Outside the Banana
When we stop looking for 'loss,' we start seeing the gain.
What is deafness? Ask doctors and they might mention different kinds of medical hearing loss like sensorineural hearing loss or conductive loss. Maybe they’ll show you a neat plastic model and explain the inner workings of the ear. Ask an audiologist, you’re sure to see them whip out an audiogram and help you understand the "speech banana," which is the area mapped out on a hearing test that represents spoken sounds.
If you fall outside the banana then you’ve earned the label of profound or severe hearing loss. Others might say that if you don’t use American Sign Language, or if you have the slightest bit of hearing, you are most definitely not deaf. All of these share one thing in common: various definitions that hover around the concept of loss.
Much emphasis is placed on the level of loss, the impacts of the loss, or the causes of the loss. This “loss” is mostly defined as such by the hearing community. Many Deaf do not see it as a loss. For many of these, the argument is simple: How can you lose what you didn’t have? For others, “loss” implies a negative and ignores the positives of their deafness. (This is where the brain hiccups and the proverbial brakes are applied).
Yes, I said positives. Many individuals relish their inclusion in this minority that is defined by visual language, shared community, and experience. Art that is uniquely their own. Their world is not shaped by what they can hear or cannot hear, but rather what they see and touch.
Do the deaf feel a loss? I’m sure there are those that do, but for so many, they see their deafness as a gain. This gain is more than just a different way to talk; it is a different way to live. It’s the benefit of a rich culture that cherishes direct, face-to-face connection and clear communication. It is "Deaf Space,” an approach to the world where environments are designed for visibility and open interaction. It is the ability and opportunity to interact with others who share the same experiences, struggles, and successes in a language that is as expressive as it is efficient. When you stop looking for what is missing, you start seeing the vibrant, visual world that the Deaf community has built.
