Interview on growing up deaf!

[monicanv]

Hey, My name is monica and i am attending WSU. im interested in doing an interview on growing up deaf and understanding some experiences. if you're interested email me at mons_40@hotmail.com or let me know on here.

 

[Jolie77]

Hi Monica,

Welcome to AllDeaf. By the way, Please post only one post that consist the same message. Your other 3 posts were removed because it is considered as a double posting.

And for a start, You can also post questions on this thread. That also will generate some more answers from other members who are willing to help you out with things that you also want to know.

 

[monicanv]

questions

Here are some questions

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?

what is your education background?

Where do you work? Do you like it?

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?

Is there fair promotion advancement?

Are there any other deaf employees?

HOw do you communicate at work?

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?

How old were you?

Do You have cochlear implants?


Do you encourage others to try?

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy)

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements?

Where do you go for help?

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?

 

[Mizzou]

my answers

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf? One years old.

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out? I think so

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings? Most of them are HEARING.

what is your education background? Some College

Where do you work? Do you like it? Rehabcare and it is good benefit

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work? No one knows sign language

Is there fair promotion advancement? used be but not this time

Are there any other deaf employees? I am only one before was two but she retired

HOw do you communicate at work? Read Lips and Write a note

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it? Yes, hear fair

How old were you? 38

Do You have cochlear implants? no


Do you encourage others to try? NA

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf? not the point issues

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to? not have one

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy) used had speech therapy

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements? NA

Where do you go for help? depend on parents but now I am on own

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?That services are alright not perfect alike

 

[lovezebras]

Here are some questions

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf? I was 16 years old when i found out and everyone else found out i was deaf/hoh
Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out? There wasn't really any reaction, people didn't really mind..my family was worried but they got accustom to it..now they talk really loud lol

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings? I don't have any other siblings that live with me. I am the middle and the 2nd girl so I am still considered the baby even tho my youngest brother is 8 but i don't get special treatment because i don't hear properly from my family.

what is your education background? I have graduated highschool and am in college and going to university next year

Where do you work? Do you like it? I work at a bank as a teller/customer service rep. I like it..sometimes it's hard to understand people

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work? Yes, some people have accents or can't speak english that well so it's hard to communicate with them. If i am having trouble i ask for a co-worker's or my supervisor's help.

Is there fair promotion advancement? I have gotten 3 raises since I have been at the bank. If i want to move up to another position i can do so by doing training which the bank will pay for.

Are there any other deaf employees? I am the only deaf/hoh employee

HOw do you communicate at work? I use spoken english, and sometimes a pen and paper if i can't understand what a customer wants or how a name is spelled

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it? I do use a hearing aid and i loved it when i first got it but now i have to upgrade so I am in the process of picking some to trial

How old were you? I was 18 when i got my first hearing aid (over a year ago)

Do You have cochlear implants? No i do not


Do you encourage others to try? Only if they want to get one and are looking for another option other than a hearing aid. I would never tell someone they HAD to get a CI

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf? People sometimes yell or over enunciate which in no way helps someone who is deaf/hoh understand better.

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to? I would want my deaf child to be in a bi-bi program that used the oral method and ASL.

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy) All methods that are available to my child, I would want my deaf child (if i had one) to have the "full toolbox"

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements? TOo many to write down lol

Where do you go for help? For school i go to the centre for students with disabilities

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live? I don't think our Ddeaf/hoh community is active enough! There aren't many deaf events which sucks!

 

[CrzyMeg]

My Answers

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?
I was three years old
Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?
My mom was shockedHave you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?
what is your education background?
I attended public school all of my life except one year.Where do you work? Do you like it?
ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?
N/A
Is there fair promotion advancement?
N/A
Are there any other deaf employees?
N/A
HOw do you communicate at work?
N/A
Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?
I wear hearing aids on daily basis
How old were you?
I was three when i started wearing hearings.
Do You have cochlear implants?
no
Do you encourage others to try?
N/A
Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?
yes somewhat.
if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?
I rather my child to go to public school
what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy)
I use oral, sign language, and speech therapy.
Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements?
No
Where do you go for help?
I go to Disability Service
How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?
They did great job

 

[vallee]

Here are some questions

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?My mom found at age 3 that I had a profound severe hearing loss.

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?Mom tackled it head on. She worked for 7 years to have doctors fit hearing aids one me. Mom didn't have a negative reaction.

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?Nope. I am the middle of 3 girls. My mom is hard on all of us.

what is your education background?B.S degree in Early Childhood Elementary Education/History, M.S. in Special Education

Where do you work? Do you like it?Special Education Teacher for a local school system. I love it.

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?of course. There are barriers everywhere. I have an amplier phone. E-mail is the favored for of communications. My school system is very welcoming and understanding.

Is there fair promotion advancement?Yes, I was selected for my current position even before I finished my degree.

Are there any other deaf employees?Guidance Counselor is hard of hearing. the computer lab teacher is deaf. Her mode of communication is ASL.

HOw do you communicate at work?I am oral.

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?I wore a hearing aid for 27 years. I did benefit earlier in my life. My hearing is progressive and around 7 years ago my benefit began to decline.

How old were you?When I lost my hearing - either at birth or age 3. We don't know the details. I am trying to find out.

Do You have cochlear implants?Yes, bilateral Advanced Bionics since July 19, 2007


Do you encourage others to try?To try cochlear implants? Depends on the person. I let others know it is a personal choice and my benefit is the same as they will have.

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?They use to before my CIs. My fellow teachers use to make sure they had eye contact and not yell down the hallway to me. Just a respect of me.

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?Up to my parents.

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements?respect and understanding.

Where do you go for help?Help???

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?I have not used any services here in my town. I used disabilities services at the local college. I know we have league of hard of hearing and deaf located in my town.

I answered them the best I could.

 

[Hear Again]

Here are some questions

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?

3 years old

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?

My parents were very accepting of my hearing loss -- especially my mother who made sure my needs were met in school (i.e. front row seating, etc.)

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?

No. My parents were strict raising my sister (hearing) and I.

what is your education background?

Attended public schools in a mainstreamed program; am currently in my final year of study working towards a Bachelor's degree in social work.

Where do you work? Do you like it?

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?

Is there fair promotion advancement?

Are there any other deaf employees?

HOw do you communicate at work?

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?

I wore hearing aids from age 15 until the time I received my first CI (December, 2004). When my hearing loss was moderately-severe, my experiences with using hearing aids were beneficial. When my loss reached the severe-profound range, I used an FM system for 6 years until speech discrimmination was no longer possible. From that point on, I began to learn alternative communication techniques for the deafblind and later received CIs.

How old were you?

I was 3 years old -- although my former hearing aid audis believe my hearing loss/deafness may be congenital given the fact that newborns weren't given hearing screenings in the late 60s/early 70s.

Do You have cochlear implants?

Yes. A Nucleus 24 Contour Advance (left ear) and a Nucleus Freedom (right ear) both manufactured by Cochlear.

Do you encourage others to try?

If someone asks me questions about CIs, I am happy to share my experiences. However, I do not force my decision to be implanted on others. If a person chooses to receive a CI, great. If they do not, that is okay too. Making the decision to receive a CI is a personal one.

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?

Yes. Prior to receiving my CIs, people used a variety of communication methods with me including tactile sign (PSE, SEE or ASL), print on palm (tracing block letters into the palm of the hand), TeleBraille (Braille TTY), Teletouch (a typewriter-like device with a QWERTY keyboard on one side and a single Braille cell on the other; when a key is depressed on the QWERTY keyboard, that particular letter appears on the Braille display), typing information in MS Word or Notepad so I can read it on a Braille display, Braille/raised print alphabet card (where my finger is placed on individual letters to spell out words), Screen Braille Communicator/SBC (a device that works similarly to the Teletouch except that it also has an LCD screen for sighted-hearing and a Perkins/Braille keyboard for input), Braille realtime captioning (a captionist's laptop is connected to my BrailleNote -- a PDA for the blind -- information typed by the captionist appears on the BrailleNote's Braille display) and Fingerbraille (tapping out letters of the Braille alphabet on one's arm, lap or back).

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?

I would initially place them in a school for the deaf so they can learn ASL. Once they've mastered ASL, I would transfer them to a mainstreamed program in a public school setting.

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy)

ASL and oral (provided that my child isn't having too much difficulty learning how to speak...If my child were struggling a great deal with oral/speech therapy, I would remove them and place full emphasis on ASL communication.

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements?

Where do you go for help?

After my hearing loss reached the severe-profound range, I attended my local deafblind center to learn alternative communication techniques. Once that training was completed, I no longer required any assistance from others (with the exception of using an SSP for shopping and other errands) because of my deafblindness.

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?

While I've never used their services myself, we have a Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing which provides sign language classes, early intervention programs for deaf/Deaf/HoH children, audiology services, etc. I've been told by many of my d/Deaf and HoH friends that the services they provide are excellent.

i

 

[Jolie77]

Here are some questions

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?

15 months

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?

Yes. My mother at first was in shock and was disbelieving it. She then later on eventually accepted it. My father on the other hand was bitter. To this day, He says he accepts it but he is not being straightforward about it.

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?

Somewhat but I would not say it is being disciplined differently. My mom was usually tougher on me than she was with my siblings.

Where do you work? Do you like it?

I work for an health insurance company that specializes in processing the medicare applications/cases and also for health/financial applications/cases. In the process, I like the job because it is challenging and diverse. It can be easy from time to time only when it is too familiar.

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?

Yes although, I am able to read lips. That makes it easier in a way. Some of my co-workers knows sign language. I rely heavily on e-mails and work based instant messaging program as a mode of communications.

Is there fair promotion advancement?

Yes. I was promoted to have a dual role at my job which means more responsibility and of course, an increase in the pay.

Are there any other deaf employees?

No, I'm the only deaf employee at my work's location but however, I know of few other deaf employees in a different location.

HOw do you communicate at work?

I speak and read lips, I use sign language with few co-workers that knows sign language. I also use pen and paper just in case to double check things. Also, of course, the e-mail is another thing too.

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?

Currently, I don't wear hearing aids at all. I haven't worn hearing aids since I was 12 years old.

Do You have cochlear implants?

No, I don't have a cochlear implant.

Do you encourage others to try?

It depends. What I mean by that is, C.I. can be a wonderful tool but it is not for everybody. I would encourage them but I also would encourage them to keep an open mind to include other options such as signing and other modes of communication as well.

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?

Come to think of it, Some of them would communicate differently by speaking slower in order for me to be able to read their lips. I don't mean super slow, just slow enough for me to be able to process the message. It is basically out of respect as well.

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?

I have 2 deaf children and they both go to the deaf school here.

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy)

I use Pidgin, ASL and spoken english. My main preferred communication method would be ASL.

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?

I think it still needs a lot of improvement by providing more accommodations for the deaf children. Most of it is focused on the deaf adults.

 

[shezzbeav]

How old were you when people first found out you were deaf?

I was 6 months old when I was diagnosed with severe to profound deafness.

Did your parents share their reaction with you when they found out?

My Mum was relieved because she had a gut feeling from when I was born that I was deaf, and all the doctors did not believe her, since I was her first kid.

Have you ever noticed differences in dciplining in siblings?
Yes. Mum was tougher on me - she wanted me to be a tough person when I got older. I am extremely grateful for that.

what is your education background?

Springsure State School - Preschool to Grade 2
Norville State School - Grades 2 to 5, then Grade 7.
Stafford State School - Grades 6 and 7.
Bundaberg State High School - Grades 8 and 9.
Kogarah High School - Grades 8-12.
University of Southern Queensland - Tertiary Preparation Program and Bachelor of Education (1st semester).
Griffith University - Bachelor of Special Education (current)

Where do you work? Do you like it?

I work at Kedron State High School as an Auslan Language Model. I love my work.

ARe there communicaiotn barriers at work?

No, there isn't.

Is there fair promotion advancement?

At the moment, there is no promotions for ALM's.

Are there any other deaf employees?

Yes, there is another ALM at my work.

HOw do you communicate at work?

Auslan.

Do you use a hearing aid and if so what is your experience with it?

I don't use hearing aids at the moment as I am waiting to order a new HA from Australian Hearing. However, I've been using HA's since I was 9 months old.

How old were you?

9 months old when first fitted with HA's


Do You have cochlear implants?

No, but I'm currently considering getting a CI for my right ear.


Do you encourage others to try?

I encourage them to do their homework first before making a huge decision.

Do people communicate differently when they find out you are deaf?

Not really. We just modify the communication methods - pen/paper, lipreading, etc. They just treat me like a normal human being.

if you had a deaf child what school would they go to?

Depends on where we're living at the time. Most likely a mainstream school.

what method would you use? ( oral, speech theropy)

Auslan

Do you have any suggestions at all for improvements?

Can't think of any.

Where do you go for help?

Deaf Services QLD.

How do you feel about the services for the deaf where you live?

They're excellent. Couldn't ask for any better services.

 

[monicanv]

Thanks so much everyone!!!!! I really appreciate it. This gives me some awesome perspectives!