Deaf Like Me

Although babies are born without language, they learn to communicate by listening to the world around them. Language is crucial for the development of a child. By the time the child is school age he or she should have amassed some sort of vocabulary without any instructional lessons. Children pick up grammar, language, and meaning from the people around them. No one should be denied a language. We use language to express our feelings, state our needs and say what’s on our minds. Without language it would be like we are in a prison in our own heads with no means on how to communicate with other people. This can lead to frustration, resentment, and uncontrolled behaviors.

Language does not only mean oral communication, there are many other forms of communicating however oral communication is the only one considered “normal.” The book “Deaf Like Me” follows a little girl Lynn throughout her early years of life and relates to us the struggles she endured while trying to fit into the mold of being normal. The story written by her father Thomas Spradley and her uncle James Spradley is an exceptional and moving story walking us through the early attempts of Lynn’s family trying to get her to learn the oral language despite her deafness that did not allow her to develop language by listening to the people around her.

The beginning of the book takes us back to when Louise and Thomas had only one child. Bruce was around the age of 3 when he contracted the German measles. The doctor had informed Louise that if she was pregnant German measles could cause congenital defects to the unborn child. Shortly after Louise discovered she was pregnant. Throughout the pregnancy Louise was worried and anxious about the baby and whether the child wil...

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...at sign language was a last resort if the child did not pick up lip reading and oral communication. Thomas now met someone who signed and spoke and realized that signing is a language in its own and its importance to people who could not hear the oral language. This began their quest to learn sign language and use it with Lynn despite the school and public opinion.

Up until now Lynn had it very tough growing up in a hearing world, but as soon as she started learning and using sign language her world turned around. Lynn finally gained a means of communication and Thomas and Louise were finally able to understand and communicate with their beautiful little girl with whom they were cut off from with a language barrier. Through communicating with other deaf individuals like her, Lynn finally felt like she was “normal” without trying to please the society’s normalcy.