Those people, who belong to deaf community, view themselves as visual individuals with their own language, social organization, history and values. In their opinion, society should not regard deafness as disability but as a unique linguistic minority, existing in every country. In his essay Construction of Deafness Harlan Lane tries to educate the hearing world and throw light on the challenges, faced by deaf people almost on a daily basis.
His major point is that this group is neither disabled nor deficient; they form an entirely different culture which exists separately from the society. His argument is quite persuasive but some evidence presented by the author may not be valid especially when the scholar discusses peoples attitude toward their impaired hearing. However, even in spite of this drawback this work contributes to better understanding of this concept and promotes respect for this part of the population. It is intended for diverse audience, such as scientists, students, teachers and even average American people.
At the very beginning Harlan Lane compares social construct of such issues as alcoholism, homosexuality. He points out that for a very long time alcoholism was seen as a sinful “act of will” while now psychologists treat it as an illness which can be cured (Lane, 79). In this way the scholar intends to set the stage for his discussion. The key purpose of this section is to show that perception of the same social phenomenon can dramatically change with time passing.
To some extent, this is a rhetorical device which aims to convince the reader. The strategy helps Harlan Lane to show that some individuals may often be stigmatized by the community. They are labeled as “handicapped” by educators and social workers (Lane, 85). It is quite possible for us to say that such preliminary part is an effective way to guiding the audience. It enables the reader to grasp the main idea of the text. So, Harlan Lane successfully defines the problem that needs to be discussed.
In this essay the author presents the opposing views on such notion as deafness. One side of the debate believes that deafness is a disability, while their opponents claim that this is a sign of belonging to a distinct linguistic community which is marginalized not only in the United States but all over the world. The writer admits that a person who has lost his or her hearing definitely feels impaired or handicapped and it is quite difficult for him to adjust to new conditions. Harlan Lane agrees with this statement. In part, he accepts such approach to deafness. Yet, he shifts the focus of the analysis to a slightly different aspect. He refers to those individuals who were born deaf (Lane, 80). The major point is that such people never actually believe that they are disabled because they are used to living without hearing.
They do not think that deafness is a devastating personal tragedy, which cannot be overcome (Lane, 82). Unfortunately, they are forced to think that it is some horrible affliction. Moreover, labeling is done by those organizations which are supposed to help them and raise their self-esteem. Harlan Lane refers to various statistical surveys, case studies, which were dedicated to this study of this question. The writer urges us to distinguish two types of deafness congenial or inborn and acquired. These types are drastically different from one another and inborn deafness is not a catastrophe that cannot be helped.
On the one hand, such viewpoint is well-grounded. Certainly, by calling someone handicapped we can eventually make a person feel very vulnerable. Moreover, this can even create inferiority complex which usually results into a severe depression. One can hardly disagree with this idea. But we should not forget that hearing impairments prevent a person from effective interaction with the rest of the world. Harlan Lane is willing to prove that deafness is not disability he overlooks that fact that under some circumstances; inability to hear can pose significant problems to people who can run risks for their health and life.
Thus, we cannot simply disregard the problem of deafness. Nonetheless, the author carefully avoids speaking about these issues. It seems that scholars should not turn a blind eye to these facts. This omission of important information is a peculiar feature of his rhetoric strategy. He stresses only those facts which confirm his initial hypothesis. Perhaps, such technique of arguing is not permissible especially in a scientific work.
Yet, some ideas, advanced by the scholar are very useful. Lane says, “The construction of the deaf child as disabled is legitimized early on by medical profession and later by the special education” (Lane, 83). In other words, a child is made to believe that he or she will not be able to live a full life”. The major message of this section is that such people are different rather than handicapped. In this passage the author shows a very dangerous tendency among many teachers and medical workers, who stigmatize deaf people, by suggesting that they are deficient. Such situation can be observed in schools and governmental institutions, where the deaf are treated with distrust.
In order to refute this stereotype, Lane urges the reader to look at this question from a different angle, namely from the perspective of the deaf. He draws several examples which make his point more convincing. For instance, he refers to the interviews, which involved deaf people. The vast majority of them say that their life is quite normal and even satisfactory. Moreover, they do even want to undergo any operation which can hypothetically return them hearing (Lane, 84). Unlike many people with disabilities, the deaf are content with their current state. This is their major peculiarity.
In this regard, we need to say that Harlan Lane relies on the idea that health is always a subjective notion. It has not universal definition and can be interpreted in many ways. If an individual thinks that he is healthy and there is nothing that disturbs him, others should not stigmatize him as impaired. This idea is traceable throughout Harlan Lane essay. Secondly, his discussion is mostly based on the experiences of the deaf people, who see themselves “as an ethnic group because they speak a different language” (Lane, 86). The key problem is that they always have the status of minority and minority is always at a disadvantage.
On the whole, this article is intended for a vast audience, particularly, educators, social workers, psychologists, parents of deaf children, and the general public. In theory this information can bring considerable changes into the functioning of many governmental organizations, schools, colleges, medical institutions. It seems that this information should be utilized by those students who major in pedagogy, psychology, special education and many others. These data can provide them with helpful tips which can improve their future work practice. This information should be taken into account by those teachers who tailor special education programs for deaf children or teenagers.
Secondly, this essay should be read by governmental officials who need to adopt a different attitude towards this layer of the population. At this point, we may remember their efforts to close down special schools for deaf people (Lane, 85). Undoubtedly, Harlan Lanes arguments may not be taken for granted but they may outline new directions for research. He attracts our attention to one of the most urgent issues in contemporary American society, the stigmatization and alienation of minority of groups.
Harlan Lane points out that in nine percent, dead people do not marry the members of the hearing community (Lane, 86). This immediately gives rise to a great number of questions. Perhaps, modern society virtually excludes them from the community. This is the main reason why key policy-makers as well as average citizens should read it.
Harlan Lane adheres to the principles of scientific writing: he seldom uses first person pronouns and prefers passive constructions. However, this article may be of great interest for various readers. Only in some cases, the scholar makes his writing sound too scientific. Some of the sentences consist of six or even seven parts, and this significantly slows down the process of reading and understanding. As for the voice of the author, we may say that he tries to sound as impartial as possible. He meticulously conceals his own bias. For instance, he claims that many deaf people do not think that deafness is a disability.
But there are some studies which contradict this argument. According to these studies, deaf people try to make everything possible in order to improve their hearing (Gregory, 127). The thing is that modern hearing aids are not sufficiently developed. This slightly biased approach casts doubt on the quality of Harlan Lanes evidence. Probably, this essay should be analyzed only in connection with other studies, investigating construction of deafness. It is very eloquent but not conclusive. The perception of every social phenomenon evolves with time passing. Deafness can be interpreted as a disability or linguistic exceptionality or minority.
Overall, the problem of minority groups has been closely examined by many scholars. Harlan Lanes article is a valuable contribution because it shows how deaf people can be stigmatized and labeled as disabled and handicapped. In this work, the author urges us to take these peoples perspective. He demonstrates that the deaf do not think that their loss of hearing is a tragedy which ruins the whole life.
On the contrary, many individual can easily become accustomed to it and live a very fulfilling life. His major intention is to show that they do not need respect or at least tolerance instead of pity. This work contains information that can be helpful for teachers, parents, psychologists and community in general. Despite the fact that the scholar prefers to argue only one side, his ideas may significantly alleviate the problems of the deaf population.
Works Cited
Lane, Harlan. “Construction of Deafness”. The disability studies reader. Ed. Davis Lennard. Routledge, 1997.
Gregory, Susan. Constructing deafness. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002.