Term ‘Deaf-Mute’ belongs in past

The Deaf community are outraged with the use of inappropriate language describing Deaf people in the recent media coverage of missing person Emma Agnew.

The Deaf Association of New Zealand has sent out a media release stating that “The Deaf community ask that the term deaf-mute be left to history as it relates to a time long gone when Deaf people were not regarded as fully competent members of our community – of course a perception that is quite wrong”.

Deaf Association New Zealand (Inc)
Media Release
19 November 2007

DEAF-MUTE term angers Deaf community

As the Deaf community rally around the family and friends of missing Christchurch woman Emma Agnew, many are expressing anger and frustration at the use of the term ‘deaf-mute’ to describe Emma.

Emma is an articulate and effective communicator, and the use of the term mute implies that she does not have the capacity to communicate.  Emma uses New Zealand Sign Language, New Zealand’s third official language and communicates in many different ways depending on the circumstances that she is in.

Deaf Association Chief Executive Rachel Noble said: “Emma’s family and friends prefer that Emma be described as a Deaf woman.”

She went on to say: “Each of us in the Deaf community has our own voice.  For most of us, our first language is New Zealand Sign Language, and as with any others our language is the window to our culture.  To describe us as mute is to say we do not have language.  This does not recognise our rich and full language – or our culture.  Our language is precious to us as it is to most people.  It is time the media recognised our language and refrained from using the term mute.”

The Deaf community ask that the term deaf-mute be left to history as it relates to a time long gone when Deaf people were not regarded as fully competent members of our community – of course a perception that is quite wrong.

Read the latest article about the search for Emma.