Is anyone with a hearing impairment considered "deaf"?

dreama said:
You are wrong to assume that. I am totally deafblind in most lighting conditions now.
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Being totally blind in "most lighting conditions" does not equate to being totally blind 100% of the time.

Therein lies the difference.
 
Hear Again said:
Being totally blind in "most lighting conditions" does not equate to being totally blind 100% of the time.

Therein lies the difference.
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My mom once got really angry with this blind woman I used to know because she said to my mum 'you don't know what it's like to be blind'.

But M didn't know what it was like to be in my mom's shoes either.

I might not be 100 blind 24/7 but I'd cheerfully trade in the rest of my sight if my eye pains and my depression would go away.
 
That's your choice dreama. Others may feel differently. Some people choose to hold onto every small ounce of sight they have and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
dreama,

If you're depressed, why don't you take meds? That could help quite a bit.
 
Hear Again said:
Exactly.

That would be like me saying I know what it's like to be Deaf because ever since I had my second CI surgery I'm 100% deaf without my implants.
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I can not compare myself to being completely blind. Even though it is only at night time, or in a darkened room... I can only imagine to go through it 24/7.

Having a full time experience, and not being able to escape from it. Which is totally different.


I can say the same about my hearing loss.
 
Babyblue said:
I can not compare myself to being completely blind. Even though it is only at night time, or in a darkened room... I can only imagine to go through it 24/7.

Having a full time experience, and not being able to escape from it. Which is totally different.


I can say the same about my hearing loss.
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I agree. Being deaf or blind 90% of the time is not the same as being deaf or blind 100% of the time.

At the same time, being totally deaf for part of one's life is not the same as being totally Deaf from birth.

Dreama still has some residual vision (even if she may not be able to use it most of the time), so she isn't totally blind 100% of the time and cannot compare her experiences to mine just as I cannot compare mine to hers.
 
I don't take meds except for life threatening conditions that's just me. I don't take it for hay fever, I don't take it for epilepsy, I don't take pain releif unless the pain is really severe in which case I've found it really didn't work or it came back up the way it went in.

The only things I take drugs for are my thyroid deficency. I once tried coming off that due to the fact the drugs I took in the past were not vegan but it I had to go back on.

Some people will just take med at a drop of a hat but it's not done like this in this family.
 
When baby blue is totally blind in a dark I bet it's much worse for her then it is for you because you are always like that. She isn't.

Or do you like it when people feel sorry for you because you are blind, because I don't. If anyone so much as dares to compare me to Helen Keller I'd probably be sick all over them.
 
dreama,

I am not going to have this discussion with you.

Babyblue is dealing with a new situation right now and it is not fair to compare her situation to mine.

Furthermore, do not claim that it is easier for one person than another because there are plenty of congenitally totally blind people who function worse than those who are legally blind.

Having sight or the lack thereof does not change the difficulty of being blind. What does matter are the independent living skills one has in order to deal with it successfully on a daily basis.

I would also appreciate it if you would not make assumptions about whether or not I want people to feel sorry for me. If I felt that way, I would not be in school earning a 3.5 GPA towards a Bachelor's in social work nor would I be volunteering in my community twice/week.

For your information, I am currently looking for a second volunteer opportunity in which I am able to work with people who have mental illness.

That does not sound to me like a person who feels sorry for themselves or wishes others to feel sorry for them.
 
Babyblue said:
I can not compare myself to being completely blind. Even though it is only at night time, or in a darkened room... I can only imagine to go through it 24/7.

Having a full time experience, and not being able to escape from it. Which is totally different.


I can say the same about my hearing loss.
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Babyblue: You are going through something though. Your experiences when you are completely blind are just as valid as any other blind person's are. Let nobody tell you differantly. In fact it is harder for you since you haven't learnt blind skills yet. When you learn blind skills being in the dark would be as scary.

I'm going out to practice my mobility now. When I go out into the sunlight I will be totally blind. It's something I do regularly. Not so much these days because of the added pollen in the air, but I will go out more when the pollen count goes down.

In fact in August I'm going on a camping holiday. There will be nowhere for me with controll lighting so for that week I will be blind 24/7 for the 7 days that I'm away from home.
 
Sorry that I got angry again last night. I'm afraid I'm a little short fused right now.
Now Hearagain has got herself banned again. (sad)

I felt angry at hearagain because I think Anyone who has ANY sort of visual problems should be able to call themselves blind if it makes them feel better. You don't need to experience total blindness 24 7 to have problems. Usually it's people who do have sight but are scared stiff of losing it completely that are worse off. (I know because I've been there) Also people who haven't learnt the ropes yet. I'm still learning mobility to get about with no sight at all, but things are already starting to look up or at least they would if I wouldn't keep having problems breathing when I go out so can only practice mobility locally. But then that's my problem I guess as I want to avoid taking medicine as much as I can. So only taking a herbal remedy for hayfever.
 
shel90 said:
Yes....isnt deafness a hearing impairment itself anyway?
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being late deafend i see this two ways....
for the hearing world/community being deaf is impairment because the majority of human population is hearing. so to them to hear is normal and if u do not than it means ur hearing is obviously impaired in some way.

for the deaf world/community being Deaf or deaf is to be part of a culture that has its own language and social groups and such. its a way of life as any other culture. so offense is sometimes taken when a Deaf person who may be born that way is called hearing impaired when they feel that being deaf is perfectly normal and dont feel that there is anything wrong w the way they are.

i kind of see it from both sides as i have lived in both worlds....

just my view.:hmm:
 
deafannieboo said:
being late deafend i see this two ways....
for the hearing world/community being deaf is impairment because the majority of human population is hearing. so to them to hear is normal and if u do not than it means ur hearing is obviously impaired in some way.

for the deaf world/community being Deaf or deaf is to be part of a culture that has its own language and social groups and such. its a way of life as any other culture. so offense is sometimes taken when a Deaf person who may be born that way is called hearing impaired when they feel that being deaf is perfectly normal and dont feel that there is anything wrong w the way they are.

i kind of see it from both sides as i have lived in both worlds....

just my view.:hmm:
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I was speaking from a medical model point of view. An hearing impairment can range from a mild hearing loss to a severe profound deafness.


My own personal view, I do not like that term but the OP asked that question so I was answering it.

:)
 
shel90 said:
I was speaking from a medical model point of view. An hearing impairment can range from a mild hearing loss to a severe profound deafness.


My own personal view, I do not like that term but the OP asked that question so I was answering it.

:)
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ahh ok gotcha!
 
I think it is a personal choice not matter the severity of hearing loss. WHichever the person is more comfortable for you to use.
 
I consider myself hearing impaired with HAs and deaf unaided. I won't speak for others as different people have their own lables.

I am vision impaired(my own lable) but it's correctable from 20/600 to 20/30 with glasses.
 
thanks all

I have been hard of hearing since my early twenties. In that entire experience I have been the most hoh persion in both my work and small social life. Now my sister has become more hoh than I. I did not know people were using the hearing impaired description until joining AD. Hearing aids have always made the difference between functioning badly socially and functioning worse socially.
I am not deaf and would be uncomfortable using the term for my condition. I still hear sound just not very well and even with HA I struggle with what people are saying. I work here in Alaska in the construction business as a working electrician. The little sensitivity for hard of hearing they now have comes from dealing with me. I experience on a daily basis people treating me like I am mentally challenged because I do not hear well. Most come to recognize that I am very good at what I do and somehow manage to not get whacked by a piece of heavy equipment and so on. It is a constant proving of myself and some never get it. They do not get it because of who and how they are. With out good quality hearing aids I could not function in this environment and would simply have to do something else. When I get home from work I take the hearing aids out and you know what? I am not hard of hearing! I am just myself.
just myself.
 
Our World, Our culture

At work, with family and hearing friends and on the phone with my kids, Im HOH. With Deaf friends Im DEAF! with TV im HOH. So 95% DEAF and 5% hearing. I considered myself DEAF. Without my hearing aid on Im DEAF!:P
 
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