This is part of where I was trying to go with the "passing" comment. It seems like the Deaf community thinks getting implants to hear better is like bleaching black skin to get ahead or getting eyelid surgery or other cosmetic "fixes" to non-caucasian appearance. I personally think that argument is flawed because ethnic disadvantages are largely, if not entirely, social; there's very little inherent disadvantage due to ethnicity. I don't find extreme nearsightedness to be particularly advantageous, so I wear glasses. If the reliability of corrective surgery improves (it's not so good for people with vision as bad as mine), I'll probably get that.

It seems odd that anyone would be on the tracks. They don't really mention in the article whether she was with anyone, or alone... If she was with someone else, what were they thinking not saying anything? And if she was alone, how do we know that she didn't mean to get hit?

I know we all assume it must be an accident, but we must consider all possibilities...

I agree. And I grew up with a foot firmly planted in the deaf community. (My mom was an interpreter and I had several deaf friends.)

I think the biracial comment is an interesting one, Wendy. From school, I remember being weirded out by kids with hearing aids (kids tend to assume retarded, I think), but I don't recall ever seeing a hard of hearing person at any deaf functions.

Oh, and I'm also surprised she didn't sense the train coming. I'm not even actually blind and I have a much better "radar" than most people. I would have expected her to take more care about her surroundings. And, of course, there's the part where walking along active train tracks is inherently dangerous.

I think I've officially hit my quota for uses of the word "inherently" for the day.

BTD addressed the crux of this particular issue dead center: they do not learn life skills. Not like hearing people do, anyway. I could totally see the girl not even knowing that the train might not be able to stop, or something along those lines. People have no idea just how of human knowledge is acquired auditorily, and it's very difficult to ascertain any deficit areas unless the child is specifically tested for that. It could be that this person did not drive, and therefore didn't even receive the Driver's Ed version of 'watch out for trains!' Deaf/HOH kids are largely so very, very unworldy and ill-prepared for life, and it's not really anyone's fault- it just is. We scramble about, trying to fill the holes in Tori's auditory memory, but it's very discouraging at times.

Traci- what you said about HOH kids is true- they are shunned by both sides. I don't blame the hearing kids so much, but the Deaf community can go to hell as far as I am concerned- they should know better. Sorry, sore subject.

Is there the same sort of anger in the blind community for those that regain sight?

How could anyone begrudge anyone else the ability to hear? It's as if I'd kick someone out of my life for traveling someplace I haven't been or experiencing things that I can't. It just seems like jealousy to me.

From my fairly limited experience* with this issue it seems that the Deaf community does not view being Deaf as a disability. And for the most part it's *not*. People who are Deaf can drive, shop, live their lives without much, if any dependance on another person. Where as a blind person needs someone to drive them places, help with certain tasks; are generally much more dependent on people. So the Deaf community doesn't see it as "let's fix this problem" because there is no problem.

*2 years of ASL and integration with the Deaf community through school and roommate. Also had a friend who was blind. Of course I defer to WB for everything. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I don't know that there is a blind community in the same sense that there is a deaf community.

I think it goes beyond jealousy. It's that many deaf don't feel that being deaf is a disability that needs to be overcome. They look at it in the same way that say a person would about speaking another language. It isn't a disability to them not to know English, it's just a difference. Perhaps race would be a better analogy. Blac, white, deaf, is how they see it. It certainly is its own culture.

Poor girl. She was text-messaging at the time. She wasn't looking around. Ugh. :(
Source

Well, that pretty much backs up what I thought. Poor kid.