FAQs
These are the answers to the most common questions I’ve gotten about making content accessible, and also about my experience being deaf.
Please keep in mind that every deaf person is unique, and my answers here are from my perspective. (On occasion, I do reach out to my deaf friends to share their perspective as well, but my answer is not the end all be all.)The type of “deaf” person I am falls under the category that I’m able to speak and hear. I do wear a cochlear implant (very rarely these days) as well as a hearing aid. The reference I use is my experience, and what I’ve gone through personally. Please feel free to email me at erin@mabelyq.com if you feel like something isn’t being answered.
About Being Deaf
Can you read lips?
Yes and no. I do find it helpful to see someone’s face as I can hear them and semi-read their lips. I definitely rely more on my hearing to put the pieces of the “puzzle” together. There are some deaf people that are really good at reading lips, others can’t at all. [Read my post about reading lips!]
In person, is it helpful to try and communicate with very broken ASL or is it just off putting and frustrating?
It’s not off-putting per se… I appreciate the effort, but sometimes it can make communication more complicated than necessary. For example, growing up, my aunt was the only one outside of my immediate family that made the effort to sign. But she signed so slow that there were definitely times when I would think , “OMG please hurry up or just talk!”
When someone does make an effort to try to sign, it’s fine, but don’t say that you know ASL. Just say you have picked up a couple things. I’d ask the person how they’d best want to communicate.
Do you see being deaf as its own culture?
Deaf does have its own culture. Here’s a snippet: American Deaf culture centers on the use of ASL and identification and unity with other people who are Deaf. A Deaf sociolinguist, Dr. Barbara Kannapel, developed a definition of the American Deaf culture that includes a set of learned behaviors of a group of people who are deaf and who have their own language (ASL), values, rules, and traditions.
Were you born deaf?
I was born deaf. I was actually born with a condition called Usher’s Syndrome which is a condition characterized by partial or total hearing loss and vision loss that worsens over time. The loss of vision is caused by an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which affects the layer of light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina). I have perfect central vision, but very minimal peripheral vision, I see a total of 40-50 degrees all around, while a normal person sees 180 degrees. Best way for me to explain it is - it is tunnel vision. I grew up wearing hearing aids, and took speech therapy until about 6th grade. At the age of 21, I was diagnosed with Usher’s Syndrome. When I was 29, I opted to get a cochlear implant on my left side, and it’s improved my communication, however, it’s caused me to have many headaches, so I honestly HATE my cochlear but will wear it if I need to. I’m one of the FEW people that will fully admit that I hate the cochlear implant. The reason why I got it was because I wanted to have a back-up in case I did actually lose all my vision (there’s no way for me to tell how my vision will progress)
Do you appreciate it when people slow down to speak or does it annoy you or feel patronizing?
It’s not patronizing, but I’ve had to tell people to slow down because I wasn’t able to keep up with what they were saying. But if you start talking in slow motion, that’s patronizing.
Is sign language a universal language that all deaf people use to communicate?
There are different sign language in different countries. Some signs are similar, others are very different. Or there may be a sign that has a completely different meaning. Often times, if both parties put effort forth in understanding what the other is saying, it’s not perfect, but we can hold pretty lengthy conversations.
Another thing I'd like to note, there are even different nuances of specific signs depending on which part of the U.S. you are from. It's kind of like speaking with an accent, but we sign with an accent!
Do you listen to music?
I do listen to music. Most of my favorite stuff is from the 90’s cuz I was born in the 80’s and 90’s music rocks!! Most of my friends also do listen to music as well. It varies as to what kind though. I definitely like Pop music - easy for me to understand. Some deaf people like Rap, Hip Hop, Techno. Our tastes varies just as much as yours does!
About my experience as a business owner:
Is it a frustrating experience to feel like content is not designed for you?
I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating because it’s NORMAL to me. I’m used to not having the same access as everyone else. It’s like going out to a restaurant or trying to order food from a drive through, it’s not designed for me. I’ve always been able to adapt, but truth be told, sometimes it’s tiring. I do get tired of always trying to adapt, but that’s what makes me me.
What makes a learning experience joyful for you?
Being able to learn with EASE. Not having to put in any more effort in than you do.
What areas of business do you feel are least accessible for you?
Lately it’s podcasts, I think there’s SO much amazing content that’s being shared via podcasts and it’s something I miss out on COMPLETELY!
What are some of the most obvious ways to be inclusive to the deaf community that are easily missed?
At a live event, I’ve had interpreters join me and walk around with me to make sure I’m able to be a part of the conversation, however, a lot of people tend to look at the interpreter while speaking to me. I often find myself telling them to pretend they are not there. The interpreter’s job is just to interpret for me… they aren’t offended.
I encounter video chats as a first step to working together, how can I make these meetings be equally productive, or have you ever navigated this area and how do you think it can be made better?
Yes, I do video chats with all my clients. For the most part, I’ve been fortunate that I understand most of my clients. But I’ve had a few that have had heavy accents (Russian, Spanish, Australian…) and that poses so much more of a challenge for me. The best way is to make sure captions are enabled!
Miscellaneous
Presenting visual language as translation that is not sign, re: pictures etc.
I will say that deaf people are SUPER visual. So using illustrations, videos, gifs, definitely add a bit more to your content. Reading can be exhausting sometimes!
As a hearing person how do I start to share on IG and my website that I’m fluent in ASL? I want to be more accessible but I don’t want it looking like marketing/sales pitchy to the deaf community because it’s not.
I always say be authentic. Be true to who you are. If you're trying to bring in a new audience, talk about your intentions. Talk about your experience. Talk about how you ended up learning ASL, it's always cool to learn how people ended up learning ASL!
How do you see tech changing to better serve the deaf community? Do you feel social media apps are facilitating the incorporation of more accessible content or the opposite?
In some ways I feel like it’s changing for the better, but it can also be a HUGE struggle. It’s not something that’s top of mind for any of these technology apps as they develop these new technology pieces. Instagram was great at first because it was just pictures. Then Instagram Stories happened and became SUPER popular, but for the longest time I just skipped a lot of videos because I didn’t understand anything, nor did I have a desire to turn the volume on. Facebook also has been great in regards to groups! I’ve been SUPER active in a lot of Facebook groups because it really only requires me to be interactive via typing. But now live videos is becoming a trend, and that has been a bit frustrating on my end.
How do I make you feel included and not different while not trying to make you feel that way?
For me, being inclusive is to be sure I can see your lips and face, don’t put your back to me, paraphrase if necessary, keep me included in conversations, recognize if I’m hanging back and being left out. Be conscious of the environment we are in and be aware that I may not be understanding everything that you’re saying. I am able to hear a lot but it doesn’t necessarily mean I understand everything. Being in a hearing environment does become exhausting and it expends my energy, so sometimes we just drop back because it wears us out! Online, being inclusive is making sure you caption or summarize what you’ve said in videos/podcasts. Also don’t assume I can hear like a hearing person because I can do so well with hearing and talking. It can get frustrating when you realize how many times people forget that I’m deaf.
Additional Remarks
If you would like to help me in any way with the creation content for the Biz Accessibility Shop, or put me in contact with anyone that you think would be able to provide value, I’m open to it! This is a collective effort, and I also want to thank everyone for taking the time to do the survey. It means so much to me!