Tag: covid-19

Key Takeaways From “Can You HEAR Me?” (Article From Autism Unit) (Extra Credit)

  • Korean culture used masked normally
    • when used in the USA, people looked at her strangely
  • Hard-of-hearing disability
    • difficult with not seeing lips
    • often needs someone with her to tell her what the
      dialogue is
    • note pad in her purse/ talk to text app
    • Hard-of-hearing & English is not first language
    • Cochlear implant surgery
  • Racial discrimination due to COVID
    • Covid = Chinese virus?
    • Harassment has increased since COVID
    • “Suddenly, [when the pandemic began] I started to not
      feel as safe. If you don’t feel safe in a place you call
      home, that’s traumatic” (Brown, 2020).
  • After COVID
    • build the world back by addressing the needs of all people
    • services should be reformed to serve Deaf & HOH
    • Accommodations help people reach their full potential &
      help society as a whole
    • more inclusive society

Thoughts on Can You Hear My Fear?

I read this article as my extra one from the Disability Studies Quarterly. (So did my small groupmate Brie.) Brie and I both liked that the article was a personal story rather than a scholarly/theoretical piece. I think that’s important because when it comes to discussions on disability, it’s important to consider primary sources about the lived experience of disability, rather than having able-bodied people speak over disabled voices.

The article said that since the first reports of Covid in Wuhan, Asian hate has risen in the US. It’s almost ridiculous how at the same time as BLM was gaining momentum and people started debating mask mandates, Asian hate also started to rise. (Even amidst people arguing that racism and Covid are two myths.)

I personally know people who jokingly call Covid the Chinese flu or other racially charged nicknames. I have a hard time explaining my discomfort with it because they always say they’re “just joking.” I would love some input on this situation–is there anything I could say that would be helpful?

I liked the tip in the article about wearing clear face masks. My small group discussed that idea extensively. I personally don’t see why clear face masks can’t become more prevalent. They’re definitely more expensive/harder to find, but I wonder if we couldn’t change that by raising demand.