Amongst a lot of things that are said about deaf people, there are a series of myths that have been perpetuated throughout the years; myths that many people see as true. The lack of knowledge, information and new knowledge help these myths to spread and become conceptual realities, when they are no more than demonstrations of misinformation. Here we will try to review the biggest myths and shed some light upon them:
Myth I – Deaf people are also mute
âWe shouldnât use the Word âdeaf-muteâ because many deaf people speak and even use spoken language besides the âSSLLâ. In any case, being deaf does not imply that the vocal apparatus is damaged.
As we have seen, deaf people conform a linguistic minority. This means they have a language in common, in this case itâs sign (or signal) language. Even though the language isnât oral, itâs spoken. Thatâs why deaf people are not mute, because they have the capacity to speak a language.
In the same way, depending on the personâs rehabilitation and the degree of hearing loss, a deaf person can communicate orally. Letâs remember that being deaf means having some physical problem on the perception of sounds, not in the emission of them.
