Deafness

partial or total inability to hear

Hearing loss,deafness,hard of hearing,anacusis,orhearing impairment(a term considered derogatory by many in thedeaf community), is a partial or total inability tohear.

American Sign Languageis naturally big and expressive. But some officers mistake it as wild oraggressive.~Nyle DiMarco
Father Mulcahy:DearLordI know there must be areasonfor this. But what is it? I answered the call to do yourwork.I've devoted mylifeto it, and now how am I supposed to do it? Lord, whatgoodam I now? What good is a deafpriest?I'veprayedto you tohelpme and every day I get worse. Are you deaf too? ~Alan Alda,Burt Metcalfe,John Rappaport,Dan Wilcox&Thad Mumford,Elias Davis&David Pollock,Karen Hall,Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen",M*A*S*H

Quotes

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  • I figured I could get a job at a filling station somewhere, putting gas andoilin people's cars. I didn't care what kind ofjobit was, though. Just sopeopledidn't know me and I didn't know anybody. I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of thosedeaf-mutes.That way I wouldn't have to have any goddamnstupiduselessconversationswith anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something, they'd have towriteit on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd getboredas hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of mylife.Everybody'd think I was just a poordeaf-mutebastard and they'd leave me alone.
  • God:Moses, this is the Lord, thy God, commanding you to obey mylaw.Do youhearme?
    Moses:Yes, I hear you, I hear you...adeafman could hear you!
    God:What?!
    Moses:Nothing,forgetabout it, Oh Lord! Why have youchosenme? What would you have me do for you?
  • Theproblemsofdeafnessare deeper and morecomplex,if not moreimportant,than those ofblindness.Deafness is a much worsemisfortune.For it means thelossof the most vital stimulus — thesoundof thevoicethat bringslanguage,setsthoughtsastir and keeps us in theintellectualcompany of man.
    • Helen Keller,letter to Dr. James Kerr Love (1910), published inHelen Keller in Scotland: a personal record written by herself(1933), edited by James Kerr Love. Paraphrasing of this statement may have been the origin of a similar one which has become attributed to her:
Blindnesscuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.
  • He cannot hear the skylark sing,
    The music of the wild bee’s wing;
    The murmur of the plaining bough;
    A gentle whisper fairy low;
    The noise of falling waters near—
    All these have left his mournful ear.
  • After he took him aside, away from the crowd,Jesusput his fingers into the man'sears.Then he spit and touched the man'stongue.He looked up toheavenand with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means "Be opened!" ). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began tospeakplainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed withamazement."He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and themutespeak. "
  • Cha vel fer erbee cha bouyr, as eshyn nagh jean clashtyn.
    • Manx proverb
    • Translation: None is sodeafas the one who will nothear.
    • Moore (1971).The Folk-lore of the Isle of Man.S. R. Publishers. p. 259.
  • They never wouldhear,
    But turn thedeaf ear,
    As a matter they had no concern in.

See also

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