Breaking the Sound Barrier: A Communication on Being Deaf

Book excerpt: Imagine yourself as a normal, healthy seven-year-old child. One day you begin to feel sick, showing signs of a fever, and thinking you just have the flu, your parents tuck you into bed and tell you to rest. But as you awake some time later, you look up and realize that your father's lips are moving but you cannot hear what he is saying. The music and sounds around you are no longer there. You are deaf, and your life has abruptly and forever changed. This was author Lois Hooper Diamond's reality, and in Breaking the Sound Barrier, she takes you into the world of the millions who live without sound. Although spinal meningitis took her hearing when she was just a little girl, Lois would go on to champion and give voice to her community. Deafness is more than just hearing loss; it is a culture, and Lois answers a number of questions about hearing loss while exploring issues related to whether deaf children should be taught to lip-read and orally communicate or be encouraged to learn sign language.