David A.

Player
Crowdsourced

How does white Deaf people benefit from having white privilege list
(UPDATED)

“White Deaf privilege is both unconsciously enjoyed and consciously perpetuated.”

Positive Reception of White Deaf people

● As white Deaf person, I have more exposure to navigating white culture and as a result it
is easier for me to advocate for myself and my needs.

● White Deaf people are not aware that their deafness is an invisible disability, so it is easy
for them to pass as white hearing people.

● Hearing people are more likely to think that white Deaf person is viewed as
capable/intelligent despite the “disability”.

● White hearing people will look at me as impressed with how successful I am as white
Deaf person, whereas they may look at Black Deaf and see their success as a product
of receiving handouts.

● White Deaf people can go out with their Deaf friends in public. The kind of staring we get
from people is only based on our signing. If a white Deaf person goes out in public with a
Black Deaf person, the staring becomes racially motivated in a negative way. Black Deaf
would be assumed to be "ignoring" the employee's verbal communication and suspected
of theft.

● White Deaf people are more likely to getting compliment for their American Sign
Language by their white hearing counterparts whereas Black Deaf people are getting
mocked for communicating in American Sign Language by their Black hearing
counterparts

Overrepresentation of White Deaf People in Mainstreamed Media

● White Deaf people have the privilege of the media being biased/in favor towards their
race.
○ White people are the default of all kinds of representation. Ever see Black people
with a physical or mental disability like Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy being
represented? This shows that our pity only extends to white people.
 ■ While all people with a disability may be seen as a burden to mainstream
society with nothing to offer, this bias is worse for Black people.

● Whereas Deaf people have little representation in today’s pop culture, the representation
we DO get often shows white Deaf people. There is less or no representation for Black
Deaf and Deaf people of colors in say, comics, games, movies, etc. White Deaf people
appear more “normalized.”

● White Deaf people can attend Deaf events and be completely welcome there. Black
Deaf people tend to be brushed aside at Deaf events. Also, not be advertised as the
main vendors or performers at the event

● White Deaf people can attend Deaf events and be completely welcome there. Black
Deaf people tend to be brushed aside at Deaf events. Also, not be advertised as the
main vendors or performers at the event

Less Threatening Interaction with Cops

● When I get pulled over by a cop, As white Deaf person, I can “play the Deaf card” to get
out of a ticket whereas a Black Deaf cannot use this trick and it could potentially even be
dangerous for them. This can be applied to all interactions with police.

● While Deaf people are at a high risk of police brutality, white Deaf people are at a much
lower risk than Black Deaf people.

Interactions as Customers

● White Deaf people can go into stores or try on things without being suspected as
potential thieves.

● White Deaf people are more likely to be helped or receive excellent customer
service, whereas Black Deaf people may be dismissed or treated in a rude manner.

● Salespeople tend to assume that Black Deaf people do not have money to purchase
anything.

When working at a Deaf institution, (or a school for the Deaf)

● White Deaf employees can easily speak up or get away with doing certain things that
would normally be against the policy. Black Deaf employees would receive actual
consequences if they were to do the same. Or if there is no longer a policy against
something, Black Deaf employees may still fear potential consequences anyways.
For example, after a policy against dyeing hair unnatural colors in the workplace at a
 school for the Deaf was abolished, white Deaf employees could easily dye their hair
very loud blue and get complimented on it, whereas Black Deaf employees could still
get a warning or be told that their hair is unprofessional. Black Deaf employees may
still feel unsafe to do whatever they want within the policies. White Deaf employees
also can get away with using other kinds of hairstyles - i.e. dreads, whereas Black
Deaf employees may be forced to assimilate with their hairstyles.

● White Deaf people are more likely to be “called on” in class than their Deaf Black
counterparts. Again this points to the notion that white people are educated and give
intelligent responses than that of Black Deaf people.

● White Deaf people have history written about them that is repeatedly taught in “ASL
classes” or “Deaf History” courses, when information about Black Deaf people is either
ignored or incorrect (white-washing).

Financial Assistance for Higher Education

● White Deaf people are highly likely to have a second chance to keep “free” money given
by VR if they are able to pass whatever class they have previously failed in an
educational setting. While the exact circumstances are not known, Black Deaf people
don’t always receive a second chance. Therefore, one mere mistake (or rather, one slip
up) costs Black Deaf people more than White Deaf people on many levels. They have to
be “perfect” all of the time, but often it burns them out.

● Black Deaf people who have potential but may not be considered in VR’s selection pool
therefore would be encouraged to apply for Gallaudet. Applying for any other college
especially RIT and CSUT(?) rather than Gallaudet would be greatly discouraged. VR
would offer a vague explanation as to why they shouldn’t apply to other colleges or none
at all. Speaking from a personal experience of a White Deaf person, she was able to
apply for other colleges with VR’s approval even if VR would only pay in half for her
tuition.

● Black Deaf students, mostly males, would be encouraged to play in any sport throughout
the school years at any Deaf institute. However, they rarely got help with their school
work. They’d get punished for their failures to turn in these works in a timely manner
while White Deaf males would receive such lighter punishments for the same problem. It
applies to Black Deaf females as well, although not too severe, as they received help
from their female coaches, both white and black who insisted on them staying ahead
with the works.

Access to Resources
 ● White Deaf people had better access to education throughout the years since the 1760’s
and would not advocate for other Black Deaf as they wanted to be considered as equal
to other White hearing people first hence they did not consider Black as people.

● In schools that are segregated due to the Federal House Authority relining, white Deaf
people are most likely able to attend richer schools or remain in the white sections.
White Deaf people are most likely to have the ability to relocate for better education
whereas Black Deaf people may be left behind or slip through the cracks much more
easily.

● White Deaf people are able to easily find mental health services with Deaf counselors of
the same race. Black Deaf people may have a harder time to find one of the same race
since most white Deaf counselors may not fully understand or be able to relate.

● While Deaf people may have a hard time getting adequate medical treatment or
appropriate health care services they need compared to Black hearing people, white
Deaf people still have better chances than Black Deaf people.

● White Deaf people are most likely to have better health and income than Black Black
Deaf people.(race, income, and ZIP Code have a bigger impact on a person’s health
than their behavior, their medical history, or their genetic code).

Employment in Public/Private Sectors

● In workforces trying to meet the ‘diversity’ criteria, they are more likely to hire a White
Deaf person instead of Black Deaf person.

○ White Deaf people may have better odds of getting certain jobs than Black Deaf
people.

○ White Deaf people have the privilege of not having stereotypes or history tied to
their name. The personal faults or missteps of white Deaf people will likely not be
used to later deny opportunities or compassion to people who share their racial
identity.

○ Most positions that are meant to provide resources or support are typically filled
with white people (regardless of hearing loss levels), leaving little to no safe
space for a Black Deaf person. (VR, Social Work, Schools, Hospitals etc)

○ In general, most Deaf social workers are white and don't understand the struggle
for Black Deaf people in the workplace, education, healthcare, and other public
spaces they are entitled to use.

Language Discrimination
 ● White” American Sign Language (signed by white) is regarded as “pure” ASL,
disregarding the validity of Black ASL with Ebonics/AAVE influence.

○ When it comes to tone-policing, white Deaf people will seem like they are less
threatening when Black Deaf people will appear to look more threatening.

Lack of Competence in Interpreting for Black signers

● Interpreters have a harder time understanding Black Deaf signers, thus Black Deaf
people are not accurately being represented. This is especially true since most
interpreters are white.

○ When working with interpreters, white Deaf people can feel more confident that
they will be more accurately represented. White Deaf people do not have to
“code-switch” between cultures whereas Black Deaf people have to code-switch
to accommodate white interpreters.

○ They are able to trust that the interpreters will have their best interests at heart.
Most of the time, working with an interpreter will not become a life or death
situation for white Deaf people. As the majority of the interpreters are white, white
Deaf people do not have to worry about any intersectional issues that could
arise.

Ignoring the Historical Context of N word

● White Deaf people are more likely to say or sign the “N word” because they think they
can hide behind the ‘deaf card’ as they prefer to identify as a deaf person before a white
person.

● White Deaf people are more likely to encourage white interpreters to sign the N word
and justify the usage of N word for the language access despite the historical meaning
behind the N word.

Within Deaf ministries

● white hearing parishioners or missionaries are more willing to help white deaf
people than Black Deaf or Deaf people of color. Many white hearing
christians who want to ‘help the poor Deaf people such as sending prayers
almost always choose to help white Deaf people to get on their feet much
faster than Black Deaf or Deaf people of color.
 ● White pastors or deacons are more likely to encourage Black Deaf or Deaf
people of color’s religions as their main identity while their racial or cultural
identities take a backseat. *Promoting color-blindness ideology*

White Deaf people are short sighted when it comes to race. HARD TRUTH...