Deafness is something that not so many people know how to handle in life. Most people, especially those who have never been close to a deaf person or have never experienced situations where deafness is concerned, can be hard to deal with when they come across deaf people. It is generally hard for people who are in this particular state to lead a normal life because of the stereotypes they face in the world even though most of them understand and know what they may expect from other people (Walker, 2011). Majority of them have therefore learned how to cope with such problems and it is quite encouraging to know that.
However, the people who suffer most in this subject are those closest to the deaf people, for example, their family members and friends (Walker, 2011). If you see for instance in the story of Walker, she went through so much humiliation from the moment she learnt about her parents’ deafness, to the time she was desperate to wake up from the dream and find her parents being normal and not deaf, to the times she was trying to protect them and make life normal for them. Walker went through so much from the time she was a very young child to the time she was an adult before she could accept the situation and enjoy her parents.
It is usually a common thing to see a deaf parent being assisted by their younger children through conversation during many occasions, for instance in a store while going through shopping a parent will need someone close to them to assist in confirming things like prices among other questions that they may have (Walker, 2011). As Walker talks about they way she had to answer all the questions meant for her parents whenever they are out of their home, it is the same case in many families with deaf family members and especially if it is the parents. Many children with deaf parents automatically assume the duties of their parents as they have no choice, and all they get from the parents is little assistance or advice to help them go through their parents duties.
Walker was quoted saying "I was an adult before I was a child," which is very true. From what I have observed in everyday life, children walking around town with their deaf parents or attending events where speeches are given, must stick with them for reasons of explaining to them what has been said through the sign languages (Walker, 2011). Such children from my point of view rarely have a childhood and they mature before they are ready. Apart from all that they are required to do for their deaf family members, the go through so much humiliation from other people. School is one good example where these children undergo frustrations when they have to answer many unreasonable questions from peers and neighbors who will keep pestering them.
When we look at Walker’s story, we see how she lived through hard times throughout her childhood and it was only after she was much older, that she realized that she needed to be happy. If every child going through the same could understand and accept the situation early, this could help a great deal. The few families have come across in my area go through more or less the same experiences as Walker and her family, and children are the ones always facing stigmatization (Walker, 2011). The situation cannot be changed easily as deafness is not something that can be expected to go away easily. The only and best way to handle it is to educate the families so that they are able to accept the situation and ignore people’s negative attitudes. The family member s of the deaf should also learn the sign language to make it easy for them to assist their loved ones.
Walker’s story is, therefore, no different from the rest of stories you could hear from other victims of the same circumstances (Walker, 2011). Human beings are commonly known for such behaviors when they observe an abnormal condition, which they have never experienced themselves, and they tend to portray too much curiosity and stereotypical behaviors instead of treating the victim in a normal and friendly manner. People going through such are affected when they are treated with so much pity and all they need is normal treatment and to be seen as normal people.
Reference
Walker, A. L. (2011). A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family. New York, NY:
HarperCollins.
