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Writing deaf characters

Ireth

Myth Weaver
How do you write deaf characters effectively? I have two MCs in two different stories who are deaf, and I want to write from their POVs and make it unambiguously clear what their disability is and how it affects their lives. Unfortunately, comments I've received so far on excerpts tell me that my usual tactics -- describing the way they both read lips and communicate in hand-signs, as well as avoiding any and all descriptions of sound -- aren't sufficient. (This is especially apparent with my mermaid MC; it's easily assumed that all merfolk communicate solely in sign language, when that isn't the case. It's mostly the MC and her pod who do, at least as far as the plot is concerned. The rest of the merfolk use vocal speech, and the MC is in constant need of an interpreter for those who don't use signs.)

What to do? I don't want to lead the reader to false assumptions, nor do I want to be blatant and simply say "she uses sign language because she is deaf". As a hearing person, I certainly don't feel the need to remark on that in my thoughts during everyday life. Since both of the characters in question are completely deaf and have been so since birth, with neither of them learning to speak at all, I think they would have a similar mindset. Deafness is just a normal fact of life for them.
 

Heliotrope

Staff
Article Team
Actually, my daughter is deaf so I can help a little bit. She is only 2, but there are some things I have learned about working with people who are handicapped in this way.

Try to remember that deaf people will not turn to sound, but they can identify vibrations. This means that loud footsteps can be 'heard' by a deaf person if they are loud enough. They would feel the vibrations of the floor, or the pounding of the bass of loud music. In water vibrations are much stronger, so she would still feel the movement of water if someone was swimming close to her. Softer sounds will not be detected, but they do use their other senses really well, so they might identify perfumes or the smell of soap that a person uses.

When lip reading, people who are hard of hearing will not make the 'usual' eye contact because they will be focussed on your lips. So don't have your character describe people's eyes like we usually do in writing (his eyes were a beautiful blue, and spoke of sadness and fear... blah blah blah.) Instead describe a person based on how their mouth looks. Study people's mouths. The shape of the lips, the shape of the tongue. Study the way people talk and find the strange nuances that we don't typically notice (the small collection of spittle in the corner of the mouth, irregular teeth, a pointed or flat tongue, etc) and describe your characters that way.

She should notice things about people that other people don't notice. Remember that her other senses will be significantly heightened. Like I mentioned earlier, she will know people based on the way they smell, look (NOT the eyes as much as other details), and she will know her world based on the way it feels and tastes. Describe those details and find ways to describe them that are more exaggerated than usual.

People who are missing a 'typical' sense (hearing/sight/touch/taste etc) often seek sensory stimulation in other ways. Imagine that you are in constant silence all the time. Your brain actually 'misses' the stimulation and craves it in other ways. Kids or adults who are missing a sense often enjoy highly stimulating activities. It is not uncommon for young kids who are hard of hearing or visually impaired to love driving with the windows down, for example. Driving in total silence, or sitting in a car seat with no visual stimulation can be very isolating for them. Simply opening the windows and allowing them to have the sensation of the wind on their skin reconnects them to the world. So your character may enjoy highly stimulating activities as a way to help her feel more connected and stimulates her brain.

Feel free to message me if you want to chat more, or if you want more info/links on people who are hard of hearing :)
 

Ireth

Myth Weaver
Thank you very much, Heliotrope! I'll definitely keep those tips in mind. The first of my deaf MCs is a lycanthrope, so her sense of smell is essential to the story. I'm not certain how smell would work when someone is entirely underwater, though I do know that moist air seems to intensify scents, like during or just after rainfall.

Another related question -- how might a deaf character learn to create music? My mermaid MC aspires to become a siren, and my intent for her is that she'd overcome her inability to sing through playing a conch shell ocarina-type thing. I figure she'd pay close attention to vibrations in the water (or air, when she plays above the surface) when doing that. Is there anything else I should consider?
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
I immediately thought of Evelyn Glennie.
I would imagine that a deaf musician/singer would have a very different musical aesthetic.
Rhythm and syncopation could well be as important as tone and melody.
 

Heliotrope

Staff
Article Team
Another related question -- how might a deaf character learn to create music? My mermaid MC aspires to become a siren, and my intent for her is that she'd overcome her inability to sing through playing a conch shell ocarina-type thing. I figure she'd pay close attention to vibrations in the water (or air, when she plays above the surface) when doing that. Is there anything else I should consider?

Yeah, that is tricky. Typically people who are musicians who are deaf had hearing at some point and learned music before they lost their hearing (the most famous being Beethoven). However, this does not mean that people who are deaf can't learn music, they just do it by using beat and vibrations. Typically people who are deaf can learn to play an instrument. It would be much more difficult for a person who is hearing impaired to learn to sing, so that might be an obstacle as far as her wanting to be a siren.

Typically, the vibrations that music makes is processed in same part of the brain in the hearing impaired as in a person who has typical hearing capabilities. They can feel rhythm as well as pitch. Often they say they can feel low pitch in the lower parts of their bodies, and higher pitch in their neck/chest and arms. They can't hear exact pitch, but they can have a good idea based on how they feel it.

Because they can feel pitch and rhythm they can learn to play instruments fairly well. They can learn to read music, so long as the rhythm in initially tapped out for them. This is why learning an instrument is easier. They just learn where to put their fingers and what fingering matches each note on the page. Once the rhythm is tapped out (so they can feel it) then they can play the notes to the correct tempo. So they can join an orchestra, just like anyone else. This is more challenging with singing, however, as they typically do not form words the same way as a typical hearing person would be able to, and they cannot adjust the pitch of their voice in the same way either.

So yeah, my answer would be that yes, they can learn to play and even compose music on an instrument. Singing, not so much. Typically people who are hearing impaired that can sing either have support (such as a hearing aid) or had hearing initially then lost it.
 
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