Things We Should Stop Saying to Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

Unfortunately, as with all minorities, being deaf comes with its own series of inappropriate comments and invasive questions. Conversations between deaf people and hearing people far too often turn into a Deafness 101 lesson.

But there are over two million people in the United States alone who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it’s about time we starting treating them less like objects of fascination, and more like people.

Check out this video by YouTuber Rikki Poynter for a few examples of things that hearing people should avoid saying to deaf or hard of hearing folks!

This video is closed captioned. To view the captions, click the “CC” in the bottom right corner of the video player.

For more on this topic, check out the following:

• Deaf Awareness Q&A
• 4 Ways to Be an Ally to People with Invisible Disabilities
• 10 Questions About Why Ableist Language Matters, Answered

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Rikki Poynter is a 23-year-old hard of hearing content creator on YouTube. After three years of uploading makeup tutorials and other makeup related videos, she has branched out into filming more “lifestyle” vlogs, including educational videos about people who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing. Currently, Rikki is living in western North Carolina with a dream of living in Los Angeles, California. Check out her YouTube channel, The Deaf Side of Things. Follow her on Twitter @rikkipoynter and like her Facebook page.