When hearing people fear awkwardness more than exclusion, nothing changes.

Written By Stephanie Todd

Micro-Stories series

Soft, muted photograph of a woman sitting alone at a table in an office break room, looking down quietly while a group of coworkers chat together in the background holding mugs.

The pause.

The nervous smile.

The “never mind.”

 

Comfort is protected.

Access is not.

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Stephanie Todd
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When Deaf support is treated like generic support, access disappears.
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When Deaf people feel they have to apologise for existing, it’s not politeness. It’s conditioning.