I remember a poster saying you don't have to id as deaf a couple of years back; she is postlingual for the record. She seemed to think that deaf conformed to this due to peer pressure.
Well by the 4th grade, I already ID'd as a deaf person and I was in mainstream after leaving the oral program. I was the only deaf in that school at the time so peer pressure wasn't a factor.
Being around the hearing is a constant reminder of my deafness so there's no escape from it.
