TV

I love watching TV. Probably a bit too much. I follow a lot of different series; Private Practice, NCIS, Dexter, Supernatural, Special Victim's Unit... Far too many! Now, being deaf and watching TV isn't easy. Luckily, most programmes have subtitles. For the ones that don't, I use the neat little TV gadget.

However, I do prefer reading the subtitles, as I have to sit in a certain position with the gadget and not move. It's a nuisance. But I am aware that subtitles are a nuisance for hearing people. Most people put up with it. It's just one of those things. But I do know that some people prefer not to watch movies or TV with me, as they find the subtitles distracting. It annoys them. It gives away what people will say before they say it. One time I was watching a movie with a bunch of people and someone said 'what idiot put the subtitles on?' There was an awkward silence until I said 'it's for me, I'm deaf'. He accepted that, was slightly embarassed, but I do think that it annoyed him.

It's difficult sometimes, knowing you are the cause for people's annoyance and there's nothing you can do about it. So for those that it frustrates, I try not to watch too much TV with them. Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother most people. And it means a lot to me when people put the subtitles on without me having to remind them and ask them. It does sometimes feel like I'm putting people out, and that I am annoying them for needing subtitles. But luckily, most people don't seem to mind too much.

But not everything has subtitles. It's always a nuisance when they don't. Before I got my nifty TV gadget, I had to have the volume on extremely loud if subtitles weren't available - very annoying for the people in the room!

On the subject of TV, there is one programme that I absolutely love. It's called 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye', and follows a deaf woman FBI agent. It's great. In my opinion there aren't enough shows that feature deaf or disabled people. Almost every show that I know of is about hearing, non-disabled people. It can sometimes be a tad bit frustrating - no one says that TV is realistic, but it does make it seem as if the world is made up of hearing people alone. Very few shows feature succesful deaf people as their lead character.

Yes, we are in the minority, but we are still here. Don't forget about us! Don't ignore us! You might not think it, but we are around. Most people don't notice, or they aren't looking. But there are a lot of us out there. Almost every day I spot people signing to each other. It would be nice to be represented on the TV as well.

Which is why I love Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye, as not only is the character deaf, but the actress is as well. It's lovely to see a deaf person be recognised as succesful in mainstream society. Of course, there are quite a few deaf actors and actresses out there, but hardly any are in many succesful mainstream programmes. This doesn't include Shoshannah Stern, who plays in Jericho - again, it's great to see deaf people represented in a mainstream TV series.

And I can name quite a few famous deaf people - the founder of Girl Scouts in America (Juliette Low), Connie Briscoe, Matt Hamil, Ashley Fiolek etc.

Not really sure where I'm going with this. I suppose I wish more 'minorities' were represented on TV - and that TV itself catered for deaf people by providing subtitles for every program - as it gets frustrating when the program I want to watch doesn't have subtitles, but the adverts do!

Deaf Girl