Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community

        “Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community” was such an engaging and funny read, with wonderful insight of what struggles the deaf community goes through while navigating through the world. Something         I enjoyed about the book was the way it allowed the reader to understand the struggles of the deaf community with humor. Sharing the classic humor, unique ways, classic and new hazards, even being a hearing person with a deaf family member this book opened up the door to begin to understand and appreciate the hurdles deaf people face.

        In the chapter titled “Our Unique Ways” I found the stories about how they communicate with friends interesting. Like when you call them deaf people tend to let the phone ring much longer, just in case the friend didn’t catch the light. Or when you go to visit a friend and you not only ring the doorbell multiple times, you look around the house, and if you find an open door you walk in and leave a note. My favorite story however happens to be the one that says “..have you felt cheated by deafness, no but the oral education cheated you”. It was a truly humbling and real response to the reality of a very capable and able nation just overlooking an entire community of people.

        There is also many embarrassing and dangerous things that deaf people have to face regularly. For instance, on page 72 it shared a story about your neighborhood being on fire, but you were sleeping an unaware. Also the many, many embarrassing moments that hearing people can avoid while using the restroom.

        All in all Deaf Culture Our Way was a fun and interesting read, that opened my eyes to the many things I overlook as a hearing person. I most definitely plan on looking around my surroundings, practicing my patience, and lending out a helping and empathetic hand to people in the deaf community.

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