The Double-Edged Sword of Privilege

Make the choice that makes your heart sing, and don't let anyone make you feel guilty for that choice.

Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash

A couple of facts I learned about deafness in the world today…

• Approximately 56 million deaf people, 80% of the 70 million deaf people in our world today, receive no education at all. (World Federation of the Deaf) [For perspective, Italy has a population of 58.99 million.]

• Only about 1-2% of deaf people across the globe access education through sign language. (World Federation of the Deaf) [This means about 1.4 million deaf people worldwide have access to education via sign language. “Access” is not clearly defined.]

I’ve been sitting with these numbers after a discussion of similar figures yesterday with a fellow researcher. My heart is heavy.

I am definitely privileged. It is a heavy feeling, however. To be standing on the top of a mountain, looking out at the view, knowing that below the clouds is filled with souls unaware of the view on top. Maybe not even able to comprehend the possibility of even reaching the edge of the cloud cover.

What do I do with this privilege?

I could become a researcher. But this does not make my heart sing, not anymore. Because I would just be competing with the even smaller number of other privileged deaf people above the cloud cover for resources for results that may or may not make a difference for those without the tools to reach the top.

I would much rather use my language skills as a tool to help others through the cloud cover.

Whoever said, “those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach” have absolutely no clue the damage of that statement.