Letters to the Deaf: Present-Day Relevance of History’s Earliest Social Analysis of Deafness

Abstract

Harriet Martineau was a 19th-century sociologist who had a progressive form of deafness. Her 1834 essay, Letters to the Deaf, was the earliest historical document depicting the social challenges of hearing loss. Martineau details complex situations that hard-of-hearing people experienced in the 19th century such as social isolation due to frustrations with communication, physician shortcomings, limited music appreciation, and the stigma of hearing amplification devices. Her descriptions of these experiences are commonly faced by hard-of-hearing people in present-day society. Advancements in technology and recognition of the negative social impact of hearing loss have improved the social experience for the hard of hearing; however, social challenges remain relevant. In this article, we review Letters to the Deaf and note the ways in which this essay provides a dual perspective regarding how much we have advanced as a society and how much we still have to overcome in addressing the social challenges of hearing loss.