Have you ever heard the quote, ‘Inability is not disability?’ Definitely, you have. Deaf is spotted as a disability, but deaf people usually identify themselves as hard of hearing because they interact in the hearing world and they can communicate. Deaf people use sign language.
According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are 70 million Deaf people in the world; among them, more than 80% are from developing countries. This article seeks to help you celebrate with the deaf through inspirational quotes and sayings. Promoting their interest and inspiring them is a cautious thing.
Celebrating Deaf Culture: The Origins of the Day
Deaf culture is a unique norm in the World Federation Of the Deaf and the United Nations. World Deaf Day was initiated in the year 1958. It is always celebrated on the last Sunday of every September. Its first world conference took place in Rome, Italy. The last week of September is observed as the International Week of the Deaf and International Day of Sign Language.
Inspirational Quotes from Deaf Leaders and Activists
The leaders and activists saw a reason to defend themselves and here are some quotes that help them speak out.
1. “I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people can remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.” Marlee Matlin
2. “None so blind, so deaf, as those that will not hear, that will not see.” Matthew Henry
3. “Success listens only to applause. To all else it is deaf.” Elias Canetti
4. “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” Helen Keller
5. “It was the same way with silence. This was more than silence. A deaf person can feel vibrations. Here there was nothing to feel.” Madeleine L’Engle
6. “As long as we have deaf people on earth, we will have signs. And as long as we have our films, we can preserve signs in their old purity. It is my hope that we will all love and guard our beautiful sign language as the noblest gift God has given to deaf people.” George Veditz
7. “Colour is the touch of the eye, Music to the deaf, A word out of darkness.” Orhan Pamuk
8. “God hears no more than the heart speaks; and if the heart is dumb, God will certainly be deaf.” Thomas Brooks
9. “Music is universal too. Even deaf people like to dance, love rhythm, and can kind of pick it up.” Rainn Wilson
10. “As long as we have deaf people on earth, we will have signs.” George Veditz
11. “Nature is not mute, it is a man who is deaf.” Terence McKenna
12. “I’m not a deaf musician. I’m a musician who happens to be deaf.” Evelyn Glennie
13. “Deaf people can do anything, except hear.” Marlee Matlin
Empowering Quotes for Deaf Children and Families
You can also motivate deaf children and families. You will be playing a significant role in various generations.
1. A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband.
2. I was born deaf. I was raised in a hearing world and in a deaf world at the same time. I like one better than I like the other. I like them both. I speak pretty well; I gesture. If I don’t understand something, pen and paper, texting. I use it all.
3. Me being deaf isn’t the problem. There is nothing wrong with being deaf; it’s society that is the problem.
4. “ I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was beautiful and something so many deaf people don’t have.” Shoshannah Stern
5. “ When I learned to sign and speak at the same time, the whole world opened up to me. That’s the beauty of encouraging kids who are deaf to use whatever it takes to communicate.” Marlee Matlin
6. We have our own culture, our own community. A lot of people don’t realize that. They just assume that deaf people are very unfortunate and very disabled, but no.
7. “There are many deaf people who couldn’t imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn’t speak their language. For me, I believe that hearing or being deaf is fine as long as both parties are willing to communicate in each other’s language. But if there’s no communication, then the marriage, I believe, will be difficult if not doomed.” Marlee Matlin
8. “ Dumbness comes from the fact that a child is born deaf and that it consequently never learns how to articulate, for it is by the medium of hearing that such instruction is acquired.” Graham Bell
9. “Sign language was a great experience. I have a deaf aunt that I am able to communicate with because of that class.” Richard Sherman
10. “ During a visit to California, when a friend of my grandmother’s told my parents that I must be deaf because I was not responding to sounds, my father was absolutely convinced that I was simply being stubborn.” Marlee Matlin
Historical Context: Memorable Quotes from Influential Deaf Figures
From a historical context, many influential deaf figures exclaimed a sense of belonging, and here is part of what they say.
1. “ Listen to all the conversations of our world, between nations as well as between individuals. They are, for the most part, dialogues of the deaf.” Paul Tournier
2. “If I hadn’t lost my hearing, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my own potential. I have to be better than the average person to succeed.” Lou Ferrigno
3. “Do not shout at me, Mr. Quill,” said John [Adams]. “Justice may be blind, but she is not deaf.” Orson Scott Card, Heartfire
4. “ Believe it or not, my hearing loss does not have me in a constant state of FOMO (fear of missing out). JOMO, the joy of missing out,
is a better description.” Tiffany Storrs,
5. “What if sign language was just as mainstream in education as any other language?” Tiffany Storrs
6. When you see life’s unexpected events as divine teachers, you begin to notice the blessings and the miracles hidden inside each setback.
7. God kept me on this Earth so that I could be a light for Him, a warrior, a source of inspiration for people struggling. He also equipped me to be a bridge between the hearing and deaf communities.
8. “Does being deaf determine my worth?” Ann Clare LeZotte
9. “Understanding wisdom requires wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf.” Walter Lippmann
10. “ I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.” Marlee Matlin
The Power of Representation: Quotes from Deaf Artists and Performers
You can also use quotes from deaf artists and performers who make deaf life more meaningful. They still could express themselves through music to inspire others.
1. “Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.” Ludwig van Beethoven
2. “Silence is a lie that screams at the light.” Shannon L. Alder
3. “There is a master way with words which is not learned but is instead developed: a deaf man develops exceptional vision, a blind man exceptional hearing, a silent man when given a piece of paper…” Criss Jami.
4. “For the rest of our lives, all we can hear are our names chanted over and over until we are deaf to everything else.” Sherman Alexie,
5. “We’re deaf men working as musicians; we play the music but we can’t hear it.” Sebastian Faulks,
6. “Your Homer is here with me; mute or rather deaf am I, in front of him. But I am happy to gaze upon him and often hug him and, sighing, say, ‘Great man, how I would love to hear you!” Petrarch
7. “To be a perfectionist is not the same as being Deaf.” Khalid
8. I am not deaf. I hear the anger. I see the dissatisfaction, and I have to go faster.
9. Even the deaf can sing, sign is still a form of language
10. “ One and the same thing can at the same time be good, bad, and indifferent, e.g., music is good to the melancholy, bad to those who mourn, and neither good nor bad to the deaf.” Baruch Spinoza
Conclusion
World Deaf Day is observed in order to create awareness about the types and causes of hearing loss and spread awareness about the deaf culture. To educate people about deafness, many deaf organizations, schools, colleges, and universities hold several activities and conduct some events to create awareness about the cause of deafness. Apart from using quotes, you can also arrange some workshops and lessons on sign language to motivate them. By using technology you can change their lives in a better way.
