Common Myths and Stereotypes about

People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

MYTH:  All hearing losses are the same.
FACT:  The single term "deafness" covers a wide range of hearing losses that have very different effects on a person's ability to process sound, and thus, to understand speech. 

MYTH:  Deaf people cannot speak.
FACT:  Some deaf people speak very well and clearly; others do not.  To speak or not to speak is a choice made by each individual.

MYTH:  Hearing aids restore hearing.
FACT:  Hearing aids amplify sound; all sounds. They have no effect on a person's ability to process that sound. In cases where hearing loss distorts incoming sounds, a hearing aid can do nothing.

MYTH:  All Deaf people can read lips.
FACT:  Some Deaf people are very skilled lip readers, but most are not.

MYTH:  All Deaf people use sign language.
FACT:  Many Deaf people, especially those who were deaf at an early age, use sign language.  American Sign Language is the language commonly used by profoundly Deaf people.  But, many who are hard of hearing do not use American Sign Language (ASL).

MYTH:  Deaf people are not sensitive to noise.
FACT:  Some types of hearing loss actually accentuate sensitivity to noise. Loud sounds become garbled and uncomfortable. Hearing aid users often find loud sounds, which are greatly magnified by their aids, very unpleasant.

MYTH:  Deafness is genetic.  All people who are deaf will pass deafness onto their children.

FACT:  There is a type of deafness that is genetic, and some Deaf people do have Deaf children, however 90% of all Deaf people are born to hearing parents and also will have Hearing children.  

MYTH:  Deaf people shouldn’t or can’t drive a car.

FACT:   Deaf people drive cars all the time.  In fact, some studies have shown that Deaf people are actually better drivers than Hearing people due to the fact that Deaf people have enhanced peripheral vision.  If you think about it, nothing about driving really requires you to be able to hear.  After all, there’s a reason emergency vehicles have both sirens and lights.

MYTH:   People with hearing loss will hear if the speaker shouts.  

FACT:   Shouting at a deaf person does not help them to understand a speaker. If a speaker increases the volume when he talks, his face becomes distorted, making his lips more difficult to lip read.