I’m Calling You Out!

- Bridging the Deaf and Hearing Divide in DEI – A Call for True Inclusion

As someone who has transitioned from Hard of Hearing to Late Deaf and now identifies as Deaf+, I have a unique vantage point. I stand in a space between the Deaf and Hearing communities, and from where I stand, I see both sides missing the mark when it comes to inclusivity in the realms of media, information access, and broader public discourse.

Looking to my left, I see the Deaf community rightly calling out the Hearing world for its lack of inclusion. Whether it's in media, publications, or the dissemination of crucial information, the absence of sign language and accessible formats is glaring. It’s a real issue, and it deserves attention.

Yet, when I turn to my right, I see a contradiction. The very Deaf community that campaigns for equal rights and total communication is often doing the exact same thing. I see content being delivered in sign language without captions, without alternative formats for those who are not fluent in sign, like myself, or those within the Deafblind community. This leaves many of us, including late-deafened adults and those in between worlds like me, standing on the sidelines, just as excluded as we’ve always been.

This?tit for tat?game gets us nowhere.

We need to sit down, Deaf and Hearing alike, and truly listen to each other’s needs. Isn’t that what the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was all about? Isn’t it about ensuring equal access for everyone? We’ve got to move beyond calling each other out and start working together if we’re going to make real progress.

I see Deaf organizations encouraging Hearing people to learn sign language, but when those same people try to engage with Deaf content online, they’re met with unfamiliar signs or a lack of resources. For late-deafened adults like myself, there’s often no funding or support available to bridge the gap between these worlds, leaving us feeling isolated from both sides.

It’s time to stop the playground behavior. We can all do better, and we?have?to do better.

I know I’m not going to win friends with this stance. In fact, when I voiced similar concerns to a Deaf peer about how mindsets on both sides need to change, I was told that my perspective was an insult. But I’ve lived this tension for years, having to choose whether I’d align with my Deaf community and fight the good fight or stay in the Hearing world, pretending to be fully hearing while grappling with daily challenges.

Now, I’m practicing what I preach. I’m committed to being inclusive of all, even if I don’t get it right every time. And when I mess up, I take a page from my time as an Employment Consultant in the disability sector – I host “Stuff Up Coffees.” That’s right, I’d buy someone a coffee (or their drink of choice) on my own dime, sit down face to face, apologize, and ask how I could do better. And I’d keep doing it until we found a way forward together. I’ve carried that philosophy into the present, and if I stumble, I’ll do a virtual "Stuff Up Coffee" with anyone who feels I’ve missed the mark.

I see people and organizations working together – I highlight them in my posts. But I also see exhaustion, on both sides. Believe me, I understand it. Living with hidden disabilities that drain me daily, I know how tough it can be. But we have to support each other, not just within our own communities, but across the Deaf-Hearing divide as well.

We need to meet in the middle, declare peace, and move forward together. From where I stand, it’s exhausting watching this back-and-forth play out. The world I dream of is one we can start building today – a world where there’s access for all and where mindsets are open to change.

We’ve got to leave the rigidity of outdated systems behind and recognize that divergent people like us might not need to fit into the system – perhaps the system itself needs to evolve. So, I challenge you all: look around you right now and see every person as your equal. At the end of the day, we all entered this world the same way, and it’s within our power to choose how we treat those around us.

The simplest acts – a smile, a wave, a gesture – show our humanity. Let’s design the future by starting today.

Closing Thoughts:?The views expressed in this article are my own, based on my lived experiences and observations. I respect that organizations don’t always prepare their teams to address Deaf and disability inclusion, but I believe we can all do better. I stand for inclusion, diversity, empowerment, and mindset change.

If you’re interested in having a conversation or learning more, my door is always open. Let’s talk, learn, and design a better future together.