Growing up I was taught to more or less hide my deafness as my dad always told me it would be the one thing that would push people away. So for years and years and years I hid it. But then I finally got on the Internet and started googling on ways to deal with it as I had no friends to speak of at that time, that's when I landed on AllDeaf and man I'm glad I found AD.com.
It's not been a life changer, but it's definitely helped to teach me ways to better deal with my situation.
I feel sad when I hear about another deaf person who is in a crowded room but still feels like the loneliest person on earth because of the communication barrier. Too many times I have been in the same social situation. I could be in a crowded cafeteria at school, but I still felt like the loneliest person because no one would communicate with me, or I couldn't communicate with them. Like this woman you have met, I believe people don't actually know her, but they only know of her. The only way to really get to know a person is to communicate and exchange thoughts and ideas. To feel ashamed of who you are, it kills your self esteem. Once your self-esteem is gone, it takes ages to build back what others have torn down.
I've learned that being deaf isn't something to be ashamed of. It's just a part of me the same way my toes are a part of me.
