On Audism and Ableism in Neuroscience
Note: this is a blog version of this Twitter thread.
I was reading a book for book club and I had returned it to the library without going further than the first chapter. Realized I still needed to read it, checked it out, and got to the page again and chucked it at the wall because omg the AUDISM.
I am not going to directly quote the book because copyright and such (someone in the community pls let me know if I’m misunderstanding). BUT I will refer to or summarize some of the misconceptions and refute them as ABLEISM.
This book is about listening and this particular chapter is about listening and neuroscience. This is about what makes people feel ignored or misunderstood when they are talking to someone and that person is supposed to be listening.
The author says that bad listening behaviors cited are these: interrupting, responding vaguely or illogically to what was said. Looking at your phone, watch, around the room or away from the speaker. All of these behaviors can be chalked up to neurodivergence.
If you fidget, tap on the table, click a pen, doodle, or shift/jiggle/otherwise move your body. (Author says to stop doing these things.) As a disabled person I say these are all neurodivergent behaviors. AND the author is being ableist.
If you are disabled and if you have things like autism, ADHD, ptsd, or other disabilities that relate to your brain — you probably NEED these coping skills to even be able to listen. The author is wrong that they make you a bad listener. This is HOW you listen.
The non disabled community needs to stop studying disabilities like this (in this way) and saying that they are bad or wrong or they make you bad at things. Nah. You’re disabled. And you’re doing things the way you need to. Just cut that stuff out non-disableds.
Now they move onto hearing and audist viewpoints next. The author says that “listening” more than any other activity plugs you into life — but goes on to show that they are only referring to hearing based listening. And I would argue that COMMUNICATING is what does that.
They say that listening helps you understand yourself and others who are speaking to you (lets rephrase that for them, communicating in a mutual language helps you understand yourself and others). Sign language may not be verbal but it still is listening.
They say that babies are more alert to the human voice and to the nuances in the voice. While deaf babies may not hear in the womb they are acutely aware of expression, body position, and as soon as they see motions they will follow it.
If you sign to a deaf baby you are providing them access to language. The brain uses signed language the same way it does spoken language for a hearing person — if you are deaf. There is research for this and if you need it I will ask my many brilliant deaf community members.
“Research on deaf and hearing impaired children has shown that they can have difficulty recognizing emotions and developing empathy.” I argue that this is NOT true. This research is clearly biased by hearing researchers and research done by deaf people shows otherwise.
All of the research I can find is done through the lens of hearing people — non-signing, often audist, hearing people. As a deaf person I know my community is empathetic but we do not express it verbally the way hearing people see it. Would LOVE to see deaf research on it.
The author says that deaf children have difficulty recognizing emotions. And I would argue this is BECAUSE hearing people do not express their emotions the same way deaf people do. They express with their mouths and words rather than their bodies and faces.
In addition, there is a huge language disconnect here. Hearing people do not understand or bother to communicate with deaf people in our language or in any other ways. They force us to do all the work of communication. We’re tired! So maybe our emotions are tired.
Not to mention all the history behind this audist mindset when hearing people think about deaf people and our “empathy” towards them. Think about Alexander Graham Bell. He was hellbent on eradicating the deaf community entirely.
The author uses Helen Keller as the example for detrimental emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects on deaf people. They say Helen Keller said, “I am just as deaf as I am blind, deafness is a much worse misfortune.”
(This is where I threw the book. Sorry not sorry. Am DONE with that audism). Let’s talk a little bit about Helen Keller here though. (Let me first refer you to @snarkbat and her book Being Seen. Go read this for a much better look at current deaf blind life.)
Some things you need to know about Helen Keller and why she is the reference for many hearing audist people when it comes to looking down on deaf people. Helen Keller was friends with Alexander Graham Bell, first of all. Which means to say she was indoctrinated to audism.
In addition, at this time in her life she said and did things that were blatantly in line with the eugenics movement (the thing that started in the US and actually inspired other countries.) So the above quote would not be beyond her at all. It doesn’t make it less audist.
A *really good* resource about Helen Keller is also from @snarkbat with her work for @radiolab titled the “Helen Keller Exorcism. https://radiolab.org/episodes/helen-keller-exorcism… Go listen or read this for ALL the details. And stop saying deaf or disabled people are deliberately not listening.
I’m sure there’s more to say and actual links to resources but I am just plain annoyed. I am ALSO very empathetic — I would implore that the hearings and nondisableds think hard before they say and research things without our own community input! Thanks!
Definitions:
Ableism: a system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normality, intelligence, excellence, desirability, and productivity. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This form of systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s language, appearance, religion, and/or their ability to satisfactorily [re]produce, excel, and “behave.” You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism. A working definition by Talila “TL” Lewis, updated January 2021, developed in community with Disabled Black and other negatively racialized people, especially Dustin Gibson.
Audism: is Discrimination against people who are deaf and hard of hearing.. Humphries (1997) defined as: one is superior based on hearing ability and Lane (1992) proposed: *institutional audism* which was derived and adapted from Wellman’s (1993) definition of racism as a system of advantage based on hearing ability. Sign language is not universal- different types of sign language and maybface criticism based on the type of sign language chosen. Language is also not equivalent to speech. Speech is a form of language.
