system, and they cannot communicate either by speaking or listening. These people are different from others in that they speak their language by the use of sign language, use their magazines, and play particular sports. With the advancement of modern technology, deaf people can easily communicate with anyone and express their views. This makes them b comfortable with their lifestyles and how they carry out their daily activities. However, the culture of the deaf is different from the culture of the people who regularly hear since they are isolated from the latter in everyday life in various places such as restaurants, banks, and hotels. Besides possessing a unique culture, the deaf always experiences barriers in accessing healthcare, just like other people with disabilities. This study reflects on deaf culture and the challenges faced by people with hearing impairments in accessing health care. The paper also discusses the approaches of improving access to healthcare among the deaf.

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Deaf culture is characterized by hearing disabilities, the use of sign language in communication, and challenges in communication in certain places such as hotels, banks, and hospitals. Deaf people were traditionally taught via various oral methods to enhance their speaking skills. The technique was eventually replaced by modern plans that entail the development of communication abilities in children at a tender age. The children are taught sign language at an early language to enable them to learn how to communicate even before learning to speak gradually. A distinctive and exclusive language has been developed across the globe for them to become a part of the prevailing culture (Adams & Rohring, 2014). Deaf people have shared values just like other cultural groups, and they are found in every part of society. Despite adopting English as their second language, they are still isolated. Given that people with hearing abilities also have self-pride, sign language is playing an integral role in forming and supporting their culture by uniting them as a community.

Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. As observed by McDonald (2014), disparate health care of the people with hearing disabilities requires the attention of the international health and development community. He reiterated that there is a need for identification of the impediments faced by the deaf in accessing health services at different levels and find useful strategies of integrating their requirements in primary healthcare systems whose objective is to deliver effective interventions. The people with hearing disabilities face numerous challenges such as communication barriers, lack of health knowledge, and risk of marginalization in their quest for healthcare services. Deaf patients always face profound communication challenges when seeking health service. Their process of looking for medical attention is often marred with fear, frustrations, and mistrust. A lack of independent thought further deepens the problem among the people with hearing abilities, their non-questioning attitude, overprotection, and communication difficulties. Based on their inability to understand, the deaf also faces sufficient healthcare information. They do not have access to health information that is presented in tramways, radio, or TV, and their inability to access health information is impounded by a lack of educational health materials that are offered in sign language. According to Hrastinski (2019), deafness cut across the borders of gender, ethnicity, age, economic status, and the group is a massive risk of marginalization.

Access to healthcare among the deaf can be improved in several ways. One of the means of improving healthcare accessibility among the people with hearing disabilities is identifying the most effective communication preferences of the deaf. According to a research that was done by Kuenburg, Fellinger, & Fellinger (2015) on the preferred mode of communication for the deaf in hospitals, 50% of the people with hearing disabilities that were interviewed prefer to use sign language interpreters, 43% prefer to consult health professional who knows how to use sign language, and the 7% are comfortable with communicating with doctors via speech as long as the medical practitioners are aware of their conditions. The provision of sign language experts in hospitals is still a major complex challenge that needs to be resolved to enable easy communication between people with hearing disabilities and medical practitioners. The provision of professional sign language in hospitals is still a major challenge, even in developed nations that have granted the deaf the right to proper communication in healthcare. Enhancement of communication technology in health facilities is another way of resolving the challenges faced by the deaf. It entails the use of minicams and text-phones and other web facilities in accessing health services and offering more autonomy for deaf people who are aware of these techniques. The government should also train medical practitioners about the culture of the deaf and their requirements in medical institutions.

Conclusion

In summary, deaf culture is mainly composed of people with hearing disabilities who often use sign language in communication. These people face numerous challenges in accessing healthcare, such as communication barriers, lack of knowledge about health, and risk of marginalization in their quest for healthcare services. Different mechanisms can be adopted to overcome these challenges. These strategies are the identification of the most effective communication preferences of the deaf, training of health professionals on how to use sign language, use of modern communication technologies that enables people with hearing disabilities to efficiently communicate with medical practitioners and training of medical practitioners about the culture of the deaf and their requirements in medical institutions.

References

Adams, J. W., & Rohring, P. S. (2014). Deaf Culture or Condition? Handbook to Service the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 70-99. DOI:10.1016/b978-012044141-9/50006-0

Hrastinski, I. (2019). Deaf Education in Croatia: Challenges and Perspectives. Deaf Education Beyond the Western World, 361-378. DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190880514.003.0019

Kuenburg, A., Fellinger, P., & Fellinger, J. (2015). Health Care Access Among Deaf People: Table 1. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 21(1), 1-10. DOI:10.1093/deafed/env042

McDonald, P. (2014). Understanding deaf culture: in search of deafhood. Paddy Ladd, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, 2003, 502pp, ISBN 1 85359 545 4. Deafness & Education International, 6(3), 174-175. DOI:10.1002/dei.181