* Negative stereotypes: Assumptions about deaf people's intelligence, abilities, or social skills based on their use of sign language.
* Exclusion: Denying deaf people access to services or opportunities because they use sign language, such as refusing to provide interpreters or accommodations.
* Verbal abuse: Making fun of or mocking someone's sign language or their deafness in general.
* Treating sign language as inferior: Dismissing sign language as a "primitive" or "lesser" form of communication compared to spoken language.
Signism is a form of ableism, which is discrimination against people with disabilities. It reinforces the idea that spoken language is the only "true" or "valid" form of communication, and that deaf people are somehow "less than" because they rely on sign language.
Examples of signism:
* Telling a deaf person to "speak up" or "learn to talk" even though they communicate using sign language.
* Assuming that all deaf people are mute and cannot speak at all.
* Making jokes about sign language or deaf people in a way that is disrespectful.
* Refusing to provide a sign language interpreter for a deaf person attending a meeting or event.
It is important to recognize and challenge signism in order to create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.