How did you become deaf / hard of hearing?

peekaboo

peekaboo

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I was born deaf with Rubella (German Measles) from my mother. I went to an oral school for 3 1/2 - 4 years to learn how to talk and hear with a hearing aid. I wished that I had a choice to rather I wanted to wear a hearing aid or not. I didn't have much of a choice. ASL in the home was forbidden. SO it was quite the challenge for me. I didn't start talking up until I was 7 years old. it got better as I got older. I still can't say my R's and W's, they both sound the exact same to me. My English language is OK. If I had a choice I would prefer ASL than speak... WHY? Because I can express myself better with ASL than speaking. I feel like I can be MYSELF.


How about you?? :popcorn:
 
My deafness was result from Usher Syndrome, but not just deafness, I'm deafblind as well, but I prefer to use low vision because I have some sights to left.
 
deaf & low vision due to Rubella (aka Congenital Rubella Syndrome). If you are on FB there is a good FB group for those who have CRS or those who care for individuals with CRS. if interested I can send link.
 
Genetically related gradual loss, beginning around 33 yrs old. It got really bad by 16 years ago.
 
Born severely-deaf. I was born premature. Raised in a hearing family, oral and mainstreamed. Discovered Alldeaf in 2009. Now actively advocating for and promoting access to Sign Language. Building up my fluency in Sign. Prefer using sign.
 
Normal hearing until 20 years ago, when I got my first hearing aids. It has gone downhill over that time, I am now 68 years old. I have neurological problems elsewhere, both at present and developmentally, so I suspect it is all connected. I can no longer understand speech unaided, unless they speak loudly and I can lipread. Yesterday I was taking a nap, and a friend telephoned. My phone's ringer volume is set so that all my neighbors can hear it, and it did not wake me up. :eek2:

My father had a hearing loss, and I suspect that his was also progressive, but he died at the age of 61.
 
peekaboo said:
I was born deaf with Rubella (German Measles) from my mother. I went to an oral school for 3 1/2 - 4 years to learn how to talk and hear with a hearing aid. I wished that I had a choice to rather I wanted to wear a hearing aid or not. I didn't have much of a choice. ASL in the home was forbidden. SO it was quite the challenge for me. I didn't start talking up until I was 7 years old. it got better as I got older. I still can't say my R's and W's, they both sound the exact same to me. My English language is OK. If I had a choice I would prefer ASL than speak... WHY? Because I can express myself better with ASL than speaking. I feel like I can be MYSELF.


How about you?? :popcorn:
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I didn't start losing my hearing till my mid 30's (hereditary) , but I always had trouble with R's and W's. And wouldn't you know, my maiden name started with an R and I married someone who's name started with a W (and I changed my name to his). When I'm giving my name to someone I try to remember to enunciate the W.

Recently I had a word test with an intern at my CI clinic. Afterwards I realized that I should tell audiologists that I have this problem so that they know that I may have heard run and pronounced it won. Maybe my word tests scores would be higher then. :D
 
Born with cord wrapped around my neck. My deafness is a sequela of an intrauterine cytomegalic inclusion virus infection. The same infection which gave me the mild hepatitis and the prolonged jaundice in my early infancy.
 
My last name is
LoveBlue said:
I didn't start losing my hearing till my mid 30's (hereditary) , but I always had trouble with R's and W's. And wouldn't you know, my maiden name started with an R and I married someone who's name started with a W (and I changed my name to his). When I'm giving my name to someone I try to remember to enunciate the W.

Recently I had a word test with an intern at my CI clinic. Afterwards I realized that I should tell audiologists that I have this problem so that they know that I may have heard run and pronounced it won. Maybe my word tests scores would be higher then. :D
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My last maiden last name starts with a W and when I say my last name, I sound like I say wood instead of ward. :p hahahaha Oh well :p
 
I love posts like this where you learn about the people you chat with.
I feel a bit weird with this question because most people are either born with hearing loss or trouble of have some medical condition to name.
I myself and just Hoh I only found out this in 2016,
I have discovered that me and my sister could have some genetic problem as we are both struggling to hear by the time we reach 30. (We also had trouble as children with hearing)
My brother on the other hand has always and still has 100% perfectly normal hearing.
I don't know where it came from or what has caused it. But I thought I would say this here as even if you do not know it is still nice to share your experiences and stories and get to know people.
 
I was born severely-deaf due to being born prematurely. Im the only one in my family who is deaf. I was raised oral and mainstreamed because I wasnt tested for hearing until I was 11. The audiologist when she discovered I could lipread quite well, assured my mother that with hearing aids I would be perfectly fine going to the same school as my hearing brother. Only at age 45, did I discover AllDeaf and the Deaf Community. Since then, I have come to realise there are many who share the same experiences as me and that I had other options to communicate other than speaking. I now regret not having the choice to go to Deaf school or having access to Sign language when I was young. Even though Im considering one of those 'oral success' stories.

I resent the struggle I have had my whole life to communicate solely to accomodate for the benefit of other people. It is downright hard work everyday. Even now, though it can appear that Im like everyone else in hearing circles, the fact has never changed, Im deaf. Its exhausting having to try be like everyone else or even get people to fit with me, because as soon as I open my mouth, they forget everything Ive told them in how to accomodate me. (The usual stuff: let me see your face -look at me so i can speech read, adjust seating, lighting, mouth movements, hands away from mouth, no gum, and preferably no beards or moutaches). Using Sign Language makes it obvious to others that Im deaf. I now identify as Deaf because all along, Ive since discovered that my response and perspective on life has been the same as in Deaf culture, I just didnt find that out until almost 9 years ago. Although I remain oral ONLY with my immediate family, i prefer to use Sign Language primarily but S.T.E.P, (see sigmnature) is an acceptional middle ground. I insist on visual communication now.
 
We all have problems we all deal with, different people with different strokes. However, that saying goes. lol. i am glad that people are comfortable talking about it. :) thanks for sharing your story :)
 
BecLak said:
I was born severely-deaf due to being born prematurely. Im the only one in my family who is deaf. I was raised oral and mainstreamed because I wasnt tested for hearing until I was 11. The audiologist when she discovered I could lipread quite well, assured my mother that with hearing aids I would be perfectly fine going to the same school as my hearing brother. Only at age 45, did I discover AllDeaf and the Deaf Community. Since then, I have come to realise there are many who share the same experiences as me and that I had other options to communicate other than speaking. I now regret not having the choice to go to Deaf school or having access to Sign language when I was young. Even though Im considering one of those 'oral success' stories.

I resent the struggle I have had my whole life to communicate solely to accomodate for the benefit of other people. It is downright hard work everyday. Even now, though it can appear that Im like everyone else in hearing circles, the fact has never changed, Im deaf. Its exhausting having to try be like everyone else or even get people to fit with me, because as soon as I open my mouth, they forget everything Ive told them in how to accomodate me. (The usual stuff: let me see your face -look at me so i can speech read, adjust seating, lighting, mouth movements, hands away from mouth, no gum, and preferably no beards or moutaches). Using Sign Language makes it obvious to others that Im deaf. I now identify as Deaf because all along, Ive since discovered that my response and perspective on life has been the same as in Deaf culture, I just didnt find that out until almost 9 years ago. Although I remain oral ONLY with my immediate family, i prefer to use Sign Language primarily but S.T.E.P, (see sigmnature) is an acceptional middle ground. I insist on visual communication now.
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Seems like you and I are in the same boat. I feel your pain. I WISHED that I had gone to a deaf school instead of a maintream haring school. My life would have been soooo much better, I just know it, I dont have to second guess it. *sighs* it bums me out that I didnt get a chance to make my own choices for myself. I was TOLD NO I cant go to a deaf school I was not "deaf" enough"... Uerrrmmm SO they think I would be better in a hearing school where it was twice as hard for me to "FIT IN"???? What the heck do hearing people know. UGH! Sorry I'm on a rant here. :D They need to ask us how we feel instead of putting us what THEY think is BEST for us. Just saying!
 
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