Chronic ear infections...and this one-eyed doctor in a small town operated on me (both ears),,,damaged the nerves and what ever...was told the doctor practically "butchered me"....woke up being deaf. Back in the 60's...Been a long time tho'....
No time to grieve tho'...or feeling sorry for myself as my mother (single mother of 6 kids).....was murdered and 2 weeks later I was shipped off the deaf school because they had no teachers to teach me in public school....And to keep me out of going to trial for the man who murdered my mother...iAt 14, never been out of town in my life, deaf school 300 miles away...never seen a deaf person or ASL either....Seriously, I thought they had put me into a "crazy house"...so I pulled the covers over my face for over a week...gave the supervisors a very hard time.
Going to a deaf school when I knew no ASL?...The teachers were mainly hearing back then..so I was sat in the front of the class to learn lipreading...no sign was allowed for me (got a ruler on my hand)... Only 2 years and I graduated before my 16th birthday...(skipping several grades).... in the dorms...is where I learned ASL....
I adjusted...played basketball and cheerleading...went to the Print Shop and took Teletype....and Linotype....felt as long as I was around other deafies then I was "OK"....it was when I went home that another challenge was waiting on me....No one knew ASL...no other deafies in that town that I knew of....
The training I took at the Deaf School (NC) prepared me for a good job in Newspapers...Long journey...but I survived it all.