Could you explain why you think Deaf people are better at communication? Hearing people can see Deaf people in two different ways. Either as people who have lost something – their hearing – or as people who have gained something – the ability to communicate without sound. In the first case, Hearing people will express at best compassion towards Deaf people, which will be perceived by them as offensive. In the second case, pity will be replaced by curiosity, respect of the difference, and desire to learn skills which are not found in the Hearing world. Here are a few examples of those skills: Deaf people talk one at a time, in a very sequential manner. Hearing people talk all at the same time, and often interrupt one another. Deaf people are able to be simple and precise at the same time. Hearing people are either simple and vague, or precise and complex. Deaf people stay focused on the interaction. Hearing people disconnect regularly. Deaf people constantly reformulate and check understanding, saying when they don’t understand. Hearing people never ask others to repeat, and never say when they don’t understand something.












