The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community

by Harlan Lane

A look at the gulf that separates the deaf minority from the hearing world, this book sheds light on the mistreatment of the deaf community by a hearing establishment that resists understanding and awareness. Critically acclaimed as a breakthrough when it was first published in 1992, this new edition includes information on the science and ethics of childhood cochlear implants. An indictment of the ways in which experts in the scientific, medical, and educational establishment purport to serve the deaf, this book describes how they, in fact, do them great harm.

Genres: Nonfiction, Disability, School, History, Cultural, Read For School, Sociology

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Harlan Lane is a Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University. His research focuses on speech production and perception in hearing and deaf people and on the culture, history and manual language of the deaf world.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was jam packed with information, and I think Lane does a phenomenal job of covering all of the issues facing the Deaf community today. That being said, I do not think this is a successful book for those who have no prior knowledge of Deaf history and issues. Lane is very harsh on the hearing world, to the point that I think he risks alienating his hearing audience and making them defensive and thus non-receptive to the ideas he's presenting. As a student finishing up my third and final semester of ASL courses, I myself know enough about Deaf culture that I was not offended.

My question is: how far can you push before you've pushed too much?

[Ageena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monolinguistic oppression, eugenics, the horrible state of deaf education in this country, coupled with what I already knew and the completely lopsided information we received from the medical people when we found out John was severely hard of hearing and this book made me angry, determined and then damn determined that John will know and grow and learn and enjoy both Deaf culture, his beautiful language of ASL and learn English too. If you ever wondered why the Deaf are one of the least churched groups in the this country, or you thought that deaf = dumb because after all they can't speak clearly you need to read this book. It's eye opening and if you leave it the way that I did, determined to know both this language and it's people then you will be better off for the time that you spent with it.

[Brad McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this all because Mr. Lane has multiple chapters proving that Deaf Culture has been oppressed as badly as any minority, except y'know, slavery. I didn't need any more proof after the first chapter, so I focused on those chapters that goes into detail about two things.

First there was how ASL is a language, despite what people, including Alexander Graham Bell, thought. This is a facet of the oppression for sure, but I was more interested in the exploration of the grammar and the history. For a grammar example I (or rather Mr. Lane does) present spacial relationship difference between English and ASL:

English is terrible at describing spatial relations.
“Will is to the left of his wife” Yes, unless you’re standing behind Will, then he’s on the right.
“The table is in front of the tree.” True, but how far in front?
With ASL the placement of the signs in relation to your body makes the spatial relation much more precise. (123)

The Second is history of Deaf Culture. For example:
The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 said it’s best to teach kids in their native tongue. Except if that tongue is ASL. (120)

The second is the misaligned expectations between hearing and Deaf culture. Deaf Culture sees not their lack of hearing as a disability. In fact, Mr. Lane posits that Society creates a disability. It, much like race, is an arbitrary construction. (19) Another example is ramps. Because society decided on stairs being the way to get into a building, or up to another floor, needing a wheelchair to get around becomes a disability. If buildings were built differently, being in a wheelchair wouldn’t be seen as a disability.

Furthering this, the Cochlear Implant that has helped many a deaf person live a more fuller life, isn't always a good thing. The Deaf Community is angry at doctors insistence on "fixing" a deaf infant with a CI. They feel that the parents should be equally informed of both choices, the CI and an entrance into Deaf Culture for the child.

I had no idea how divisive a topic it was. And now that I know of it, I have no idea how I didn't have any idea of how divisive it was.

This is a fantastic book if you're looking to learn more about the history of Deaf Culture around the world, both ethical quandaries like the CI debate and linguistic exploration like how signed languages struggled to prove their worth.

[Amanda Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of an ASL class in college. First published in 1992 (and therefore I'm sure dated in its approach to the issues it tackles), it is meticulously researched, well organized, logical, and passionate in its defense of ASL as an oppressed language minority.

One could certainly argue that Dr. Lane short-changes his opponents by not really addressing their arguments on the benefits of mainstreaming Deaf children, but the purpose of this book is not to present both sides of the issues. The purpose is to demonstrate the oppression of the Deaf language and therefore their culture. Dr. Lane's position is that the Deaf child is a minority, not an invalid, and that the tendency of hearing parents to see mainstreaming as the only option is a dangerous mistake. If interested in Deaf studies, you'll find much to mull over from the text of this book.

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was slightly biased with things not explained fully, but it does give great light to the plight of the Deaf.

[Jason Pettus]

DID NOT FINISH. As friends know, here at the age of 50 I've started learning American Sign Language (ASL) for the first time, and am doing a deep dive into the politics and culture of the Deaf community with a capital "D," as a way of compensating for my ever-decreasing hearing and hopefully opening a new avenue for my shrinking social life. (See my review of A Deaf Adult Speaks Out for a long explanation of what exactly "Deaf culture" is, and why it's so important to learn about before getting involved with the community.) This 1992 book is one of the "foundational texts" on modern Deaf culture recommended to me by Michelle Jay, founder of the StartASL.com online courses I'm currently taking. The problem, though, is that it's much, much longer than most of the others (the manuscript is 300 pages, but is laid out using such small text and narrow margins that it would be more like 450 pages under normal circumstances), and written in such a dryly monotonous academic style that I found myself drifting off just a few pages into it. I've still got something like another twenty recommended books to get through, so if any particular one of them is giving me this much trouble, like this one did, I have no problems with abandoning it and moving on to the next one on the list. It should be kept in mind when deciding whether or not to read it yourself.

[Raymond Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read "When the Mind Hears" instead of this garbage. There are two things that alienate me from the idea of learning ASL and Deaf Culture--which I am learning in spite of that: The difficulty of picking up a new language, and this awful book. I have never come across a book which argues for so many thing which are good and correct, yet does so with such gross illogic and so many fallacies. This is what happens, I suppose, when Marxist Identitarian methods are used to support good things. I will continue to study ASL and learn about Deaf Culture.

[Aaron Makepeace · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a British Deaf person with profound concerns on the direction my community is going in, after reading this i was annoyed that the problems that i see are not new ones and have been highlighted by this book. Annoyed but relieved that i am not the only person who sees the trend of hearing & a new generation of deaf people increasingly referring to themselves as disabled.
This book is well written, i wouldn't call it a joy to read per se as it has a disheartening effect on me but it is certainly an important book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book, especially if you’re interested in Deaf culture, but VERY academically written. I may have simultaneously been fascinated by the subject matter and still fallen asleep. 😂 But all in all, great book.

[Alissia Zadorozhnaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has opened my eyes on how I see my brother.
It helped a lot to handle situations and improve my communication with him! I wasn’t aware of some things that my brother has gone through, felt and still feels. Thank you for the authors work.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis is an amazing book that really helps to give you a great perspective on what it must be like to be deaf, and how "normal" people would treat you. It is a great look into Cochelear Implants and how they are detrimental to some, and helpful to others. I think that everyone should read this book.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading this, I felt two things:
1) this wasn't really telling me anything new as a Deaf person
2) wow! really anti-hearing people perspective.

I think this would be an okay book to read if you're new to the Deaf world and aren't sure why things should be different. However, as someone already affiliated with it, I'm not feeling too hot about this book.

[AJW · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I read the older 1992 edition.]
It's very helpful read for people who don't realise that the Deaf have a very "different centre" for their values, experiences and expectations from hearing people. So many sincere hearing people with good intentions actually make it worse because they're using a "different centre" - imposing their own cultural values and perspectives onto Deaf people.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as last time. An evocative look at the underpinnings of what it means to be culturally (or "big D") Deaf, discrimination and oppression from the larger hearing majority under the guise of benevolence, and a validation of Deaf culture. Can't wait to discuss this with my advanced level sign students.

[Loz Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and concise. Very interesting. Brings to your attention what sounds like madness but has actually gone on and is going on in the deaf culture and community.
Taught a 1 and a half hour presentation in sign on chapter 2.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite its academic style that may be difficult for some people but I am educated to understand this and it is well written and researched. Very powerful with an impact for both Deafs and hearings alike. Don't be afraid to read it again and again to truly understand this eye-opening book!

[Sarah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

On of the best books for insight into the Deaf Community. I bought this book for a college course, but I kept it rather than selling it back to the bookstore. It is a fantastic read.

[Bob Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look into the persecution of the Deaf community.

[Bamilburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life and helped me gain a Deaf (capital D) identity. I'm no longer a bitter, jaundiced dude, thanks to this gem :)

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book that helps to disgrace and/or 'lay it straight' about people who think they are 'helping' the deaf when in fact they are hurting the people they are supposed to serve.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hearing might find this one to be full of surprises.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic one by Lane, lays it out for you, no prisoners, no whitewashing. Makes you think and realize. Not as easy a read as When the Mind Hears, less story, but still great.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informational i liked it

[Christina Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dry and boring writing, very one sided, and a little hypocritical. There are way better Deaf culture books out there. I wouldn't want to read another Harlan Lane book again if I didn't have to.

[Stefany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for a linguistics class. Really interesting look into the history of Deaf culture in the US.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Champ!! Very good resource and reference!

[Julie Stamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dense, informative look into the Deaf World

[Tady je Lubošovo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tahle knížka je odbornější než jsem čekal. Autor si dal velkou práci s výzkumem a téměř všechno má pečlivě podložené. Bohužel knížka už je víc jak 20 let stará, takže (naštěstí) nereflektuje současnou situaci. Aspoň doufám.
Harlan Lane v této knize líčí neslyšící osoby jako utiskovanou minoritu. Vidí je jako domorodce, které zlí slyšící kolonizátoři nutí, aby se jim přizpůsobili a popřeli vlastní jazyk a kulturu. Poukazuje na nedostatky ve vzdělávání neslyšících, diskriminaci, dominantní postavení slyšících poslanců a odborníků. Naprosto odsuzuje orální výchovu, kochleární implantáty, inkluzivní vzdělávání apod. Autor navíc většinou jen popisuje problémy a překážky, ale nenabízí žádná řešení.
Pevně věřím, že situace není zase až tak špatná a za dobu, která uplynula od napsání díla, se vyvíjí k lepšímu. Knihu doporučuju lidem, kteří se o neslyšící už nějakou dobu zajímají. Pro laiky nebude příliš stravitelná.