i come here once again to spread awareness within the twinkling watermelon fandom
STOP CALLING CHEONGAH (and every other deaf person for that matter) DEAF-MUTE !!
the term deaf-mute is incorrect and shouldnt be used to refer to deaf people because it is disrespectful towards them since there isnt a condition that makes you both deaf and mute
deaf folks arent mute per se, they just choose not to use their voices for multiple reasons (ex. some wont because they know their voices sound 'metallic' and hearing people might look at them weirdly, some others because they dont hear themselves and dont feel like they have to, and some others because they dont want to, period) but, as i said on my first post regarding the drama, they can and surely make noises!!
there are also deaf individuals that have been taught oral language for different reasons (ex. they were forced, they were put into bilingual schools [where they teach in both oral and sign language] they are hard of hearing/became deaf later in life so they still use oral language and may even be their first language) who can understand it and they use their voices to communicate with hearing people! it doesnt matter if they sound rusty, they CAN do it, which means they are, in fact, not mute !!!
so if you see someone that is deaf and also mute, that is just a deaf person who also happens to be mute, as simple as that!
let me give you all a proper term that is correct and should be used: deaf blind -- there are conditions that can make you a deaf and blind person (i wont get into it but there are some specific illnesses that can affect both your hearing and vision pretty bad, one sense more affected than the other, one sense can be lost after the other, some people are born deaf blind, etc) therefore the term deaf blind is correct, does exist and should be used to refer to people who experience both hearing and visual loss
in conclusion: pay attention to what the deaf community has to say, dont trust baseless sources and spread the message
