On Deaf Ableism: Disabled People Aren’t Broken

By Silas Beasley
I am another person who is also Deaf/deaf and disabled . Although I respect that some Deaf people don’t want the disability label for themselves, I think sometimes the rejection of that label is rooted in ableism. People, disability is not a bad word. And as Silas Beasley says in this article, “disability” does not mean “lesser than”. It is not a synonym for “helpless”, it simply means you’re living in a society that isn’t designed for you. If you don’t want to identify as a person with disabilities, fine. It’s your identity, and that makes it your choice. But please try to respect those of us who do feel comfortable defining ourselves as people with disabilities while also being deaf/Deaf, whether because we have additional disabilities or because we are comfortable with defining our deafness as being BOTH a cultural identity AND a disability.