According to Dictionary.com disability means “a physical or mental handicap, especially one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job. People who aren’t a part of the Deaf culture seem to get the two words confused with each other. Many people who are deaf don’t consider themselves to be disabled because they can function well with the help of modern technology. These modern advancements include hearing aids, cochlear implants and the use of interpreters. Other members of the Deaf Community may feel they are disabled due to their experiences with discrimination and others just might claim it for the legal protections that come along with the Americans Disabilities Act.
Personally I believe the word disabled shouldn’t be used or is suitable to describe any human being. As stated in the book Enforcing Normalcy: Disability, Deafness…show more content… Harlan Lane is a professor at Gallaudet University who specializes in Deaf and Disability studies. Lane asked her colleague if he thought Deaf people had a disability and he replied, “Yes, of course they do, its common sense.” She responds by saying “the common sense meanings of the words is to travel with too much a priori baggage. These meanings take deaf and disability to be physical attributes of individuals, including much that Deaf people find hurtful and inimical to their interests. I propose, therefore, to suspend common sense on this issue long enough to explore the concepts of deaf and disability so we can see what was buried in both the question and the answer.” This is a clear example to show where the fine line exists, which is between those individuals who are members of the Deaf community and those who are not. People who aren’t deaf can’t be so quick to label a person disabled just because they have a hearing impairment but, they are able to communicate just as equally, if not