sunny
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2005
- Messages
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Hi, I just joined! I found out about this site after someone on another message board suggested I look up this one.
I'm Maggie. I'm 24, and hard of hearing. Over the past two years I've experienced gradual changes in my hearing (probably) from Meniere's Disease (bilateral and progressive). One ear is moderate loss, other is mild at best (the loss fluctuates from moderate/mild to severe). But I also have always had an auditory processing condition making it hard for me to follow speech. I don't wear a hearing aid because (1) sounds are also amplified to the point where it hurts; (2) with the processing problems, it doesn't make much of a difference.
In elementary school they taught us ASL fingerspelling and I thought I was in heaven LOL I tried to get my friends to spell things out back and forth with me because there for the first time I was able to communicate and be understood, and was able to understand what people were telling me! I've never had anyone around me who uses ASL, though, so that was the only exposure I've ever had to it.
So recently a friend taught me a little of the ASL she knows and it strongly reminded me how I used to feel when using fingerspelling. I want to know and use ASL. With my recent hearing loss combined with the processing condition, using ASL makes me feel like I can express myself fully for the first time in my entire life. I'm learning it on my own as quickly as I can until I can find someone in my area who teaches it because I know I can only learn so much on my own.
That was kind of long, <grin>, but I just wanted to introduce myself!
Maggie
I'm Maggie. I'm 24, and hard of hearing. Over the past two years I've experienced gradual changes in my hearing (probably) from Meniere's Disease (bilateral and progressive). One ear is moderate loss, other is mild at best (the loss fluctuates from moderate/mild to severe). But I also have always had an auditory processing condition making it hard for me to follow speech. I don't wear a hearing aid because (1) sounds are also amplified to the point where it hurts; (2) with the processing problems, it doesn't make much of a difference.
In elementary school they taught us ASL fingerspelling and I thought I was in heaven LOL I tried to get my friends to spell things out back and forth with me because there for the first time I was able to communicate and be understood, and was able to understand what people were telling me! I've never had anyone around me who uses ASL, though, so that was the only exposure I've ever had to it.
So recently a friend taught me a little of the ASL she knows and it strongly reminded me how I used to feel when using fingerspelling. I want to know and use ASL. With my recent hearing loss combined with the processing condition, using ASL makes me feel like I can express myself fully for the first time in my entire life. I'm learning it on my own as quickly as I can until I can find someone in my area who teaches it because I know I can only learn so much on my own.
That was kind of long, <grin>, but I just wanted to introduce myself!
Maggie
I commend your efforts to learn ASL! If you have any questions, this is the perfect place to have them answered! Glad to have you here! <smile>
here and enjoy urself here! 
I get them more when weather fronts come thru, and I think the hurricane front is affecting us already (if anyone on here is from there, I hope you're all ok!).
