Do We Hear Them?
Inclusion and recognition are the path to ministry
with deaf individuals.
By Larry R. Evans
Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see. —Mark Twain
In many ways it
Do We Hear Them?
Inclusion and recognition are the path to ministry
with deaf individuals.
By Larry R. Evans
Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see. —Mark Twain
In many ways it was a Sabbath like any other. As a representative of the Seventh-day Adventist world church headquarters, I frequently speak in churches and other meetings while traveling on business. This particular Sabbath I had the privilege of addressing a group of church members attending a large regional gathering in Brazil. To close my message, I invited the group to stand together and hold hands during prayer. Nothing unusual about that—except that in this situation I was inadvertently exhibiting insensitivity toward the people before me, who were Deaf.1
“We don’t hold hands,” one person gently explained to me, “because we use them to pray. Instead, we sometimes touch feet with one another as a symbol of unity while one person uses their hands to pray and the rest of us look on.” Fortunately, I hadn’t asked them to bow their heads and close their eyes!
Developing a ministry for Adventists worldwide who are Deaf is part of my current responsibilities as associate in the General Conference Stewardship Department and liaison to the church’s International Deaf Ministries. For more than two decades I’ve gradually been learning about this unique culture, whose feelings of isolation, exclusion, and aloneness while living in a hearing world often go unnoticed. This experience taught me, however, that I still had much to learn.
A Worldwide People Group
Estimates of the number of Deaf in the world are difficult to substantiate. Reports range from 93 million to more than 300 million, although it’s likely that those termed “hard of hearing” are being included. According to Deaf World Ministries, if the Deaf “were gathered together in one place they would comprise the fourth-largest nation in the world.”2 Suffice it to say, there’s a large international population of Deaf. Because they have difficulty communicating with the hearing world, few of us realize what a vast mission field they represent.
It’s estimated that only 2 percent of those within the Deaf culture are Christian.3 To compound the challenge of sharing the gospel message with them, there is no single commonly used sign language. Within some countries, multiple sign language dialects are used. Recent research by Wycliffe Bible Translators concluded that nearly 400 identifiable deaf languages exist worldwide, for which only 40 have a Bible translation in some visual form.4 That alone should cause us to pause and consider the urgency to reach out to this distinct people group.
Unlike some people groups, the Deaf are not gathered in specific geographic areas. Instead, they’re embedded within the general population and often connecting with them is difficult. One of the greatest challenges, however, hangs on the misunderstandings of who the Deaf are.
Disability Versus Culture
It may surprise some, but if given the opportunity not all Deaf would choose to hear. I have asked large groups of Deaf in various countries, “If it were possible for you to hear, would that be something you would want?” More than half said no. Why? Because for the Deaf, relationships are vital, and to become hearing would essentially mean leaving their cultural world of relationships.
One of the first thoughts that often comes to mind when hearing the term deaf is of someone who is disabled—but disabled compared with whom? Compared with the hearing, of course—as if every person, whether hearing or deaf, is proficient in every way. This concept is promoted with public signage often referred to as “signs for the handicapped,” when what the signs actually indicate is a lack of accessibility. No culture as a whole would appreciate being identified as “disabled.” It’s understandable that many Deaf are sensitive to this label.
There’s much more to deafness than not being able to hear. For example, the bond that the Deaf have with one another is very strong. It transcends the inability to hear as others do. Deaf cultures are as resilient and meaningful as other world cultures.
“Culture” is a reference to the full range of learned behavior patterns and a sense of identity. Deaf gatherings such as worship or Communion services, potlucks, or get-togethers with friends are filled with distinctive behavior patterns. Their language includes facial and hand expressions for communicating—not just words but a whole range of concepts.
Sometimes hearing persons may unintentionally appear insensitive to the Deaf because of not understanding the ways of their culture. And just as there is no single, common, worldwide Deaf language, so too do Deaf cultures vary from region to region. The road of kindness begins with an intentional sensitivity to 