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When Billy Broke His Head Essay

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Individuals, who suffer from any type of disabilities, sadly live a different life due the societal stigma attached to it. The film When Billy Broke His Head and the reading Deaf Matters Compulsory Hearing and Ability Trouble both illustrate the hardships and struggles disabled individuals go through as a result of stereotypical misconceptions created by the media and the larger society. Firstly, exemplified in the media through a portrayal of disheartened characteristics like constant anger and bitterness about life, a misconception of an unapproachable individual starts to become produced. Through a continuous loop of negative illustrations of disability, an unawareness and lack of knowledge about certain disabilities, a stigma of this unfamiliar …show more content…

The reading discussed deaf identity, as well as the stigma that is attached to American Sign Language. In one example the author discusses a driving incident where an angry women was yelling at them and after explaining to the woman that they were deaf, the woman angrily stated, “well, if you’re deaf, then read my lips” (Harmon, 2010, p. 32). It becomes clear the many ways that society condescendingly tells disabled people what to do, to follow instructions they give, all while constantly assuming incapability. Deaf individuals are relentlessly being reminded that there is no room for them in this world, when in fact it is society that makes it difficult to maneuver this world through the barriers they create themselves. The reading identifies these misguided societal stresses by stating an, “… emphasis on a shared language rather than on a hearing status… the intention is to avoid reiteration of a problematic hearing-deaf frame of reference” (Harmon, 2010, p. 36). Here, Harmon makes a strong point to erase the stigma towards deafness as a barrier, while viewing ASL just like any other language, which is a quality skill and not just something learned due to

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