Audism is the belief that the ability to hear makes one superior to those with hearing loss.
Those who support this perspective are known as audists, and they may be hearing or deaf.
The term audism was coined in 1975 in an unpublished article written by American communication and language researcher Tom L. Humphries as a way to describe discrimination against persons who are deaf.
Many people who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing continue to experience forms of discrimination in their everyday lives. Whether it be communication discrimination (where access is not made possible for someone to communicate), assumptions about what d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing people can or can not do, or being shut out of social or work environments, Audism is still a real problem.
Put simply, audism simply refers to the discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Examples of audism might include:
- not making an effort to communicate (or to communicate in a requested manner)
- Refusing to explain something to a d/Deaf or HOH person “never mind, I’ll tell you later, it doesn’t matter.”
- assuming d/Deaf people can’t do things “can deaf people…”
- approaching deafness as a tragedy “oh I’m so sorry you are deaf”
- patronising behaviour “You [do something] so well for a deaf person”
- employment discrimination.
