Deaf Children = Wild Animals?: You’ve probably seen those yellow signs by the roadside that announce “SLOW Deaf Child” or “Caution: Deaf Child Area”. Are these signs really necessary? Deer, cows, and ducks may occasionally have their own signs, but do Deaf children need them? Deaf children are not wild animals. They can be taught how to play outside and cross the street safely. The problem is not that they are Deaf. The real problem is society – the attitude of parents, caretakers, and even some schools. They may believe that Deaf children need special treatment. They may lack fluent signing skills, making it difficult for them to teach and discipline their Deaf children. Or they may simply be too lazy to make an effort to teach about street safety. Any children – Deaf or hearing – who haven’t been taught to stay out of the street, should not be outside unsupervised in the first place. Putting up signs like these does nothing but spread the idea that Deaf children are disabled, helpless, or lacking intelligence. A far better solution is to teach Deaf children how to be independent and self-reliant, both of which will do a whole lot more for their self-esteem than a yellow sign.

The Eyes Have It: People have always been fascinated by eyes. Quotes such as “the eyes are the mirror of the soul” and “you are the apple of my eye” remind us how mysterious and powerful eyes can be. Researchers know that eyes are important perceptual signals as well. We act differently when we are being watched and we often change our behaviors when we know others can see what we are doing. Take a look at this new study to see how a simple picture of eyes relates to how much money people will pay for coffee.

Would They Ask This About an All-Male Anchor Team?: ABC’s Good Morning America announced yesterday that Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts will co-anchor the morning news, making them either the first or one of the very first all-female anchor teams. This announcement was followed by a news story questioning whether television viewers would be willing to watch two women give them the morning news. It makes us wonder, if ABC picked two men to be co-anchors, would people be asking the same question and debating if two men could succeed as a team? Probably not.

And What Does This Imply About Racism?: Measuring women’s accomplishments in terms of men’s accomplishments is nothing new. Neither is comparing racial/ethnic minorities to racial/ethnic majorities, which is what some psychological research journals insist on doing. A study on extraordinarily successful African American youths was submitted to a journal for publication, only to be rejected. Why? Because one of the reviewers said the study needed a white control group. Yes, you read that right – a white control group! First of all, the study was specifically about African American youths. Second, you don’t see reviewers demanding African American or Chinese American control groups for studies that involve mostly white participants. If it isn’t racist to turn down a study that attempts to gain understanding of a particular racial or ethnic group, then what is this attitude all about?

Or Audism?: Not that we want every other posting to be about audism, but it’s hard to ignore that a lot of the above applies to Deaf people, too. How often have you heard “Can a Deaf person do the job?” or “What about hearing schools, how do their students do on this kind of test or how do they behave in similar situations?”. Yes, there are times when it is perfectly fine to check what the majority is doing, but there are definitely other times when it may not be so necessary. We have caught ourselves saying, “Well, let’s check with so-and-so to see what they think about this issue”, then realizing that we were placing too much importance on hearing people’s opinions, instead of checking with our Deaf peers. Isms are everywhere and we really have to work hard to be conscientious of them.

Mental Health and Deaf People: For interested colleagues and Deaf individuals, click here for information about an upcoming international online conference focusing on Deaf People and Mental Health. Here’s hoping a good number of Deaf professionals will answer the call for papers and presentations. Videos are also being accepted. The deadline is September 1st.