Once upon a time I worked at a “disability” services and
advocacy center. I was on the mental health team, but there were numerous
departments including a deaf services department comprised of deaf / hard of
hearing staff. Communicating with my co-workers became second nature for me.
Some of them signed (we had classes to teach us hearing folks ASL), some read
lips, some had “interpreters”, some spoke and some did not. I learned that I
could call people on the phone using a relay service or directly using a
teletype device. I got to know everyone and their method for communicating and
tried not to feel too weird being “the hearing guy”.
Most hearing people are clueless about people who are deaf.
Deafula can change all of that as the narrator shares her story of hearing loss
and compensating in a hearing world. She discusses the differences between deaf
and Deaf, and Deaf culture. She also shares practical advice on communicating
with deaf individuals. Deafula is exceptionally well written and I can not
recommend this zine highly enough for people who want to learn more about
hearing loss / deafness / communication.
For more information email thecityonfire@gmail.com
1 comment:
I've been wanting to pick up Deafula for a while and am even more eager to read it after seeing this review. Thankfully for New York folk, the author will be tabling with Deafula #1-3 at the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2012 on April 15th!
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