Deaf or HoH?

You should say whatever you feel like!
 
mbrek said:
The reason I ask, I introduced myself at a deaf night out, and told him I was HoH. He asked Hoh, or deaf? I reaffirmed HoH, looking a bit puzzled. I did just tell him HoH...

I don't have any problems with being deaf, if I ever get that far. But I can still "pass myself off" as a hearie. I go without my HAs most of the time, except in social situations. I don't wear them at home much - and I do most errands without them as well (although it may get tricky if I really need to talk to someone).

I just wasn't sure where the line in the sand is... because I know even some people who are deaf can hear some sounds. I always assumed deaf was absolutely no sound at all.
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I think it depend what is comfortable for you and your identity. I say always, growing up, HoH but born severe/profound. Only label like that because embarrass say 'deaf' to people. Now? Deaf!

Probably deaf friends ask for clarify because *SO* many of us use HoH label because raised oral deaf and mainstream and many of us taught that not as bad if only say HoH. People will not treat as bad if HoH. So, deaf friend clarify to be sure 'HoH' as differentiated to deaf. Does that make sense? :giggle:
 
You become Deaf when you accept your hearing loss and don't try to be hearing anymore. Being hard of hearing is the netherworld between the hearing world and the Deaf world.
 
katz4life said:
I get embarrassed sometimes when a hearie friend(s) order foods to the waitress/waiter for me instead I can do the order on my own without any hearie's help. >=[
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Uggh! That pisses me off! WHY do they do that? I'm quite capable of ordering my own flipping food!!
 
I would rather called myself deaf instead of HOH. If I take my HA off, I'm totally deaf. HA is assistive device, if you take your glass off, you are near blindness! Glasses are assistive device as well.

Years ago, when I joined deaf bowling league. Many of them hardly noticed anything if I'm HOH or deaf since I signed fluent just like ordinary deaf groupies. Well, one guy got little suspicious of me and he asked me if I'm deaf or HOH. I told him that I'm deaf. Few minutes later, my old alpha-numeric pager went off and my IT guy need me to call him. So, I walk up to pay phone and call him, I have my phone rested against my HA. Suddenly I felt a hard jolted back of my head, which is the same guy who asked me if I'm deaf or HOH, made a hard slapped back of my head, I turned my head to him and he threw a fit signing to me "YOU ARE HOH!! NOT DEAF!!" Then he walked away. I was like... what the f**cking hell!!

You know, I'm proud deaf, so I decided this, If I'm with deaf groups, I'll say HOH, If I'm with hearing group, I'll say deaf. Of course hearing people wouldn't smacked the back of my head!!
 
SneakerNet said:
I would rather called myself deaf instead of HOH. If I take my HA off, I'm totally deaf. HA is assistive device, if you take your glass off, you are near blindness! Glasses are assistive device as well.

Years ago, when I joined deaf bowling league. Many of them hardly noticed anything if I'm HOH or deaf since I signed fluent just like ordinary deaf groupies. Well, one guy got little suspicious of me and he asked me if I'm deaf or HOH. I told him that I'm deaf. Few minutes later, my old alpha-numeric pager went off and my IT guy need me to call him. So, I walk up to pay phone and call him, I have my phone rested against my HA. Suddenly I felt a hard jolted back of my head, which is the same guy who asked me if I'm deaf or HOH, made a hard slapped back of my head, I turned my head to him and he threw a fit signing to me "YOU ARE HOH!! NOT DEAF!!" Then he walked away. I was like... what the f**cking hell!!

You know, I'm proud deaf, so I decided this, If I'm with deaf groups, I'll say HOH, If I'm with hearing group, I'll say deaf. Of course hearing people wouldn't smacked the back of my head!!
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That guy is F---king immature!! Ok, you can talk on phone. He did not have to slap ya really hard. Damn. Some people!!
 
Usually, I tell people I'm HoH and I've been described as HoH by my deaf parents. Was sent to an oral school at a young age to learn to speak and wear HAs in both ears. Most people are shocked to find out I'm HoH, they usually think I'm foreign because I have a slight "accent" when I speak. But without my HAs, I can't hear a darn thing, and I am quite fluent in ASL and can communicate well with any d/Deaf person. But I agree with one of the above comments, being HoH is like being in the netherlands. You never know where you really belong...
 
HOH because I can still talk on phone and watch tv at blasting levels without aids. (not fun for the neighbors)

But now the Audi think I have APD as well... I know nothing about this
 
mbrek said:
What is the point where you decide you are not just hard of hearing, but deaf?
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When you can no longer hear without technical assistance. However, since I have no hearing in one ear and use technical assistance in another it would be misleading so I go with HoH.
 
Confusing. I really don't want to give the wrong impression of my state of hearing to the deaf community just when I'm trying to make connections and friends there...

What's the best way to introduce myself as in the Deaf community? I am... 1) HOH or 2) deaf?
 
VacationGuy234 said:
When you can no longer hear without technical assistance. However, since I have no hearing in one ear and use technical assistance in another it would be misleading so I go with HoH.
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Having lived a life in a hearing world, I really do not care what either side thinks I should be called. What is more important is to come to terms with how it affects my life.
 
DeafBadger said:
Confusing. I really don't want to give the wrong impression of my state of hearing to the deaf community just when I'm trying to make connections and friends there...

What's the best way to introduce myself as in the Deaf community? I am... 1) HOH or 2) deaf?
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I don't know DeafBadger, but your question reminded me of something interesting.

If you say you are a little hard of hearing to a hearing person, they interpret that to mean that you have a very minor loss.

If you sign that you are a little hard of hearing to a Deaf person, they interpret that to mean that you are almost deaf. (If they assume that you are fluent enough in sign to understand how they would sign it.)

I think I would sign a little hard of hearing to a Deaf person; I do tell hearing people that I'm partially deaf.

I wouldn't tell a hearing person that I'm deaf because IMHO it's disrespectful to all the people that MUST use relay services if they want to call people who don't have a VP, TTY or won't use IM.

I don't like to tell a hearing person that I'm hard of hearing because there's a big difference between how I hear and how a person with a mild to moderate loss hears and I think that difference is important.

Lately I've been wondering, if I should correct people who use the term "hearing impaired." In the past, as much as I dislike that term, I've taken a you say tomahto and I say tomayto approach. But the posters here who say that "hearing impaired" pushes the idea that that term says we are broken have convinced me that the use and acceptance of this term can be harmful.

So, do any of you correct people who say the term "hearing impaired" in front of you? How do you do so? FWIW, I'm a big believer in making the attempt to phrase things in a way that people can hear, no matter how tempted I may be to indulge my anger and let off a lot of steam.
 
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My response either: I neither hearing nor impaired (if sober) or if drinking: I totally impaired but still not hearing!
 
Am I Hard Of Hearing Or Deaf

Interesting comunit at most who said whiter if they were or are HOH or Deaf. Some time it is hard to make a reasonable judgement to know ourselves well enough
. It more likely better for people describing our character before describing ourselves
.

I have decide to share my words about this topic as well. Once I was a young child, I knew I was Deaf because of how I am the only one in family memeber wearing hearing aids. How every one of them understood one another well as I couldn't. How I also couldn't speak well like them at that time. Until I grew older and older with a lot practice to understand the hearing people speaking a long with both hearing aids on my ears and able to speak well like the hearing people, I began to think I was no longer Deaf but knowing I was Hard Of Hearing. Reason I say this because of how I have notice myselfs co
mmunicate along well with a person
. Some of them didn't
notice I was partly Deaf until they realize I was wearing hearing aids. I used to work as cashier at the gas stations servicing customer. Yet, I still kept in mind that I was still partly Deaf because of how I wear hearing aids. Without it, it would put me in a Deaf zone or lost of opportunity in the hearing world. I can't live without the hearing aids for a better benifit. Another way knowing that I was still partly Deaf side, I have a limit to be like a hearing person. For example, I can understand and speak with a signal person at a time. But can't communicate or understand well at 100% within a group of people or more then 2 or 3 persons talking at a time.

Until one day, thing got hardly on me about whichever I am on the Deaf side or likely on the hearing side when I apply for SSI. When a time I couldn't find a job that would hire me or had no income while attending college with VR support. I was found 8 times not qualify to receive SSI because they find me not disabilitie Deaf and can work. This is where I began to not knowing myself enough which side am I on, the Deaf world or the hearing world. I felt I was between it. In the middle of the two sides.

Today, as I am working for DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines, I still believe I am in the middle on both side. Still being able to customer service by making the sub ordering or cashing out their order. I do believe and agree on both side by how the Deaf world said I am deaf and it not easy to get a job, you are qualify to receive SSI. The hearing world say, you can work and you can communicate just fine, no need SSI. The only trouble is, I disagree one small thing about me what the Social Service claim me as not disabilitie Deaf.

Yet, disabilitie sounds like not able fully 100% do or be the position of. Meaning that I am not disabilitie 100% Deaf. That is true if I was wearing a hearing aids or not. Because my audiology show that my left worse ear is about 90 to 95% hearing loss. My right best ear is about 80% hearing loss. However, according to speech and wording audiometry test, it said my right ear show 60% correct at limits but my left ear show only 4% correct. Is that disabilities of me or not?

That the hardest fact to accept that I am between the Deaf and hearing world. So what do I tell people about my ears, I simplelyy said I was born with a hearing loss which I am partly Deaf. I am required to wear it for the living to earn benfit.
 
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