ABSTRACT
The term hitchhiker is used to represent the types of errors that can be made when hearing people attempt to understand deaf individuals solely from a hearing viewpoint. For many of these hitchhikers, their view of deafness focuses on a lack of hearing or a sensory deficit. This "broken ear" view was clearly captured on the March 11,1990 60 Minutes (Hewitt, 1990) segment with I. King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. The interviewer asked Jordan if he would take a pill to regain his hearing. This comment caused a strong response from Jordan, who told the interviewer, "I don't live in silence. I live in a beautiful, visual world, and so many things catch my attention visually that you may miss." In an attempt to show the interviewer how ridiculous her question was, Jordan asked: "Would you be offended if I asked you, 'Suppose I could give you a pill and it would make you a man?' Would you be interested in becoming a man?" This comment clearly caught the interviewer off guard, but demonstrated how insulting it is when hearing individuals assume that deaf individuals feel broken. Jordan's comment, "But still you see something missing," again highlights how the hitchhiker often views a deaf person. Jordan's response to a question about deafness causing a significant absence was that deafness is not a significant absence but is a significant difference.
