Deaf Education: Global Perspectives
  • Home
    • Site Map
  • About
  • Toolkit: Inclusive Classroom Strategies for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students
    • The Physical Environment >
      • Identifying & Addressing Barriers
      • Classroom Design
    • The Learning Environment >
      • Adapting and Modifying the Curriculum
      • Language Experience Approach
      • Bilingual Strategies
      • Fifteen Principles for Reading to Deaf Children
      • Multicultural Signed Stories
      • Deaf Poems
      • Online Sign Language Dictionaries
    • The Social Environment >
      • Stereotypes and Misconceptions About Deaf People
      • Oral vs Sign Debate
      • Different Deaf Education Settings
  • Happenings in Deaf Communities Worldwide
    • Deaf in the Developing World
    • Diversity among Deaf Communities
    • Socio-cultural Barriers Towards Deaf People & People with Disabilities
    • Success Stories: Deaf Role-Models Around the World
    • Past and Current Deaf Projects Worldwide
    • Deaf Education Programs Around the World
  • Resources for Parents of Deaf Children
    • Fifteen Principles for Reading to Deaf Children
    • Videos
    • Blogs & Articles
    • Multicultural Signed Stories
    • Deaf Poems
  • Further Reading
    • Journal Articles >
      • Deaf Education Policy as Language Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Sweden and the United States
      • Literacy and Deaf Students in Taiwan: Issues, Practices and Directions for Future Research: Part I
      • The Comprehensiveness of Transition Services for Deaf Learners in Zimbabwe
      • Deaf Children Attending Different School Environments: Sign Language Abilities and Theory of Mind.
      • Historical Development of Hong Kong Sign Language
    • Books >
      • Deaf Gain: Raising the stakes for human diversity.
      • Raising a Deaf Child in a Hearing Family in Ukraine
      • Deaf Around the World: The Impact of Language
      • The Emergence of the Deaf Community in Nicaragua
      • The Rising of Lotus Flowers: Self-Education by Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools
  • More Links
    • Informational Websites
    • Organizations
  • Take the Survey
  • Contact

Socio-Cultural Barriers Towards Deaf People & People with Disabilities


​The prevalence of deafness or a disability in an individual often brings about some degree of social stigma which is ubiquitous in every country. However, in certain cultures there is a higher degree of stigmatization and discrimination compared to other cultures towards people who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing or who have a disability. This is extremely blatant in Asian, Middle-Eastern and African cultures.

It is important to challenge our perspective on what is "normal" as that differs from individual to individual, as well as among people groups and countries.Social-cultural perceptions of deafness and disability can be more limiting to the individual than the disability itself.

In many Asian, Middle-Eastern and African contexts, societies hold a deficit view of deafness and disability due to their cultural beliefs and attitudes just like people have stereotypes of places such as Africa such as the people there are poor and sad. This also exists in Western countries, but to a lesser degree. Such views of thinking lead to discrimination of deaf individuals and those with disabilities. Some of these beliefs are:
  • Deaf people are disabled because they cannot hear and speak well.
  • A child with a disability is possessed by an evil spirit.
  • An individual is disabled due to a curse or a misdeed they committed in their past life, or committed by a member of their family. The disability is punishment for that wrongdoing.
  • A child with a disability is a loss of face to the family
  • People with disabilities cannot learn at school or get a job.
  • People with disabilities are not normal.
  • They are labelled superheroes for achieving things that "normal" people achieve such as a Masters degree. 
  • Deaf people and people with disabilities are pitiful and need compassion.​
  • People with disabilities are less than human. 
To gain a greater insight into how the social-cultural perception of disabilities and cultural stereotypes can be limiting and create distances among people, watch the videos on this page. ​
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • Site Map
  • About
  • Toolkit: Inclusive Classroom Strategies for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students
    • The Physical Environment >
      • Identifying & Addressing Barriers
      • Classroom Design
    • The Learning Environment >
      • Adapting and Modifying the Curriculum
      • Language Experience Approach
      • Bilingual Strategies
      • Fifteen Principles for Reading to Deaf Children
      • Multicultural Signed Stories
      • Deaf Poems
      • Online Sign Language Dictionaries
    • The Social Environment >
      • Stereotypes and Misconceptions About Deaf People
      • Oral vs Sign Debate
      • Different Deaf Education Settings
  • Happenings in Deaf Communities Worldwide
    • Deaf in the Developing World
    • Diversity among Deaf Communities
    • Socio-cultural Barriers Towards Deaf People & People with Disabilities
    • Success Stories: Deaf Role-Models Around the World
    • Past and Current Deaf Projects Worldwide
    • Deaf Education Programs Around the World
  • Resources for Parents of Deaf Children
    • Fifteen Principles for Reading to Deaf Children
    • Videos
    • Blogs & Articles
    • Multicultural Signed Stories
    • Deaf Poems
  • Further Reading
    • Journal Articles >
      • Deaf Education Policy as Language Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Sweden and the United States
      • Literacy and Deaf Students in Taiwan: Issues, Practices and Directions for Future Research: Part I
      • The Comprehensiveness of Transition Services for Deaf Learners in Zimbabwe
      • Deaf Children Attending Different School Environments: Sign Language Abilities and Theory of Mind.
      • Historical Development of Hong Kong Sign Language
    • Books >
      • Deaf Gain: Raising the stakes for human diversity.
      • Raising a Deaf Child in a Hearing Family in Ukraine
      • Deaf Around the World: The Impact of Language
      • The Emergence of the Deaf Community in Nicaragua
      • The Rising of Lotus Flowers: Self-Education by Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools
  • More Links
    • Informational Websites
    • Organizations
  • Take the Survey
  • Contact