This morning’s Seattle Times had an article about biracial people.  Evidently Seattle is a hot spot of biracial existence.  I am not surprised. 
 
I found myself nodding while reading some of their comments about being biracial.  Not because I’m biracial, but because I understand what it means to be two things, both ’hearing’ and ’deaf.’ 
 
Here’s a quote from Bruce Harnell– (half Black, half Japanese)
“In the 60s, it was hard to identify with one group, knowing I was different.  I celebrate what we have in common.  Glorifying our differences can cripple us, unless it helps us understand what we have in common.”   
 
I feel exactly the same way about being hearing and deaf.  I’m a ‘hearing’ person who can’t hear, a deaf person who doesn’t use ASL fluently.  I’m both and neither, but I feel we’re all people first no matter what language we use.
 
Then there’s Rachel Clad (half Black, half White)  “I identify not as one or the other, but as both.  Being biracial is one of the things I’m proudest of.  It’s a gift.”
 
I often feel the same way.  I understand things about hearing and deaf people most others will never understand.  The hardest part for me is when someone wants to pin me down to one group or the other.  I’m neither, and I love being that way, but I also want acceptance for what I am.  Maybe this is why I feel so mixed about the CI issue for children.  Hearing is wonderful.  And when you’re deaf, so is ASL.  I see implanted children as being the most like me– not hearing or Deaf.  And what’s wrong with being both? 
 
Here’s another quote from Rachel Clad–“People look at me and see African American,” she said. “In my mind, that’s not who I am. I’m both and I’d like to be seen as both.”

 

When you can speak clearly, both deaf and hearing people see you as a hearing.  But I am deaf and prefer people to recognize that fact.  I want to be part of the Deaf community but have been told I can’t be because my ASL isn’t up to par, or my attitude isn’t right.   And yet, no one can take away the basic fact that I AM deaf.  Similarly, I feel excluded from the hearing because most of them don’t sign.  I want people to see me as I am, not peg me as part of a group.  

 

And here’s another,
“If you don’t identify solely as black, then somehow you’re seen as distancing yourself from the struggle.”

 

How true that is of Deaf identity.  Many Deaf feel you must totally claim it, or you’re seen as the enemy!

 

Here’s a gem from Mavin Andrasik, (half Black, half White), a clinical psychologist, “For some people, the way they feel about their racial identity can change over time, for others it’s static.” 

 

Substitute the word ’deaf’ for ‘racial.’  This is especially true of late-deafened people.  First you see yourself as hearing, then you start to identify with ‘hard-of-hearing’ and finally ‘deaf.’  When I reached the point of accepting my deafness I felt at peace.  Then I was told that wasn’t good enough.  I couldn’t be Deaf unless I met certain criteria.  They knew nothing of the hoops I already jumped through.  But I realized no one can understand the process of shifting identities until they’ve been through a similar experience.  Now I see myself as not one or the other, but both and neither.  I take comfort in the fact I’m in good company.  I wonder if children who have been implanted at a young age grow up with a better sense of who they are?  The young adults I’ve met with implants seem more sure of their place in the world.  I admire this.        

 

Here’s a final quote from Elliot Lewis on biracialism.  (I’m pretty sure I just created a new word — biracialism??)

“One of the biggest mistakes people make is to assume there’s only one correct way to be biracial.  There are all kinds of ways people process their identity, each one equally valid.”

 

Substitute the word ‘deaf’ for ‘biracial.’   It’s not only wrong to tell people how to identify themselves, but it’s also so wrong to tell them how to process their identities.  We’re all individuals, and there are as many right ways to be deaf as there are to simply be.

 

 

Thanks for reading.