Hello

[geoff]

Hello I just signed on and am new here. I am 41 years old and have a profound hearing loss. I`ve worn hearing aids in both ears since I was 5 years old. Recently I have been informed that I've lost 15% more of my hearing. I have a wonderful wife and little boy. I have many great friends and a supporting family. But all my life I`ve never had any hearing impaired friends. Even though I`m not alone this makes me feel lonely at times. I have been looking lately for a deaf community in my area but cannot find anyone near by. Also today i will see my ENT and he will discuss if I am eligible for cochlear implants. I have mixed emotions about that. Also i want to learn ASL.

 

[Reba]

 

[geoff]

Thank you Reba.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

 

[hoichi]

Welcome to allDeaf

 

[caz]

Hello gef

 

[geoff]

Thanks caz trying to figure out this place. Seems like the type of forum I've been looking for.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

 

[Bottesini]

Thanks caz trying to figure out this place. Seems like the type of forum I've been looking for.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

Hi Geoff.

It's great you think you like us.

But you are deaf. There's only one hearing impaired person here and she hates everyone. :P

What I am trying to tell you is, most of us don't use that term, as it is disempowering

 

[caz]

Thanks caz trying to figure out this place. Seems like the type of forum I've been looking for.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

I am not American but I think I accepted ..I don't always understand what things mean as pertains to America but we all people with different outlooks makes life interesting and more the merrier

 

[dogmom]

welcome

 

[geoff]

Hi Geoff.

It's great you think you like us.

But you are deaf. There's only one hearing impaired person here and she hates everyone. :P

What I am trying to tell you is, most of us don't use that term, as it is disempowering

Wow! I never knew it was a term people found disempowering. As you can see from my intro I`ve never had any deaf friends. I used the term hearing impaired because I can hear with my hearing aids. I figured if I said deaf someone would say no your not your hearing impaired. HA! So thanks for clearing that up.As Vinny Barbarino would say..

 

[dogmom]

I've had a few Deaf teachers, all of whom I've learned so much from.
One of the teachers felt the term "hearing impaired" was to her - a strong slur, same as n-word.

Most or all of the d/Deaf people I've learned from at the very least dislike the term "hearing impaired" and if used in many communities<deaf> will get a pretty strong response.

It's a term designed by hearing people under the guise of political correctness.

I'm hoh.

 

[whatdidyousay!]

Wow! I never knew it was a term people found disempowering. As you can see from my intro I`ve never had any deaf friends. I used the term hearing impaired because I can hear with my hearing aids. I figured if I said deaf someone would say no your not your hearing impaired. HA! So thanks for clearing that up.As Vinny Barbarino would say..

Don't listen to Bottesini ! There are other people here that used that term 'hearing impaired ' . And no body here hate everyone ! Everyone is free to use any term they feel like about their hearing lost , we still have
'freedom of free speech in USA!

Hi ! Welcome to Alldeaf.

 

[Bottesini]

Don't listen to Bottesini ! There are other people here that used that term 'hearing impaired ' . And no body here hate everyone ! Everyone is free to use any term they feel like about their hearing lost , we still have
'freedom of free speech in USA!

Hi ! Welcome to Alldeaf.

that's the hearing impaired one.

 

[hoichi]

We Deaf dont hold the hearie idea that we are impaired, and in need of fixing.
While anyone is.free to use what ever terms they wish,
us Deaf have very good reasons why we dont like or use that kind of disempowering language.
Bots was just giving him a heads up,

 

[geoff]

Thanks for the heads up. This is why I joined because I want to know what others like me think.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

 

[hoichi]

Thanks for the heads up. This is why I joined because I want to know what others like me think.

Sent from my LGLS885 using AllDeaf App mobile app

Its good your here...

 

[deafdyke]

Hello I just signed on and am new here. I am 41 years old and have a profound hearing loss. I`ve worn hearing aids in both ears since I was 5 years old. Recently I have been informed that I've lost 15% more of my hearing. I have a wonderful wife and little boy. I have many great friends and a supporting family. But all my life I`ve never had any hearing impaired friends. Even though I`m not alone this makes me feel lonely at times. I have been looking lately for a deaf community in my area but cannot find anyone near by. Also today i will see my ENT and he will discuss if I am eligible for cochlear implants. I have mixed emotions about that. Also i want to learn ASL.

Welcome! Have you always been in Atlanta? I know Georgia is VERY inclusive-y....meaning they don't have the best support systems for dhh kids.....Welcome....and I know exactly how you feel! I grew up very simlairy.....only dhh kid in the school system, and grew up oral, even thou I narrowly missed learning ASL about 5 different times.

 

[KerBear]

Hi, Geoff, and welcome to the forum!

Hmmm...I'm going to make a general comment about an emerging theme of this thread: I have to admit that I have no problem with the term "hearing impaired". I've operated in the hearing world for my entire life. I didn't have a significant hearing loss (moderate in one ear, mild in the other) until about 3 years ago. (Prior to that, I had a slight hearing loss in one ear only.) I still operate in the hearing world; it's just that now I wearing hearing aids. My hearing now IS impaired as compared to my previously normal hearing, so I have no problem with using the term "hearing impaired".

That said, I don't necessarily think I need to label myself in any particular way. As my deaf audiologist said to me recently, "Do you tell people that you're 'visually impaired' because you wear glasses?" No, I don't. Her point was that I don't necessarily need to label my hearing issue. That doesn't mean that I don't label myself as hearing impaired, HOH, etc. at times, but for the most part, hearing aids work well enough for me that most people wouldn't know I have a hearing loss, so I don't tend to label myself as either "hearing impaired" or "HOH". I have terrible eyesight, and I wear glasses more often than I wear contact lenses, but I don't go around telling people that I'm visually impaired.

I realize that the term "hearing impaired" can be offensive to some and I can certainly respect that. Being d/Deaf does not make a person any more "impaired" than being young, being stupid, or being tired does. I wonder if it's just a matter of perspective?

 

[geoff]

Welcome! Have you always been in Atlanta? I know Georgia is VERY inclusive-y....meaning they don't have the best support systems for dhh kids.....Welcome....and I know exactly how you feel! I grew up very simlairy.....only dhh kid in the school system, and grew up oral, even thou I narrowly missed learning ASL about 5 different times.

Yes I've been in Atlanta and the metro area since I was 5. That's how I was all the way through high school. The only deaf person. What is the best way to learn ASL? Books? Classes? Private tutor? Or online course?

 

[geoff]

Hi, Geoff, and welcome to the forum!

Hmmm...I'm going to make a general comment about an emerging theme of this thread: I have to admit that I have no problem with the term "hearing impaired". I've operated in the hearing world for my entire life. I didn't have a significant hearing loss (moderate in one ear, mild in the other) until about 3 years ago. (Prior to that, I had a slight hearing loss in one ear only.) I still operate in the hearing world; it's just that now I wearing hearing aids. My hearing now IS impaired as compared to my previously normal hearing, so I have no problem with using the term "hearing impaired".

That said, I don't necessarily think I need to label myself in any particular way. As my deaf audiologist said to me recently, "Do you tell people that you're 'visually impaired' because you wear glasses?" No, I don't. Her point was that I don't necessarily need to label my hearing issue. That doesn't mean that I don't label myself as hearing impaired, HOH, etc. at times, but for the most part, hearing aids work well enough for me that most people wouldn't know I have a hearing loss, so I don't tend to label myself as either "hearing impaired" or "HOH". I have terrible eyesight, and I wear glasses more often than I wear contact lenses, but I don't go around telling people that I'm visually impaired.

I realize that the term "hearing impaired" can be offensive to some and I can certainly respect that. Being d/Deaf does not make a person any more "impaired" than being young, being stupid, or being tired does. I wonder if it's just a matter of perspective?

Yea I agree. I really never label myself either. Most of the time I just say I I wear hearing aids. I also wear glasses but since so many others do its a non issue. I rarely say I'm deaf because with my hearing aids I can hear. Just like I don't say I'm blind because I can see with glasses. But now that I know the term can offend some and I understand why, I will avoid using it