Subject: Re: Accessibility for Deaf
From: Randal Rust <[email-masked]>
To: WAI-IG <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2005 09:30:44 -0400
List-Id: <w3c-wai-ig.w3.org>

On 10/7/05, [email-masked]
<[email-masked]> wrote:

> You miss my point about cultural weighting.

No, I understand what you are saying.

> I would suggest that "dumb" has such a strong sense of "stupidity" that whatever other context it is used in it still carries that meaning as well.

And I completely disagree. When I hear or see /deaf and dumb/ used or
written together, I completely understand what it means within the
context. People are smart enough to know what you mean.

> It is not an exact science, hence the need for sensitivity.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't be sensitive. But, of all places
in the world where people should certainly understand the use of the
word within the proper context, this would be the place.

Of course, the term should be used responsibly, but to suggest that it
can be removed from context is just plain ridiculous, especially when
the context is so clear.

By no means am I condoning or criticizing the word. My issue lies
completely with saying that the word always means a particular thing,
regardless of context.

--
Randal Rust
www.r2communications.com