this is a great thread.
my girlfriend and i started taking an asl class about a month and a half ago and its the coolest thing we've ever done. neither of us know anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing aside from our instructor, and honestly this started so we could understand each other when we went to bars or to dance clubs. however, now it's become a sort of hobby to pick up this second language.
the thing is, i started to notice that there was a complete 'deaf culture' in class when there seemed to appear an indignant approach to asl versus signed english. i wanted to find out more about how people who are deaf see the world around them, and this one thread seems to be more educational than anything i've read in any blog.
i can relate to gma's posts here, and understand her frustration as a hearing person. i've only been on here since last night and already i see many people here comfortable being in a world where they want to only be among their own. i disagree that this is from the 'outside looking in,' but i do see it as a pretty closed minded approach.
i'm many things aside from being a hearing person. like you all i suffer from a cognitive impairment, and also like many of you i can get away with seeming completely 'normal.' having a learning disability in auditory processing for me means that even though i can hear what you say, i don't actually understand it. it's frustrating at best.
being a huge advocate of accessibility, i want to be able to communicate with the hearing impaired or hoh or deaf or whatever you call yourselves because i think it's important for others to understand each other. in a way, i'm doing this for your benefit, since i can hear just fine. to completely throw in the towel is just as bad as the people standing against you saying that you should learn to live by their rules. it makes you different. it makes you an outsider... simply by your own actions.
does it suck that there are people out there who don't have the patience to learn your language and expect you to live by their rules? sure it does, but everyone faces this challenge everyday. if we actually do meet people who are hoh or completely deaf down the road, i'd like to be able to communicate with them as best as i can. but since i don't sign that well yet, it would be nice if they could try to speak to me what they are signing so we can understand each other.
to answer jillio, i think that gma is advocating. you all seem very aggressive towards people who can hear and it's a little disconcerting. if you push us away too much we will eventually ask you the same question you put here: what's the point?