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Sign language enable deaf people to communicate more freely than lip reading. Lip reading is the hearing community’s answer to the deaf problem. People affected by deafness and hard of hearing, are more open to learning sign language, as they use it in daily life. There are huge advances in devices which improve deaf peoples lives. For example digital hearing aids, which improve hearing for partially deafness.

It is my belief that the deaf community has a lot to offer businesses. If sign language courses were more wide spread and accepted in the working environment. Imagine if more businesses invested in their staff and got them into signing. They could then employ the deaf community. This would result in a feeling of acceptance for the deaf community and make office managers realize how much the deaf community has to offer. Not only would offices be less noisy allowing better quality of work, but also the act of getting deaf people into the working environment, would mean a reciprocal feeling of good will and knowledge sharing between all in the office.

The implications to society in employing those people who would otherwise be sitting at home on benefits is considerable. Twenty two people in every thousand in the U.S. are either deaf or have a severe hearing impairment. The exact number of deaf and partial hearing is up to twenty eight million.The acceptance of society of these people would be improved if society had more interaction with them. When you consider that the working population is one hundred and fifty million, then that figure is significant. Of course you need to account for the elderly deaf who don’t work. Simply put if more people met regularly with the deaf community, then they would be more aware of the needs of the community and therefore more sympathetic. Sign language tutors can be used as a catalyst to stimulate and encourage staff to learn simple signing ,which they can immediately practice with colleagues. Sign language tutors can tailor the vocabulary to the needs of an organization and their customers.

There should be equal opportunities for deaf and hearing people. Deaf people are weakened in society by the effects of discrimination and exclusion. In order to achieve a greater sense of the deaf culture, hearing people need to recognize American Sign Language in it’s own right. The principle of empowerment of the deaf community by broadening the number of people with whom they can communicate, leads to greater independence for the community. Once a deaf candidate has been accepted into a staff position then they will add value.

Enabling this sector has financial benefits to tax payers. If less people were on benefits or receiving income support then they would need less from government financially. After a period of investment in sign language courses and training, the acceptance of deaf related issues would be greater. The deaf community would feel included and so less resentful of society as a whole. This inclusion would help them to be more rounded individuals and allow them to strengthen the economy.

Source by Chris Wethered