Looking For People With Similar Backround and Experiences

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Doug5

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Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 34y/o man born with moderate hearing loss in both ears. It wasnt discovered until I was 6y/o. Thats when I got my first hearing aid.

Both of my parents could hear. They felt it was best to mainstream me.I went to regular school and never learned how to sign. My parents assumed that the hearing aids would work like glasses and reverse the hearing loss.

I never really connected with the hearing community. Always felt like an outsider. Now I am curious about the so called deaf community and want to learn sign language. Ive never considered myself a deaf person. I can fake my way when communicating with hearing people, with lip reading and filling words that are in context. It can be very stressfull and draining, especially in group situations. Its difficult to follow group discussion.

anyways, hi everybody!
 
Doug, welcome to AD! :wave:

I can relate to what you are going through. One thing that I found out with the Deaf culture and community; they are a bunch of caring folks with lots of patience for us nOObs just learning to sign. When I first attended a Deaf event, I think they had more questions about my life than I did for them. We all had a great time together! Its been great ever since!

Dave
 
Doug5 said:
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 34y/o man born with moderate hearing loss in both ears. It wasnt discovered until I was 6y/o. Thats when I got my first hearing aid.

Both of my parents could hear. They felt it was best to mainstream me.I went to regular school and never learned how to sign. My parents assumed that the hearing aids would work like glasses and reverse the hearing loss.

I never really connected with the hearing community. Always felt like an outsider. Now I am curious about the so called deaf community and want to learn sign language. Ive never considered myself a deaf person. I can fake my way when communicating with hearing people, with lip reading and filling words that are in context. It can be very stressfull and draining, especially in group situations. Its difficult to follow group discussion.

anyways, hi everybody!
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:welcome: to AD!!

I have the same background as you. In fact I am the same age as u! LOL! However, I learned ASL about 8 years ago and I am fluent in it and now involved in the deaf community. I tend to hang out with deaf people who grew up mainstreamed or learned ASL later on. I have a few friends who are culturally deaf.

Learning ASL was the best thing I ever did in my life and to experience having full access to group discussions so easily is just great!

There was another thread called "Deaf or hearing friends"...one of my postings was about how I wont go back to a nonsigning environment full time cuz it is just too draining and too much work for me so I understand where u come from.

Enjoy posting away!
 
yeah, Ive always been wary around deaf people cuz I wear hearing aids and cant sign. Like I turned my back on deaf people. I always assumed people were either deaf or can hear. I was told that it was rare for someone to be in the middle like I am.

My parents had the thought that learning how to sign would be pointless since there wasnt any deaf people where I lived. Also, theres a belief that it might make people more reliant on signing vs. speaking.
 
Doug5 said:
yeah, Ive always been wary around deaf people cuz I wear hearing aids and cant sign. Like I turned my back on deaf people. I always assumed people were either deaf or can hear. I was told that it was rare for someone to be in the middle like I am.

My parents had the thought that learning how to sign would be pointless since there wasnt any deaf people where I lived. Also, theres a belief that it might make people more reliant on signing vs. speaking.
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Well...there are a lot more people like us now in the deaf community since more and more deaf children are being mainstreamed. I used to think like you and I was surprised to meet so many deaf people with similar backgrounds like me . I find myself connecting with them more than I do with hearing people and Deaf (deafies who grew up with ASL and in deaf schools).
 
hey shel, Ive read some of your posts. I think you posted something about the deaf accent.

Yeah, it can be tough interacting with a group of hearing people. Like when talking in a car. I can never understand anyone in the back seat. Then the hearing people get frustrated repeating themselves and tend to cut you out the loop.

Its frustrating cuz hearing people assume you can hear them all the time without realizing the importance lip reading has. Sometimes hearing people have an attitude theyre doing you a favor for being your friend. Cuz they know some people dont want to bother with the hassles of communicating with hoh people.
 
I wouldnt mind meeting deaf people. To be honest, I had a thought that theyd be jealous that I hear as much as I do. I realize now thats not the case.
 
Doug5 said:
I wouldnt mind meeting deaf people. To be honest, I had a thought that theyd be jealous that I hear as much as I do. I realize now thats not the case.
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I have never experienced having anyone from the deaf community having issues with my wearing hearing aides. Sometimes, they would have issues with me using my voice to order things. They told me that it was rude and I should use pen and paper but I told them as long as I sign and voice at the same time, I dont think it is rude and it is my choice. Just silly small things that tend to become big issues sometimes so I just have to find a compromise to meet halfway. I cant worry about making others happy so I try not to let those small things become big issues. I usually just let it go and move on. :)

Matter of fact, there are some culturally deaf people who can hear pretty well. I have a severe hearing loss so it is rare for me to meet anyone who has less hearing than I do. Ha!
 
I guess I am LUCKY.. I was born HOH.. but my parents were deaf... they saw that i get well educated from deaf school... I graduated from University of Illinois in hearing world..It was TOUGH... so i belonged to both worlds.. now i am completely deaf... more acitvites with deafies...
 
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to AD.. I hope you will enjoy the stay with us and happy posting away! :)

I am hoh and wear a hearing aid. Odd that I went to Arkansas School for the Deaf and graduated from there but I remained in both worlds as I do feel comfy talking to others and using sign language with deafies.

I just found out I have Meniere's Disease recently. My left ear is gone now.. I used to be able to hear some and my right ear might go.. its already sound like its muffled under water so it wont be long before I lose the hearing? Good thing I already know Sign language.. LOL :)
 
I've been through the EXACT same thing. I got my hearing aids when iw as 4 and i was put through mainstream classes as well. My dad and grandfather are a little hard of hearing but not as bad as me. I know what you mean when you feel left out, you cant quite connect to anyone. Only difference is, I learned sign language half way into the 6th grade.
:pissed:
Sad thing is the deaf and hard-of-hearing kids didnt like me either . . . thats when i truely felt left out. Hearing kids didnt like me cause of my hearing loss and the deaf and HoH kids didnt like me cause i didnt know sign language. hah that sucked. At least adults arent stupid enough to do that . . . usually
 
Welcome to AD! :)

I can relate to your situation -- from a blindness perspective. I was born blind and was mainstreamed throughout my education. Although I got along well with my sighted classmates, there were times I wish I could have been introduced to other blind students like me. The only chance I had to meet other blind students was when I attended a camp for the blind. I went there for 17 years and loved the experience! :)

As far as my hearing loss is concerned, I was diagnosed with a mild loss at age 3. My former HA audis think the loss may be congenital due to the fact that newborns weren't given hearing screenings back in the late 60s/early 70s. Hearing aids and ear surgery were recommended at the time but because my parents' health insurance refused to cover the cost (for reasons I do not know), I went without until age 15 when I received my first pair of BTE hearing aids for a moderately-severe loss.
 
:welcome: to Alldeaf! Have fun browsing and posting! :)
 
I never really connected with the hearing community. Always felt like an outsider. Now I am curious about the so called deaf community and want to learn sign language. Ive never considered myself a deaf person
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It's great there are a lot of hoh people posting here! I ALSO went through this......I remember thinking I was the only dhh kid in the entire world!
I'm hardcore about Sign.....I think most dhh kids can benifit from a second language relatively early on.....like introduced around first grade as an "enrichment" sort of thing. I wish it wasn't the default that we were pushed towards only the hearing world.
 
deafdyke said:
It's great there are a lot of hoh people posting here! I ALSO went through this......I remember thinking I was the only dhh kid in the entire world!
I'm hardcore about Sign.....I think most dhh kids can benifit from a second language relatively early on.....like introduced around first grade as an "enrichment" sort of thing. I wish it wasn't the default that we were pushed towards only the hearing world.
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same here with one exception I never learned sign language. I have severe/profound loss and wear hearing aids. It's always been very difficult for me to live in hearing world. I was mainstreamed. If my parents had allowed me to learn and use sign language my life would have been much easier for sure :|

And Doug5 ,welcome here :wave: and let's share some :hug:
 
Highlands said:
same here with one exception I never learned sign language. I have severe/profound loss and wear hearing aids. It's always been very difficult for me to live in hearing world. I was mainstreamed. If my parents had allowed me to learn and use sign language my life would have been much easier for sure :|

And Doug5 ,welcome here :wave: and let's share some :hug:
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I second that!
 
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