CHS releases position paper on discrimination and audism

CHS Releases Position Paper on Discrimination and Audism to Coincide with International Day of Disabled Persons

Toronto, ON – Today, on the UN International Day of Disabled Persons, The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) will release its position paper on Discrimination and Audism. “Like people with any disability, Canadians who are Deaf or have a form of hearing loss continue to experience discrimination,” said Gary Malkowski, CHS Special Advisor to the President, Public Affairs. “It is happening not only in the workplace but even when accessing vital services the rest of us take for granted such as education, health care, and housing.”

The position paper, developed as a tool to educate on issues of discrimination as they relate to culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing Canadians, discusses specifically the forms of discrimination rooted in “audism”. A key term often unfamiliar or misunderstood, audism is defined as the notion that a person’s superiority is rooted in their ability to hear and speak.

The growing prevalence of hearing loss in Canada makes this form of discrimination an increasing concern. Currently, the average age in Canada is 39 years; by 2030 it will be 45 years. Couple this with statistics that show hearing loss as the third most prevalent chronic condition in older adults and the most widespread disability, it is a disability poised to climb dramatically in numbers as our population ages.

“Our vision is to work towards ensuring that attitudes change and barriers come down,” said Kelly Duffin, CHS President and CEO. “That includes some of the more subtle forms of discrimination, for instance, an apartment is given to someone else because a landlord is reluctant to rent to someone who is Deaf or a person with a hearing loss not hired for a job because of ‘safety concerns’. It happens and it’s unfair. Our intention is that this paper will serve as an essential reference for government, employers, and media to move us closer to a society where all people are respected and included.”

Since 1940, The Canadian Hearing Society has been the leading provider of services, products, and information that remove barriers to communication, advance hearing health, and promote equity for people who are culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing.

Read the full position paper at:
http://www.canadianhearingsociety.com/info/publicaffairs/pdf/CHSPositionOnDiscrimination.pdf

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Backgrounder

The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) was incorporated in 1940 to provide services, products and information to culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people and to educate the hearing public. CHS is governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing. The organization is funded by government, internal revenue generation including fundraising, and the United Way. Unique in North America, CHS offers a complete roster of essential services under one roof through 27 offices including sign language interpreting to bridge the gap between Deaf and hearing people; one-on-one language development for deaf children using play as the medium of learning; employment services; sign language instruction; speechreading training; and, the most complete range of communication devices that assist and augment communication including TTYs (text telephones), visual smoke detectors, baby monitors and alarm clocks.

Terminology:

Language is a powerful tool – it both shapes and is shaped by ideas, perceptions and attitudes. And it’s these very attitudes that can pose the most difficult barriers for people who are culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing. The following terms describe people, their language of communication and selfidentification. As an organization which serves these communities and educates the hearing public, we avoid using terms such as “hearing impaired” or “normal or abnormal hearing” or colloquialisms such as “falling on deaf ears.”

Oral deaf: This term is generally used to describe individuals with a severe to profound hearing loss, with little or no residual hearing. Some deaf people use sign language such as American Sign Language (ASL) or la langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) to communicate. Others use speech to communicate, using their residual hearing and hearing aids, communication devices or cochlear implants, and lipreading or speechreading.

Culturally Deaf: This term refers to individuals who identify with and participate in the language, culture, and community of Deaf people, based on sign language. Deaf culture, indicated by a capital “D,” does not perceive hearing loss and deafness as a disability, but as the basis of a distinct cultural group. Culturally Deaf people may also use speechreading, gesturing, spoken language, and written English to communicate with people who do not sign.

Deafened: This term describes individuals who grow up hearing or hard of hearing and, either suddenly or gradually, experience a profound hearing loss. Deafened adults usually use speech with visual cues such as captioning or computerized note-taking, speechreading or sign language.

Hard of Hearing: This term is generally used to describe individuals whose hearing loss ranges from mild to severe, and occasionally profound. Hard of hearing people use speech and residual hearing to communicate, supplemented by communication strategies that may include speechreading, hearing aids, sign language and communication devices. The term “person with hearing loss” is increasingly used and preferred by this constituency.