Even More notes on writing deaf characters
People talk to themselves and that includes Deaf people
I sometimes sign to myself, but whether I mutter or sign depends on why I’m talking to myself
Cooking? Verbal speech to keep myself on task. Trying to work out an emotional scene? Signed speech.
And using my whole body to talk to myself is allows more creative freedom
Also even if a Deaf person identifies as non-verbal, they might still talk
maybe a hearing person wouldn’t recognise it as speech, but sound is a part of signed language
so muttering and breath-noises are common.
It’s also worth mentioning that “sounding deaf” isn’t what you think it is.
We don’t yell or make incoherent noises (usually)
and even if we do, that’s fine
but generally, people who are Deaf over-enunciate and speak very clearly.
This is either intuitive and perfected over time, or taught in speech therapy.
People love to ask this question, and I can’t give them an answer.
Unless I’m feeling snippy. Then I usually ask “Well how much do you hear?”
They can’t answer either.
Ergo, if you’re hearing and writing a d/Deaf character, don’t compare the way they hear the world to the way that a fully hearing person would.
Be particularly wary of percentages
and I have no idea what that means
because hearing loss is very nuanced.
I’ve met someone who is 80% deaf, but she could hear in pitch ranges that I couldn’t.
Hearing aids don’t emulate sound either
so how a d/Deaf character hears with them in won’t be at the level a hearing person would
it’s also very obvious that the sound is electronically enhanced.
Putting in earplugs and walking around like that will not provide “Deaf experience”
you’re better to listen to Deaf people telling you how they experience the world.
Don’t fret about your word choices initially
you have the privilege of hearing and that’s okay
you take sound for granted, don’t worry about it.
Once you’ve got the story how you want it, set aside a whole revision just for using the right language if your POV character is Deaf
printing out your manuscript in a different font is very helpful
it’ll make it easier to pick out “red flag” words and phrases.
Whenever you find a chunk of writing focused on sound/hearing, highlight it
Can your character actually hear that owl hooting, or would the background noise be too blurry?
Would your character hear the sound as it is, or would they have an association that overrules the sense?
I.e. do they see a raven open it’s beak and think about black bubbles of ink in their throat? I know I do.
Cross out any hyper-focus on sounds or re-write them in a different way.
Don’t write deaf characters
Write people who happen to be deaf
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