DEAF CULTURE MODEL

I am deaf and I can do anything anyone else can do, except hear. I can think, rationalize, and process information just as a hearing person does. The only difference between us is how we receive and communicate information.

I have accepted who I am and I like who I am. I am Deaf not broken. I related to others who are Deaf and I enjoy being part of a group of others who respect and accept me for who I am. They never try to change me, they wouldn't dream of it.

I am just like anyone else, except I can hear, so please don't try to fix me, change me or educate me to fit into your hearing world.

PATHOLOGICAL AND  MEDICAL MODELS

You are deaf, we can help you, we can give you a cochlear implant, we can improve your life, we can change it for the better, we can make it so you can fit into our hearing world. Being Deaf makes life too difficult for everyone. We can fix you! Why wouldn't you want to hear if you could?