I'm oral and HOH...who else?I

Saavik said:
What do you do when someone randomly comes across you and asks you something and you don't understand them but don't want to look like a moron asking them to repeat and want to 'play deaf' rather than orally communicate.
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I jump to "Sorry I'm deaf and I don't always understand what I'm hearing. What did you say?" It turns the tables on them and makes them look like an idiot for not recognizing the obvious.....
 
Saavik said:
In writing, orally or in ASL, how do you tell them?
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Why be so hung up on how you communicate it? When I found myself dealing with a difficult situation, I said it and made the sign for deaf...they got it. Who cares how they get it as long as they do?
 
Saavik said:
Because I have the tendency to always overthink things and make simple matters harder for myself.
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Then there's the trick...don't make it more complicated than it is or needs to be. And that's a good rule of thumb for life, work, and relationships...not just communication.
 
Lau2046 said:
Then there's the trick...don't make it more complicated than it is or needs to be. And that's a good rule of thumb for life, work, and relationships...not just communication.
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I've been working on that for years and that seems to be the main professional critique is that I excessively overthink things. Not as easy to overcome as one might think.
 
Saavik said:
I've been working on that for years and that seems to be the main professional critique is that I excessively overthink things. Not as easy to overcome as one might think.
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I deal with it myself, you're not alone in that. I tend to over think things and make myself (and everyone around me) crazy. It's only been recently that I've been more vocal about not hearing. A month ago I had to make reservations for my job where I'll be sent for training. So I use the speaker phone for the volume. It took me, my mother, and my sister to understand the person on the phone. My sister saved the day and then turned to me and asked, "Did you tell her you're deaf? Did you say 'Hey I'm not going to hear you, I'm deaf? You need a TTY...." To which I replied "No I don't, I need a VCO".....

It's only been lately that I've owned up to the fact that my hearing finally warrents getting a TTY or VCO. But I'm making baby steps. Today I had to fly out of town for the day and when I was going through the check point, I could see a problem ahead...so I chimed in to the TSA guy, "Sorry, just so you know I'm deaf..." Apparently I did it at the right time because I was messing up whatever I was supposed to do. By saying it out loud, I let him know that I didn't understand what he wanted and I wasn't trying to make his job difficult. Believe me, I get where you're coming from, it's not easy to change over night and it'll take time but don't get discouraged.
 
I mean, when I get my hearing aids finally, I'm going to feel weird wearing my shirts, because most of them are old band shirts and I would assume that would be inviting for people to try being oral. I understand some deaf people like the vibrations of music, do any deaf people here ever wear a shirt of a band or late deaf people continue wearing shirts of bands they once loved?

Yeah, I just started overthinking it again, sorry.
 
Saavik said:
I mean, when I get my hearing aids finally, I'm going to feel weird wearing my shirts, because most of them are old band shirts and I would assume that would be inviting for people to try being oral. I understand some deaf people like the vibrations of music, do any deaf people here ever wear a shirt of a band or late deaf people continue wearing shirts of bands they once loved?

Yeah, I just started overthinking it again, sorry.
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What's to feel weird about showing love for your favorite band? I don't have those shirts anymore myself but if I had a Blondie T-Shirt or even one of Mozart, Hell yes I'd wear it. Wearing a T-Shirt of a favorite group isn't saying anything other than you like the group. Whether you wear hearing aids or not isn't going to change that. Hearing aids aren't going to change who you are or your routine. In my opinion, they'll enhance your life, but you're wearing them for you, and the benefit you get out of them, not to invite people to make assumptions. This forum is proof that people will make assumptions about a person just because they can and because they feel entitled. It's not something you can control so don't worry about it.
 
Lau2046 said:
What's to feel weird about showing love for your favorite band? I don't have those shirts anymore myself but if I had a Blondie T-Shirt or even one of Mozart, Hell yes I'd wear it. Wearing a T-Shirt of a favorite group isn't saying anything other than you like the group. Whether you wear hearing aids or not isn't going to change that. Hearing aids aren't going to change who you are or your routine. In my opinion, they'll enhance your life, but you're wearing them for you, and the benefit you get out of them, not to invite people to make assumptions. This forum is proof that people will make assumptions about a person just because they can and because they feel entitled. It's not something you can control so don't worry about it.
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I liked the idea above of just giving the sign for deaf, that feels more comfortable than trying to be oral, I feel I'm not being very clear in voice anymore. If I did that, wouldn't it be odd (Phony like) wearing something so indicative of a normal hearing person?
 
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