Persuade me that deafness & hearing impairment are not best thought of as disabilities.

You know, many insurance won’t cover hearing aid because its cosmetic. Just because some people have more ability than others doesn’t mean their accessibility needs can be ignore. Its too bad govt get to decide what is consider disabled and whats not. it can be discriminating . So disabled in accessibility act??? I think they can word it better

How does a passenger converse with a driver that is deaf, and vice-versa?

Is it really imporant to you?

Cite? I know of health insurance plans that include/don’t include certain things depending on what type of plan you want to pay for, but total refusal because of "cosmetic’ reasons?

Ask your own insurance: do you cover hearing aids? And ask why

I didn’t know that “importance” was a prerequisite, but if I said yes, would you answer the question?

Your claim-your cite. Got one?

I dont think its important.but they do sign some in the car.

Not that anyone’s going to go back and rename a law (it doesn’t make much sense and it’s a poor use of Congress’ time), but I think the idea was that it be named the Accessability Act instead of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If it needed a new name, that’s a pretty good suggestion. It doesn’t replace the term disabled, though.

The revised ADA defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual.” “Major life activities” are defined like this:

As far as I’m concerned, these are very solid definitions.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/disability_issues&id=7262611

And how does the driver sign without taking hands off the steering wheel, and how does the passenger sign without forcing the driver to turn and see the signs instead of looking at the road?
Not that this is important, of course.

They use their leg. But most use one hand on the wheel. And some do it at a stop. Other than that i dont think they really care to use a car as a kitchen table conversation

And here is a clearer picture of what is available throughout the country. If that isn’t enough info, google “insurance for hearing aids” and see what is available.

Yeah, it had to be mandate by the govt because insurance did not want to pay hearing aids especially age related loss. So they labeled it comestic. Even medicaid don’t always cover it

I hope to ghod that first sentence was just a poor joke. The fact of the matter is most people converse in cars, but the hearing can do it without having to look at the person they are talking to or let go of the steering wheel, because to do otherwise is unsafe.

Hearing people look at me while driving all the time

Evolution at work: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-06/uos-rht060111.php

It’s not evolution unless the trait gets passed along to offspring. What this is is adapting to your circumstances. It’s definitely a good thing, and it’s also consistent with what has been posted about different brain wiring in people who are deaf from birth or early childhood.

Hearing people sometimes wave their hands and arms when they talk, but when driving, they shouldn’t for obvious safety reasons. It is possible for the hearing to communicate with each other in a moving vehicle in a totally safe manner. Can you say the same for the deaf?

I think it was wired before birth if they are genetically deaf. And who knows what the future holds. I know that some people think we mutation for a reason like sickle cells