The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community [Hardcover]

Harlan Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1992

An indictment of the ways in which experts in the scientific, medical, and educational establishment purport to serve the deaf, describes how they, in fact, do them great harm.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Audism" is the term that Northeastern University psychology professor Lane, who is not deaf, uses in this forceful indictment of what he calls "the hearing establishment," which he portrays as a colonial power overseeing the needs of deaf subjects. Hearing "experts" (at least the ones who can hear) demean deaf people, who, he writes, view themselves as an ethnic group, and who tend to marry among themselves. A deaf mother recalls her response upon learning that her newborn was deaf: "I wasn't disappointed. I thought, it will be all right. We are both deaf so we will know what to do." Lane derides the financial motivation of those who urge upon deaf patients cochlear implants, a procedure with mixed results based on a painful, complicated bone-drilling process. Those who are deaf, he observes, are not handicapped; they have heightened visual powers. His book is an eye-opener.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Written to stir both action and feeling, The Mask of Benevolence is thought-provoking in all areas of deaf studies. In particular, Lane focuses on the differences between the deaf as disabled and the deaf as a linguistic minority. He argues for a more coherent and compassionate society, one in which the deaf choose what is best for them--in areas such as education, politics, philosophy, and language. Specifically, Lane's research is about people who grow up deaf, acculturated to the manual language and the society of the deaf community. He writes again, as he did in his When the Mind Hears ( LJ 10/15/84), of the historical perspective and positive conceptualization of deaf individuals. Lane is thorough, detailed, and intensive in relating the deaf world to the hearing, and he backs up his opinions with facts, research, and vivid detail. As there are no other current titles that so eloquently clarify the differences between the deaf and hearing worlds, Lane's book is highly recommended for all collections.
- Emily Ferren, Carroll Cty. P.L., Westminster, Md.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (April 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679404627
• ISBN-13: 978-0679404620
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly negative tone, thought-provoking content., December 11, 2002

By 

A. Grace (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community (Paperback)

I found this book to be engaging almost from the beginning; it is meticulously researched, well organized, logical, yet passionate in its defense of an oppressed language minority. One could certainly argue that Mr. Lane short-changes his opponents by not really addressing their arguments on the benefits of mainstreaming Deaf children, but the purpose of this book is not to present both sides of the issues; the purpose is to demonstrate the oppression of the Deaf language and therefore their culture. It provides strong evidence that the Deaf child is a minority, not an invalid, and that the tendency of hearing parents to see mainstreaming as the only option is a dangerous mistake. This is deep reading and scholarly writing, at times to the point of near inaccessibility to a mainstream audience. However, it is convincing and eye-opening if one is willing to put the effort into reading it.

Sadly, the reader from New Jersey seems to have missed the point of this book. By condemning Mr. Lane as refusing to "recognize that different lifestyles are better for different people," he fails to see that Mr. Lane defends the Deaf as a different lifestyle that deserves to be recognized! This book is not saying that no Deaf (especially late-deafened adults) should try to learn lip-reading or consider cochlear implants. It is simply saying that those Deaf who wish to take part in Deaf culture, who wish to be Deaf, should be given that option as well.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Saved My Deaf Son's Life, January 13, 2006

By 

Katherine Graham "Katherine Graham" (Sparta, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community (Paperback)

It was a long time ago...perhaps 15 years. My kid had been diagnosed as Deaf or "deaf" by the hearing community with a small "d." In those days, parents (especially a hearing parent like myself) had no options. Technology for "aided" hearing in all forms was the rage. ASL was not allowed even in the "deaf" school he attended. But my son could hear nothing even with powerful hearing aids. So, for me, a NJ criminal appellate attorney (for 20 yrs), I wanted facts-not-fluff. Dr. Lane's book in Hardcover was released in 1992. When I read the review in the NY Times Sunday Book Review section, I could not drive fast enough to get a copy. Holed up for a day, I read it front to back. And then I knew. No. My vocation was not going to be a criminal attorney, I needed to become an advocate or "the law firm" for one - my own kid. And we needed to move out of NJ so good-bye law practice and the money. Had it not been for this book, though, he would not be graduating to attend a great college next year. Please buy this book. Please do not let "them" tell you it is "radical." Go for it. I beg you....

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and thought-provoking, July 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community (Paperback)

Harlan Lane shows how Deafness is a cultural affiliation and only through the hearing world's oppression does it become a disability. Very well-written and researched, Lane digs deep into the Deaf culture and history to bring us this excellent resource. I believe that anyone saying that this work is biased and obsolete holds biased and obsolete viewpoints themselves. Come into this with an open mind, and you will leave a better person. Highly recommended!