Can someone who is severely deaf talk normally?

Thank you Signer16, Yeah there are some extreme Deafies out there, but I think a lot of the reluctance to use speech, for the deafies that have oral skills, comes directly from being very self conscious about their voices. I speak well for a dhh kid, but still.......my voice still sounds very different. I got teased and tormented about it to the extreme!
 
I too am severely deaf and can speak very well due the speech therapy for the first eight years of my life.
I have come across a lot of people and most thought im hearing cos i could speak so well.
Now i have deaf accent due to throat problems but im still thankful to be able to still speak at all.
Its the same with hearing people as not all speak clear and not all could understand one another.
If we were all to speak in the same clear speech then we would sound like a flat radio so its interesting that we all sound different.
:cheers:
 
Unegawahya said:
That's what it seems like when someone is drinking alcoholic beverages. Like one friend I have know since elementary school. She's a very shy woman never comes out of her shell. Once she was coaxed into drinking during the party, she becomes a fun socializing lady. I still can't figure out what is in the beers. One of my other friend who is physically-disabled and has to use the wheelchair 3/4 of his time. But once he was drunk, he looks like he can walk around at ease with no tripping. When he sobers up, he fell down and we had to help him back in the wheelchair. He felt embarrassed. He decides not to drink anymore and has been alcohol-free for years. Jeez. Got me scratching my head in puzzlement of why the beers can do strange things with ppl. Well, back to the topic. Sorry for hijacking the thread, it seems so interesting. :Oops:
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Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and that part of the brain that inhibits one from doing things they wouldn't normally do is severly impacted when one is drunk. One who is normally reserved, becomes gregarious and outgoing almost like he or she is free to express themselves without reprisal. They become overly confident, which explaines why it is hard to talk sense into a drunk. They think they can do anything like drive a car. Some say Oh I drive better when I am drunk. Untrue that is overconfidence talking. That is why alcohol does strange things to people. that part of the brain is let on the loose so to speak. Robbielyn
 
I am moderately deaf and many people don't pick it up and are usually surprised when I tell them. They then notice that one or two words sound a bit odd. If I want to be alone, I only need to start singing.....lol. Even the cat hides hehe.
 
Severely deaf people can talk normally--but the key is to start early. My deafness was diagnosed at 14 months. That, in language terms, is a lot of lost time. I had to suffer through speech for eight years and occasionally need a "refresher" now and then. I think it's really a matter of how much one wants it.
I wanted it.
 
I am severely and profoundly deaf, and I speak just as well as my normal hearing counterparts, sometimes I speak even better than them...I do have my lapses with the S and SH sounds, horrible ones, but the rest are fine!!

I think its really something that can be achieved...just put your mind to it!!

Kashveera
 
fyborg said:
S and SH sounds...You don't mean...
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I get what you are hinting at...but like if I have to say fish and chips....You find me battling there, but I am not on speech therapy at the moment, but I think almost everyone understands me, and that's why so many of them find it so hard to believe that I am profoundly deaf!!

Kashveera
 
Yeah, I understand what you mean ;) Really, making sure strangers can understand what you're saying is a good goal to strive for.
Not many people expect deaf people to talk, so that's kind of a surprise factor...
 
fyborg said:
Yeah, I understand what you mean ;) Really, making sure strangers can understand what you're saying is a good goal to strive for.
Not many people expect deaf people to talk, so that's kind of a surprise factor...
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Yeah, I remember once I applied to the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and subsequently had a meeting with the dean of the faculty of commerce. He encouraged my parents to send me to UNISA(a correspondence university), as he felt that I would not survive with university as it is a substantial change from school, so have I now discovered! He felt that being Deaf, I would not be able to adjust and I wouldn’t be able to speak etc, when I spoke, he literally fell of his chair. He promised me admission to the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal!!

So even our honourable deans and professors are so deaf-unaware, its SHOCKING!!

Kashveera
 
I started losing my hearing in 1985 in my left ear by 1996 i was completly deaf in both ears I still have normal speech. but have trouble saying some words or pronouncing them correctly for hearing people I was told its because that since I don't hear the words my brain has forgotten how.
 
deafdyke said:
Thank you Signer16, Yeah there are some extreme Deafies out there, but I think a lot of the reluctance to use speech, for the deafies that have oral skills, comes directly from being very self conscious about their voices. I speak well for a dhh kid, but still.......my voice still sounds very different. I got teased and tormented about it to the extreme!
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Yeah, that would be a problem if hearing made fun of your speech. I'd not want to speak around the hearing much if that were to happen to me.

I remember in middle school, two girls in gym class would ask the same question every day. They'd ask me where I got my clothes and I'd say Regency Square. They always laughed when I said Regency Square. I wondered why they'd laugh every time I said that.

Then I told a deaf friend about it and she said they prolly were making fun of my speech. I was dumbfounded. I was like I'm deaf - OF COURSE, I'm going to sound funny sometimes. What's the big deal? As it happens, I can't say the R right in certain words like rare.

I'm used to having hearing correct my speech from time to time. This is the only time I can remember anyone making fun of my speech. I can talk well but I don't quite sound like a hearing person.

I remember going up north and everyone kept saying I sounded like I came from the South. I did wonder how much of it was my accent and how much of it was deaf speech.

As for those AG oral types, I always feel like cringing when they brag how well they can speak in a Deaf newsletter.
 
I understand what you mean, I can never say the word mosquito, and people in my own family used to laugh and me, and I do feel bad, but now I have overcome that, I simply say, I'm talking about the insect that carries yellow fever!!

My voice is distinct because of my disability and a lot of people find the time to criticize it instead of doing something better, its their loss not mine, because I couldn't really care!!

Kashveera
 
I was born severely profoundly deaf and was placed in an oral school immediately upon my "diagnosis" at 7 months old. I was able to learn how to speak well enough for the general population to understand me. However, as I got older, I encountered people asking me where I was from. At first, I didnt understand it and then my mom explained to me about my voice sounding different. I got really embarrassed about that for a while and was scared to speak to strangers but eventually I overcame it and whenever people ask me that question, sometimes, I tell the truth or other times, for the fun of it, I tell them I am from France or some other country. Ha!

I am glad I was taught how to use my voice but I wasnt taught sign language which was an unfortunate thing. Matter of fact, so many people, especially my teachers, put so much empasis on my intelligence being linked to how well I was able to speak. I have had that comment "You speak so good so u must be:pissed: so smart". The link made me believe that I was smart because I could speak well so I became more and more paranoid about having the "perfect" voice or speech so people wont think I am dumb. This way of thinking hurted my self-esteem because each time a hearing person would ask me to repeat what I said, I started becoming anxious and nervous.

Now, as an adult, I have accepted my deafness and ASL and now I am very happy and comfortable with who I am. There are times when I simply don't feel like using my voice when I am out in the hearing world so I end up writing. This upsets my mom..too bad for her!

Now, I have a hearing husband who can sign but out of habit, I use my voice while signing to him. Whenever I am around a hearing person who can use ASL, I start using my voice. I dont know why that happens!!! I try to stop that habit but it must be from growing up in an hearing environment. That ever happen to anyone else too?:pissed:
 
I saw a reality TV show recently that had a HOH girl. They subtitled everything she said! I was really surprised because her voice was SO clear. I think it's kind of rude to subtitle her, it was really easy to understand her so why discriminate against her like that? She was the only HOH person on the show, and she was the only subtitled person...it didn't make sense to me. :pissed:
 
Don't underestimate people

I am a child of a severe-to profoundly deaf mother and a profoundly deaf grandfather who are/were oral. They both spoke perfectly. My mother taught hearing kindergarten for 30 years and just recently retired. She is amazing! I am a speech language pathologist and I work with deaf and HOH kiddos. I have had profoundly deaf children speak perfectly with intensive therapy and help at home and others who just don't do as well. It completely depends on the child, the family, and personal abilities. It kills me to hear people put limits on deaf and HOH individuals. I have seen people been absolutely horrible to my family members due to their hearing loss and it absolutely enrages me.

Be proud of yourselves and what you can do in this world!!!!
 
Well said Monana. I've alway said that my biggest handicap was the hearing's attitude toward my deafness.
 
Depends. I'd say ignorance is a big handicap when it comes to hearing deciding what I can or can not do. It's harder to correct than rudeness.

For example, my dad is certain I can't be a sales person because I'm deaf. I'd agree that I'd not make a great sales person but the reasons has nothing to do with my deafness. I know one ASL deaf who makes a living at selling stuff. I've never heard him speak.
 
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