I know this may hurt some feelings, but hearing people getting Deaf Studies degrees make me uncomfortable.

I've been seeing more and more hearing people developing Deaf Studies scholarship and research, and becoming "experts" on Deaf culture and community.

Sometimes it feels like hearing people have more access to Deaf spaces than actual deaf people.

I can sincerely appreciate wanting to learn about other people, cultures - but a lot of people have a very voyeuristic fascination with Deaf and disabled people that makes my skin crawl, and this manifests itself often in abled leadership in Deaf and Disability Studies.

If you feel right about your Deaf Studies degree, all I ask is that you continue to use your privilege to uphold Deaf authority in those spaces and that you continue to reflect on your motivations for pursuing this work.

Deaf people need allies, but we don't need saving.

I also ask that hearing people in Deaf spaces be able to recognize that you will never be a sufficient substitution for including Deaf people in the work and world around you and to be wary of opportunities afforded to you that could be given to Deaf people instead.

The number of you who don't stop to question why you want to "help Deaf people" is frustrating. That motivation/aim is so often streaked with ableism.

Also, many of you interpreted all of this as me telling hearing people not to learn sign language - please stop getting defensive.

I just want you to be mindful of the privilege you have and stop taking so much of the resources/space that are essential for Deaf people.

Do you think Deaf people are born with access to sign language? Less than half of all American Deaf people have sign language education before adulthood. There are still systemic practices in healthcare and education to curtail sign language access for Deaf people (oralism).