At the risk of facing the firing squad......I have to say that I was totaly mainstreamed, my mother took one look at the deaf school and said no way was her child going there. It was hard yakker but boy am I glad now. I was never exposed to deaf culture in anyway and after my marriage broke up I decided to see what deaf clubs were about. What an eye opener!!!!...I expected to meet people the same as me, however it was like being on another planet. I never did attend any club socials, had the newletter sent for a while but found it to be almost illiterate...yes I know there will be screams of outrage over this statement but it is true. Deaf people do read dont they so there is no reason not to be able to write sensibly.
What I cant never understand is why deaf people want to shut themselves away from the world and be so different, saying they are Deaf like it is a nationality or something. I can only be thankful to my mother (adopted) and the wonderful teachers I had who pushed me ahead.
I am on waiting list for CI but still undecided wether it will make such a drastic change in my life to be worth it.