ACC Interpreter Services works in partnership with faculty and staff to ensure deaf and hard of hearing students have equal access to the college. We seek to help faculty and staff better understand the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students and provide information about working with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Following are common myths about working with deaf or hard of hearing individuals.
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| Sign language is English signed on the hands. | There are some English based sign systems that attempt to replicate English semantics and syntax; however, these systems are awkward and not used by most deaf people. American Sign Language (ASL) is the preferred mode of communication for the majority of signers in the U.S. It is a unique language with its own grammatical and syntactic structure. |
| It is possible to lip read English. | The majority of English cannot be distinguished on the lips, and lip reading skills vary among individuals. |
| Hearing aids enable people to hear speech. | Speech occurs in a very small frequency range. Hearing aids increase the sound level but do not necessarily make speech more readily understood. |
| All deaf people communicate the same way. | Deaf people have individual styles of communicating. Some use ASL, some use signed English systems. Some use their voices for speech, others do not. Some deaf people do not use sign language at all. |
| Deaf people see themselves as disabled. | Many deaf people do not view themselves as disabled, but rather as members of a minority culture with its own language, values and traditions. |
| Interpreters know each deaf student. | Interpreters may meet a deaf student for the first time the first day of class. |
| Interpreters are responsible for the deaf student | Deaf students should be treated no differently than a hearing student. If the teacher needs to contact them they need to do it not the interpreter. If the instructor needs to know what is going on with the deaf student i.e. why they are missing class then this needs to be addressed with the student |
| Interpreters are familiar with all subjects they interpret. | Usually, but not always. Because interpreters convey concepts, not individual words, they must fully understand the material to accurately interpret the information. Although Interpreter Services tries to match an interpreter’s content knowledge and skill level with the assignment, the interpreter may need to prepare for the class just as a student would. |