Reflection of the Movie "Through Deaf Eyes"

Introduction

"Through deaf eyes," is a movie that I have found to be very enlightening about the deaf people and the struggles that they go through in a world that is dominated by non-deaf people. In the film, I learned the historical perceptions and stereotypes that have surrounded people who are deaf (Hott and Garey). Through the narration of Stock Channing and interviews from various people who have are deaf or have had direct interaction with deaf people, I was able to see the experiences and the challenges which the deaf people undergo in the course of their education, family life, work and social activities. I think the movie does a fantastic job of revealing the success and the struggles of the deaf people in our communities throughout the history. "Through deaf eyes" inspired me in a manner that I have more understanding of the deaf people in how they communicate.

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One thing that stood out in the movie was how the deaf language has evolved to become a sophisticated art of communication in a short period. Considering the verbal language which people who can speak has only been in existence for thousands of years, learning that the standard sign language and the official symbols used by the deaf people came into existence about 200 years ago was incredible (Hott and Garey). It was particular of significant value to learning that their skills have evolved so much that some of them are capable of reading lips. However, I learned that the art of reading lips is not so easy as most people would presume, this came to light after watching several people get interviewed and indicated that they were capable of communicating with the use of signs without moving of their lips.

The highly complex skill which is expected of the deaf people to master so that they can adjust to our world is an unfair advantage to people with verbal capabilities. It is for that reason that we find a lady in the movie who decided that she would rather not speak because people do assume she hears what they say back, yet in the real sense she is deaf (Hott and Garey). To me, that was not a thing that I had expected. I did not know that it was possible for a person to speak without hearing what is said to them in return. But upon an in-depth reflection after watching the film, I realized how this the case is valid in some instances. An example is when a person losses the ability to hear when they were already grown and had learnt to speak, this can be as a result of an illness or through an accident (Hott and Garey). Such loss in the hearing does not translate to a person losing the ability to speak, and thus it is correct a person can talk while they are deaf.

I have always believed that disability is not inability and so did the movie reinforces my belief. The deaf people as presumed by many are not handicapped, they can do most things that people who can have the auditory capabilities can do (Hott and Garey). They are capable of even singing in musical bands by employing the skills of signs or playing instruments; they can participate in various sports which ordinally people participate. However, the society has assumed that these people are incapable of handling their business as ordinary people and thus their opportunity to participate in activities that could be beneficial to them have been systematically constrained. The movie advocates for equal treatment of the deaf and desisting from the idea of trying to fix them so that they can conform to an ideal world. Instead of the society working hard to accommodate such people, the deaf are expected to work hard so that they can adjust to the communities way of life. Watching the mountains which the people with hearing problems have to climb so that they can survive in the society startles me. It was heartbreaking to learn that in the course of history, the deaf people were isolated in what the society feared that by such people intermarrying the probability of reproducing deaf children was high.

In my experience with the deaf people, I have seen how unfair deaf people are treated when interacting with the general population. The same challenges are highlighted in the movie by showing how little most people know how to handle a deaf person. In most shopping centers and stalls, they are no people who are capable of communicating using sign languages and thus when such people go out shopping it is always very hard for them. To ensure equality and equity, such social, economic and cultural places where people of different backgrounds interact; it is paramount to have some workers who can be able to communicate using the sign languages. However, I feel the movie might have left out more of the historical details in how the deaf language has evolved. For example, I believe that the video should have exposed the story of Martha vineyard, which was a famous island where most of the people who lived here used sign language as their means of communication. Also, the movie should have given some recognition to the other giants of history who have played an active role in the advocation and advancing the deaf culture; such people include Linda Bove, Richard Speck and Dummy Hoy among others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is undeniable that the understanding of the deaf people and their culture has had a remarkable improvement throughout the years. The film narrates how this changes have been achieved and has made me conclude that deafness is not just the inability to hear, it is a culture in its settings where most of its people desire the same things that people with audial capabilities can achieve. The better understanding of the deaf people through such educational videos has made the lives of the deaf people less challenging within the society.

Works Cited

Hott, Lawrence, and Diane Garey. "Through Deaf Eyes." YouTube, 21 Mar. 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJeAG8tZyf4. Accessed 29th September 2018