"Hearing Impaired" = offensive?

how can y'all be complain' about bein called hearing impaired? i've been called hearing countless times! true biz! lol! shit, and i'm not even oral.
 
shel90 said:
I grew up pure oral and I was told again and again that my speech skills are so excellent. However, I had a 5th grade teacher who constantly told me that I WASSSS sooooo SPPPPPPEEECIIIIALLL because I was impaired.

Imagine that? Fun year of putting up with that, heh?
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If your speech skills are so good and I'm sure one reason why you were able to develop good language skills was cause you took the oral / mainstreaming route, then why are you always encouraging others to take the ASL / Deaf route? Kinda a contradiction isn't it?
 
HHIssues said:
If your speech skills are so good and I'm sure one reason why you were able to develop good language skills was cause you took the oral / mainstreaming route, then why are you always encouraging others to take the ASL / Deaf route? Kinda a contradiction isn't it?
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Because I suffered not knowing what was happening around me and suffered serious self-esttem issues. since learning ASL, my life improved 110% and when I was at Gallaudet, for the first time in my life I could be involved in classroom discussions and know what is going on at all times instead of sitting in the classroom clueless and stressed out for fear of getting remprimanded by the teachers for daydreaming as I did often due to not being able to follow the classrooms.

I have shared my background growing up oral-only and many ADers here know about it and how it is one of the reasons among others why I advocate for ASL to be a part of every deaf child's life especially in the educational setting.

I hated growing up oral-only and feeling like I was a freak because I wanted to be hearing like my hearing peers. Once, I got involved with the Deaf community, I learned to love myself for the first time in my life.

The reason I am good at English because my mom read to me and I loved to read. If it wasnt for that, I wouldnt be where I am now with English. Oralism had nothing to do with it since I couldnt hear the English language around me at all. My db loss is 110 to 120.
 
shel90 said:
Because I suffered not knowing what was happening around me and suffered serious self-esttem issues. since learning ASL, my life improved 110% and when I was at Gallaudet, for the first time in my life I could be involved in classroom discussions and know what is going on at all times instead of sitting in the classroom clueless and stressed out for fear of getting remprimanded by the teachers for daydreaming as I did often due to not being able to follow the classrooms.

I have shared my background growing up oral-only and many ADers here know about it and how it is one of the reasons among others why I advocate for ASL to be a part of every deaf child's life especially in the educational setting.

I hated growing up oral-only and feeling like I was a freak because I wanted to be hearing like my hearing peers. Once, I got involved with the Deaf community, I learned to love myself for the first time in my life.

The reason I am good at English because my mom read to me and I loved to read. If it wasnt for that, I wouldnt be where I am now with English. Oralism had nothing to do with it since I couldnt hear the English language around me at all. My db loss is 110 to 120.
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Most of my loss is 115 across the board with one fequency at 90 db (before CI) yet I was able to learn to speak like you. I must admit my mainstream exp wasn't as bad as yours and that I grew up with a severe to profound loss and my hearing likely worsened after age 19 though I can't prove it. Though I speak well, it has nothing to do with my English skills. Most strangers can understand my speech.

I remember a classmate who grew up in the same oral program and being surprised at his poor English skills. I had assumed his English would be good because he could speak. Uh-no.

However, like youl, I prefer that deaf children learn via the bi-bi/ASL program. Here's why: in mainstream, I rarely ever understood anything my teacher told the class. You're not getting an education if you can't understand anything. I had to read tons of books to make up for what I missed in class.

Reading books is why I have excellent English skills.

When I went to deaf school, I was able to understand what teachers were saying to me for the first time. I have heard a lot of negative stuff about deaf schools but the factors affecting deaf schools are more complex than it seems at first.

I'd never go back to mainstream.
 
shel90 said:
Because I suffered not knowing what was happening around me and suffered serious self-esttem issues. since learning ASL, my life improved 110% and when I was at Gallaudet, for the first time in my life I could be involved in classroom discussions and know what is going on at all times instead of sitting in the classroom clueless and stressed out for fear of getting remprimanded by the teachers for daydreaming as I did often due to not being able to follow the classrooms.

I have shared my background growing up oral-only and many ADers here know about it and how it is one of the reasons among others why I advocate for ASL to be a part of every deaf child's life especially in the educational setting.

I hated growing up oral-only and feeling like I was a freak because I wanted to be hearing like my hearing peers. Once, I got involved with the Deaf community, I learned to love myself for the first time in my life.

The reason I am good at English because my mom read to me and I loved to read. If it wasnt for that, I wouldnt be where I am now with English. Oralism had nothing to do with it since I couldnt hear the English language around me at all. My db loss is 110 to 120.
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deafskeptic said:
Most of my loss is 115 across the board with one fequency at 90 db (before CI) yet I was able to learn to speak like you. I must admit my mainstream exp wasn't as bad as yours and that I grew up with a severe to profound loss and my hearing likely worsened after age 19 though I can't prove it. Though I speak well, it has nothing to do with my English skills. Most strangers can understand my speech.

I remember a classmate who grew up in the same oral program and being surprised at his poor English skills. I had assumed his English would be good because he could speak. Uh-no.

However, like youl, I prefer that deaf children learn via the bi-bi/ASL program. Here's why: in mainstream, I rarely ever understood anything my teacher told the class. You're not getting an education if you can't understand anything. I had to read tons of books to make up for what I missed in class.

Reading books is why I have excellent English skills.

When I went to deaf school, I was able to understand what teachers were saying to me for the first time. I have heard a lot of negative stuff about deaf schools but the factors affecting deaf schools are more complex than it seems at first.

I'd never go back to mainstream.
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nicely said you two.
 
well said!
even though I am not deaf, by learning asl and other sign language a new world has opened for me. and I am glad to be part of it
 
gnuuser said:
well said!
even though I am not deaf, by learning asl and other sign language a new world has opened for me. and I am glad to be part of it
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".....and other sign language"??
 
finger spelling and pantomime is considered a different form of sign language
(in other countries) but accomplishes the same purpose
I am teaching some asl in the factory I work in (its very noisy there and sign language makes things so much easier)
 
There is no reason to worry about it so much in my opinion. Just say "I cannot hear you, my hearing's kind of messed up" and usually people are nice to communicate better without having to put a "tag" on your situation.
 
posts from hell said:
nicely said you two.
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I too agree with the both of them.

I did not like school at all since it was hard for me. There were no programs available in my schools for me at all, so I had to just deal with it. Luckily I had a love for reading.
 
lanterna said:
There is no reason to worry about it so much in my opinion. Just say "I cannot hear you, my hearing's kind of messed up" and usually people are nice to communicate better without having to put a "tag" on your situation.
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Then you have it a lot easier than a lot of us. Here in my city of 99,000+ people, they are not very receptive or accommodating for the deaf or hard of hearing. They are getting better, but still have a long way to go.
 
I feel no ill will to the term " hearing Impaired" to me.. My hearing is impaired I can no longer hear like a hearie! So I dont find it offensive nor do I find Hard of hearing or Deaf offensive! If a hearie calls me either one I am ok with it ATLEAST they aknowledge my struggles in trying to understand them. Not many people in this world care and will move onto someone else to talk to instead of a HOH . HI. deaf person..
 
shel90 said:
The reason I am good at English because my mom read to me and I loved to read. If it wasnt for that, I wouldnt be where I am now with English. Oralism had nothing to do with it since I couldnt hear the English language around me at all. My db loss is 110 to 120.
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Ok, cause some deaf people do have that stigma, that "they write as if they're signing". Has been the case sometime in the forum...
 
HHIssues said:
Ok, cause some deaf people do have that stigma, that "they write as if they're signing". Has been the case sometime in the forum...
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On the other hand, there are many ADers here who grew up with ASL who have excellent English skills.

My brother went to a Deaf school and his English is great.

I have been involved with the Deaf community for about 15 years now and I have seen it all. Deaf people from other countries who grew up with different sign languages who also have excellent writing skills in their countries' languages and English. I have seen oral deaf people with poor English skills along with some who have great English skills. Same for those who grew up with ASL.

If being oral guarantees one to have good English skills then why are there many HEARING people with lousy writing skills?
 
shel90 said:
On the other hand, there are many ADers here who grew up with ASL who have excellent English skills.

My brother went to a Deaf school and his English is great.

I have been involved with the Deaf community for about 15 years now and I have seen it all. Deaf people from other countries who grew up with different sign languages who also have excellent writing skills in their countries' languages and English. I have seen oral deaf people with poor English skills along with some who have great English skills. Same for those who grew up with ASL.

If being oral guarantees one to have good English skills then why are there many HEARING people with lousy writing skills?
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Everything you just said was true. See the bold, I have met several hearing people with lousy writing skills. They did admit to me that they don't read the books when they were kids. Why did they tell me about it because they found it amazing that I am an asl user. I am aware that my english isn't perfect but my writing skill included vocabulary words are what they didn't expect to see that I am able to write or read. That is the whole point is that reading book is the key. *hint* several hearing people with lousy wrting skills who lives in where it has lack of supports of receiving properly education while their upbringing.
 
shel90 said:
On the other hand, there are many ADers here who grew up with ASL who have excellent English skills.

My brother went to a Deaf school and his English is great.

I have been involved with the Deaf community for about 15 years now and I have seen it all. Deaf people from other countries who grew up with different sign languages who also have excellent writing skills in their countries' languages and English. I have seen oral deaf people with poor English skills along with some who have great English skills. Same for those who grew up with ASL.

If being oral guarantees one to have good English skills then why are there many HEARING people with lousy writing skills?
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I agree with you, I was raised oral first and I am stuck with poor English skills forever than those who learned ASL first in their early years.
 
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