The hearing world has, from the beginning of known history, tried so hard to find a cure for deafness, to make D/dhh people hear like 'everyone else'. I had spent my whole life since I was born, trying to 'fix it', growing up thinking I was never 'good enough'. I'm a survivor from the very beginning, I overcame hard obstacles and became a high achiever. What most people would say an 'Oral Success Story'. However, underneath that facade I just wanted to be able to be ME and not have to work so hard to keep up the pretence that I was the same as 'everyone else'. Accomodating 'everyone else' because it was the 'norm'. I was duped into thinking I had 'mastered the art'. Yet, reality would always rear it's head when I would least expect it and come back and 'slap me in the face' and send me 'reeling' and I would once again have to pick myself up off rock bottom. I had been led to believe there was no other option. Not knowing any other Deaf person, I had thought I had to face the world alone. Until I discovered the Deaf Community in 2009. Yes I was 45 then. Half my life gone, and I had only just come to the realization that I could be myself, there were 70 million around the world just like me! Let us be who we are. We don't need a cure! We need recognition and acceptance of our Sign Language/s and Deaf Culture. Let there be Deaf Education for Deaf/dhh children with Sign Language readily accessible for every child. *Off the soapbox now*