[Angeltoes]

Several years ago I attended a New Years party with a friend who was dating a deaf guy who was also afro-american. This was in Portland where people are generally liberal and sane about social issues, but what struck me was that even the most liberal people seemed to have deep biases about deaf individuals. It was bizarre to see how uncomfortable hearing people were with this deaf guy and how at liberty they seemed to feel with making rude comments such as 'oh, you can dance? how is that possible' or making up their own sign language as is if he wouldn't know the difference... embarrassing. My hearing friend shrugged it off, because it really is the way of hearing people, unfortunately. After knowing deaf individuals and that they think, love, know and dance like everyone else, I can't help but wonder why we treat the hearing community as if they belong to a different species. It's no barrier to me. My ASL skills are not strong but I plan on learning.