Present, But Powerless
Sometimes being in the room is mistaken for having power.
I’ve noticed that Deaf people can be present in decisions while still having little influence over what happens.
Presence is often used as evidence of inclusion.
But power is not equally shared.
Deaf people are frequently present in meetings, appointments, classrooms, and decisions, while control over information, pace, and outcomes remains elsewhere.
Attendance becomes a substitute for participation.
A seat may be offered, but authority is not.
Presence is recorded, while influence is absent.
This is visible in delayed access, late-arriving information, and decisions made before communication is fully accessible.
On paper, Deaf people were present.
In practice, the conditions needed for participation were not in place.
In this structure, visibility is used to signal inclusion while decision-making remains out of reach.
Inclusion is not being in the room.
It is having the power to shape what happens there.
