Speechreading or lipreading is a skill that some deaf persons are good at, others have difficulty mastering such a talent. While good speechreading skill can help in communication, only 26 - 30% of speech is visible on the lips, and even the best speechreaders can't speechread everything that is said.
"DEAF PERSONS ARE NOT DISTRACTED WHEN THEY WORK IN A NOISY ENVIRONMENT"
Most deaf persons have some residual hearing, and if they wear hearing aids they may be even more sensitive to sound and vibrations than most hearing persons. The right deaf person can often handle a noisy job, but it is wrong to think any deaf person can work in such a situation.
"PEOPLE WHO HAVE UNUSUAL SOUNDING SPEECH ARE MENTALLY IMPAIRED"
There is absolutely no correlation between a deaf persons' speech and intelligence.
"DEAF PERSONS ARE MUTE"
Deaf persons are not "mute". Deaf persons have normal vocal organs. Some deaf persons choose not to use their voices if they think that they are difficult to understand or have inappropriate pitch or volume. Terms like "deaf" and "dumb" or "deafmute" are outdated and considered offensive by most deaf people.
"DEAF PERSONS CAN'T USE THE TELEPHONE"
Some deaf persons have enough residual hearing or have developed the speech skills necessary to use the telephone. Special telecommunication aids have been developed for deaf people.
"DEAF PERSONS SPEECH IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND"
The speech intelligibility of deaf persons varies greatly from one deaf person to another. Many deaf persons have speech that seems difficult to understand at first, but after spending some times with these persons, their speech becomes easier to understand
Kuala Lumpur Society of the Deaf, 9B, Komplek Perniagaan Sri Selangor,
Jalan Sang Peng, 55300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel : 03 - 2230690 /
Fax : 03 - 2226536