‘The Silent Child’ short film nominated for an Oscar
January 29, 2018
TV series ‘This Close’ starring two deaf actors premieres February 14
February 1, 2018Watch: The most Googled questions about deaf people answered by Jessica Flores
Have you ever wondered what the most googled questions are about deaf people?
Phonak hEARo Jessica Flores wanted to know what the world is wondering about deaf people and made a video answering the top questions.
The questions that came up first were:
Q: Can deaf people drive?
A: Yes they can! Jessica did a previous video about how she pays attention to the road visually and does not have to rely on her hearing to drive.
Read more: Watch: Can deaf people drive?
Q: Can deaf people talk?
A: As Jessica says, “Some of us do, some of us don’t.”
Some deaf people use speech to communicate, whereas others use sign language to communicate. Or maybe they use both! It depends on the preferred method of communication for that individual person.
Read more: How to learn sign language
Q: Can deaf people read?
A: Of course!
Read more: Being the Change: How to End Hearing Loss Prejudice
Q: Can deaf people hear?
A: Jessica says, “It is different for all of us. Some of us can hear more sounds than others, while others can’t hear anything at all.”
“It is different for all of us. Some of us can hear more sounds than others, while others can’t hear anything at all.”
It depends on the type of hearing loss you have that determines how much you can hear and what pitches you can hear. That is the interesting part about hearing loss, it is diverse and unique to every person!
Read more: Celebrating the diversity of deafness
Q: Can deaf people think?
A: “Umm let me just THINK about that question for a second?” Says Jessica.
Q: Can deaf people listen to music?
A: Yes, they can! Jessica explains that deaf and hard of hearing people might listen to music in a different way than hearing people. Deaf and hard of hearing people usually rely more on vibrations to hear music rather than hearing the lyrics of a song.
Read more: Nyle DiMarco’s twin brother, Nico, proves Deaf can DJ
Did you know that even if you are deaf or hard of hearing you should still protect your ears from loud music? If you have any healthy ear hair cells in your ear, you can still damage them with noise. Don’t forget to continue to protect your hearing.
Read more: Ask Anna: Can noise damage my hearing even though I have hearing loss?
Q: Can deaf people read lips?
A: Some can and some can’t. Again it is based on the preferred method of communication of the deaf or hard of hearing individual. Jessica talks about this in one of her previous videos.
Read more: Can you read my lips?
Addressing these questions is important so deaf awareness can be spread and stigmas can be broken down.
Love Jessica’s YouTube videos? Check out more here.
