Inspiring: 'We Are Deaf. Not Mute, Not Defective, and There Is a Way to Communicate with Us'

Michal Gorlik - a 26-year-old graphic and fashion designer, Shirley Pinto - a 27-year-old law intern, Sherry Barak - a 26-year-old business administration graduate, Benny Shukron - a 26-year-old creative writing student, and Maor Ben Ze’ev from Tel Aviv who works at a school for education - all share a common trait: they are all deaf. Not hearing impaired, deaf.

And all of them have an important message to convey to Israeli society that surrounds them. In an exceptional documentation, the five were asked to describe their integration into society and the questions they face, such as how long they have suffered from deafness. "I suffer, suffer, suffer...", begins Maor Ben Ze’ev jokingly, and immediately adds: "Come on, really. I don't suffer. I enjoy being deaf".

"I truly don't understand what it means to suffer," Michal Gorlik joins in. "I suffer from the environment that limits me".

Sherry Barak: "I suffer from the society that limits me. My whole life, I suffer from lack of accessibility and lack of awareness. Not from deafness itself".

When the five were asked how they became hearing impaired, it appears this question greatly frustrated them, and rightfully so. "There is no such thing as hearing impaired. There is hard of hearing or deaf and that’s it," says Ben Ze’ev.

"You don’t say hearing impaired. For me, impaired means defective, and I don’t see myself as defective," Barak also explains.

"I am deaf. Dear people - I am a deaf person," says Pinto.

"You defined me as impaired. I don’t want to be defined as impaired. You are impaired," Shukron says.

Deaf-Mute? A Fatal Mistake. No Such Thing

How do you communicate with a deaf-mute? Well, it seems many of us don’t quite grasp the difference between the two. "Okay. Deaf is not mute. These are two separate things. Like oil and water - they cannot mix," all five will say in unison. "We have never encountered a deaf person who is also mute. We are not mute! We are not mute! And we want to break the stigma, because there is no such thing as deaf-mute. Deaf-mute is a mistake, and we’re exhausted from explaining this all the time."

So... how do you communicate with a deaf person? "There are many ways," explains Barak. "You can use sign language, text messages, writing, lip reading. Everything but a phone call".

Like Maor Ben Ze’ev, many deaf people are skilled in lip reading and use hearing aids - but still, they feel 'at home' only when using sign language. Why? "When I sign, I feel the most natural and express myself in the best way - until flames come out of my hands," says Maor, and Shirley Pinto adds: "Without sign language, I don’t feel human. Something important is taken from me".