Do deaf folks consider themselves disabled?

posts from hell said:
Traci - Would you prefer to hire someone who says they are not capable, or someone who are capable if you owned a business? (See what I'm saying here??? I hope so.)

Now we try to represent ourselves as fully able, we can do things everyone can do (and usually the quality of the job is better).

However the social implications of society treating the deaf community as the most oppressed group on this planet is what causing them to be on social security.

Now what would YOU, Traci, do to change this?
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If someone said to me "I am not capable of working for you" then I would have to take them at their word. If someone who I might have pre-judged and determined to be incapable said to me "Even though you think I can't do this job I can assure you that I can do it AND do it better than you expect" then I would be impressed and inclined to hire that person. I think that's why my mom has maintained her job for so long because she is very good at it and she is the only deaf person that works there.

I can't say I agree with the deaf community being the most oppressed group on the planet so I'm at a loss for how to respond to that statement.

I think it's fine for those who genuinely cannot work because they have an issue that doesn't allow them to get employment or maintain employment to get assistance. I don't think it's fair for individuals who CAN work but choose not to.
 
traciedantoni said:
I see what you're saying. I'm sorry if you think I'm "throwing a tantrum." I am 37 weeks pregnant and it does make me emotional. I apologize for that.
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It's alright, people get heated from time to time, I was hoping to help by pointing out how it looked from my perspective.

traciedantoni said:
I will say this. If you read my very first post which was the start of this thread then maybe you might see that I was not in any way trying to be offensive. I also explained in a follow-up post why I brought it up which was because of another thread on this topic.
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I understand. And of note - I wasn't saying that you personally thought that, I was just pointing out the implications, from the wording used, that people were likely to draw from your post, regardless of your intent. Sorry if it came across as more accusatory than that.

traciedantoni said:
And for the record, I know it is bad to specifically call people out by name. I'm sorry I did that.
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It's okay, we're adults here, everyone occasionally needs time to cool down. No long-term harm done.
 
traciedantoni said:
If someone said to me "I am not capable of working for you" then I would have to take them at their word. If someone who I might have pre-judged and determined to be incapable said to me "Even though you think I can't do this job I can assure you that I can do it AND do it better than you expect" then I would be impressed and inclined to hire that person. I think that's why my mom has maintained her job for so long because she is very good at it and she is the only deaf person that works there.
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Exactly, so would you hire a person who identifies theirselves as disabled or not? Would you prefer them to use the disabled term? It's a very strong term in the English language.
I can't say I agree with the deaf community being the most oppressed group on the planet so I'm at a loss for how to respond to that statement.
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Who is more oppressed, and in what way?

I think it's fine for those who genuinely cannot work because they have an issue that doesn't allow them to get employment or maintain employment to get assistance. I don't think it's fair for individuals who CAN work but choose not to.
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I have wrote up a thread on this.
 
StSapphire said:
Wow, defensive much?
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Interesting to see how quick you are to jump on people when you're not an expert on this subject yourself, are you? I see you do the same in quite a lot of other d/Deaf-related threads when about the extent of your d/Deaf knowledge of this forum is limited to having taken an ASL class or two, isn't it?
 
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I would like to post what prompted this thread. It was from the other thread polling people about how much they get for their checks.
rolling7 said:
Exactually!!!! I tried to help a deaf lady get a job that would pay her pre-taxes $2000 a month, she Responded: "I would rather get $650 from SSI and not have to go through the trouble of getting up early and getting to work on a bus and then taking the bus home with all those hearing people" and that is the exact quote from her....Lazy Bitch...Good For Nothing....and all my effort for nothing, that's the thanks I get.
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That comment is why I started this thread. It has nothing to do with people who can't work. It has to do with people who CAN but don't feel like it.
 
AlleyCat said:
Interesting to see how quick you are to jump on people when you're not an expert on this subject yourself, are you? I see you do the same in quite a lot of other d/Deaf-related threads when about the extent of your d/Deaf knowledge of this forum is limited to having taken an ASL class or two, isn't it?
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Not saying you can't be on this forum, St.S. Not at all. But you've been passing on a superficial air of authority where I (and apparently others) don't think it's quite warranted. You've actually corrected d/Deaf people for things they've said, you've singled out who is capable of answering/asking certain d/Deaf questions. You and I already had this conversation.
 
traciedantoni said:
So what's the answer? Thoughts?
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Bow out because this subject never resolves on good terms. It is like discussing if the glass is half empty or full - who is right? What is to gain from being politically correct?

Cliffs for you: disability is subjective to interpretation of the speaker
 
Traci - did you ever ask your father why he didn't want to work? What one views as laziness could be also discouragement, lack of self-esteem, or other matters stemming from his history growing up.
 
DeafCaroline said:
Traci - did you ever ask your father why he didn't want to work? What one views as laziness could be also discouragement, lack of self-esteem, or other matters stemming from his history growing up.
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No I never did. We were not on good terms and didn't speak for over 10 years until 2 years ago when I got a phone call that he was dying of renal failure. He lived in Florida and I live in Maryland so I flew down there to make peace with him before he died and it was nice to do that. i didn't want to bring that subject up. My mom had to fight for child support because he didn't pay and it wound up getting taken out of his ssdi checks. I honestly think he just wanted to do what he wanted and didn't want to work. Sad but true.
 
Was your dad deaf, just curious? (Your mom is, right?)
 
traciedantoni said:
No I never did. We were not on good terms and didn't speak for over 10 years until 2 years ago when I got a phone call that he was dying of renal failure. He lived in Florida and I live in Maryland so I flew down there to make peace with him before he died and it was nice to do that. i didn't want to bring that subject up. My mom had to fight for child support because he didn't pay and it wound up getting taken out of his ssdi checks. I honestly think he just wanted to do what he wanted and didn't want to work. Sad but true.
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I dont know. It's too bad you two never spoke about this, it may have helped you understand him much better.

your mom was lucky to get child support. i didn't get any at all.
 
When you have a social welfare system, there will always be those who take advantage of it in one way or another. Doesn't matter; it's still a social good to have that safety blanket there for those who need it.

I think there's a difference between calling deafness a "disability" from a public policy standpoint (which Grendel touched on, too), vs. deaf individuals' perception of themselves and their own abilities. In fact, it is often because of the technological and legal support we get on a large scale (through ADA, etc.), that as individuals, we HoH and deaf folks can live our lives pretty normally, for the most part.

So a deaf person can rightfully say "I can do this job and I make the following adaptions to my hearing loss"...and then whatever it may be - amplified phones, sign language, text messages and e-mail, FM system for group meetings, whatever. Some employers need to be educated. Heck, a lot of deaf/Hoh people don't even know about all the stuff there is out there to make our lives easier.
 
Ok my view is this.... I have complete hearing loss on my right side, I've got 60% (prolly more now since my hearing has decreased since March) loss on my left side. I have never collected SSI but that was only because in the state of Cali, I'd have to be about 90% hearing loss to qualify. Does this mean I'm disabled?

I CAN do anything but hear.

Yes, every job I have encountered I've had conflicts with my hearing. I make the best of what I have. There is something for everyone out there surely, and I'm not just talking about factory work either.

So I wouldn't exactly say I'm disabled, but rather unable to hear without assistance of a hearing aid, even then sometimes not.
 
Aren't there any training schools such as Job Core, even vocational classes in HS that deafies can take, in order to be more qualified in finding a job?

I remmy taking Print Shop, (and I was the only girl taking that), learning teletype, among all the guys who wanted to pursue a job in Printing when they graduated.....

Even prisoners are allowed to take courses such as Heating & Air, Small Engine Repair, etc.

When I graduated, the Vocational Rehabiltation was "supposed" to help me find a job....but they did "squat"!...Months and months I waited. So I took things into my own hands, and pounded the pavement, and I worked at a good many variety of jobs, Even 3 jobs at one time, with only an hour or 2 of sleep.

It's true, that today's economy is different that it was before. But I feel with good job training, even schooling, would benefit us all. And not accepting the word "NO"...keep going back, over and over, show your qualifications.
 
I don't consider myself disabled and I don't collect SSI.

Many Deaf people have a hard time finding jobs. Hearing employers are often afraid to hire them.. The cost of interpreters, how to communicate, and much more scare the daylights out of them. So how do they survive? SSI checks, of course.

And I'd also like to point out that it isn't just the Deaf taking free money. Millions of people are taking advantage of unemployment wages... and well, the list goes on. The line of thinking is: you'd have to be stupid to turn down free money.
 
My philosophy is this "We are not disabled but society makes us disabled."
 
rockin'robin said:
Aren't there any training schools such as Job Core, even vocational classes in HS that deafies can take, in order to be more qualified in finding a job?

I remmy taking Print Shop, (and I was the only girl taking that), learning teletype, among all the guys who wanted to pursue a job in Printing when they graduated.....

Even prisoners are allowed to take courses such as Heating & Air, Small Engine Repair, etc.

When I graduated, the Vocational Rehabiltation was "supposed" to help me find a job....but they did "squat"!...Months and months I waited. So I took things into my own hands, and pounded the pavement, and I worked at a good many variety of jobs, Even 3 jobs at one time, with only an hour or 2 of sleep.

It's true, that today's economy is different that it was before. But I feel with good job training, even schooling, would benefit us all. And not accepting the word "NO"...keep going back, over and over, show your qualifications.
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Being qualified for a job isn't the problem here.

The problem is that many employers won't hire deaf even if they're qualifted for the job. I remember one bitter guy who trained as programmer and did all the right things like internship and stuf but no one would hire him as programmer. He did find a job as mail clerk but he didn't want to be one.

Your experience with VR reminded me of my problems with DRS. I had similar experiences with them.
 
Mod note:

Several posts have been removed. Let's take it easy and post civilly okay? :)

Thanks.
 
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