I'm Not Deaf, But....

Hello and welcome to Alldeaf backstage108! Hope you'll enjoy your stay here in AD!! ;)
 
:welcome: to our AD :D

I was born deaf. When my parents were evanglist for 2 years..during revival at small town in Alabama...my mother was around with sick children - praying with them for their illiness with german measles...she didnt know she was pregnant until a month later...

The doctor informed her she was pregnant..The doctor was concerned about my mother being pregnant and contacted german measles from sick children. He warned her that she would have a baby who will born deaf, blind, and retarded. It frightened my parents..my mother prayed for 9 months that her baby will be okay...

9 months later, I was born at Lakeland, Florida with 4 pounds in 1967...stayed at the hosptial for 3 weeks or a month (cant remmy)....anyway, when I was born, my mother could not hold me immeadiately...they had to put me in special room alone...the doctor and nurses didnt want me to be with other babies in their room bez of german measles...everyday, mom would call nurse to see if I've gained weight yet so my parents could bring me home...finally between 5 to 6 pounds - I was brought home...

My parents assumed that I was healthy and okay...until age 2, they took me to hearing test three different times...all these hearing tests failed...my mother decided that was it..she knew I was deaf for sure...

I wore hearing aids since age 2 or 3...they immeadiately learned sign language...they put me in preschool for the deaf...during at that time, we lived in Fairhope, Alabama...my dad pastored there in a small church...even build the church there...my sister was born there...we are 13 months apart...she is hearing..so mom drove me and my sister to drop me off at preschool in Mobile, Alabama for preschool for the deaf...my parents were very poor..didnt have a penny to drive me to school...it was between 30 minutes to 1 hour to drive everyday...

I learned speech therapy at preschool for the deaf at age 3...age 5, I was in newspaper for children's fund...then my parents decided it was time to leave Fairhope and move to Mobile because of me...

My father continued pastored at different church while build a bigger church in Mobile...I attended at John Will Elementary School...mainstreaming school...I learned in English Sign Language all of my life...

Until age 11, In January, my parents decided to put me into private Bel Air Baptist school for 3 years..I remembered my teacher knew sign language..everyone there were so friendly...until on February 14th, we were giving out valentine cards...I was opening cards...all of sudden, one card hit me real hard...it says, "haha you are deaf and dumb"...I cried so hard...all of my childhood, I was very happy child...and I never felt any different for being deaf when I was around with hearing children until that day on Valentine's Day! I thought we all were equal....until that day when I saw the card...it changed me since then...

My teacher foundout who did it...it was my good friend whom I thought she was my friend...her name was Marie and black girl...I would never forget who she is...A month later on March 29th or 30th, my teacher was killed in car accident...I was grief and sad...I loved this man..Brother Eddie...He was special teacher who influenced my life..

Then I went to Independent Methodist School for 6 years...I was the only deaf student for 9 years at both hearing private schools...

My parents took me to specialist speech therapy at age 11...it was very expensive...they spent about $300 a month for 2 years...my speech has improved...

Basically during teen years...I didnt have the chance to socialize with deaf kids...I socialized at hearing church with interpreter, hearing school without interpreter, (my parents had tried to convinced the school to provide interpreter - but failed)...I had hard time during teen years...I was lonely and depressed started at age 15...I was desperated to be hearing..I wanted to be a singer/actress since small child...

All my life I could speak and wear both hearing aids...

At age 20, I went to Deaf College in Minnesota in 1988...I was in Deaf Culture "Shock"...I was not awared anything about deaf culture...ASL..etc...it took me 4 months to learn in ASL...

Ive struggled all these years between hearing and deaf world...Ive always felt trap in the middle...now, Im handling much better...I decided not to be in deaf community here in my state...only hang around here at AD...:)
 
Hi and Welcome to this AD
I born deaf so my parent,5 brothers and sister.. I also have deaf daughter and 2 neices too. By the way I have another daughter is hearing .
Hope u enjoy this AD!!
 
When I was a child growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, I would have to walk by a school that I was told was the school for the deaf
Click to expand...
O/T but did you grow up in Randolph or Beverly? Those are the small towns where the Schools for the Deaf were located. (Beverly School for the Deaf has DOWNGRADED to mostly being an early intervention program and is mostly for severely multihandicapped kids, and Boston School for the Deaf closed a few years ago)
 
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