DeafRaptor
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- Joined
- Aug 3, 2011
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Due to failures in posting, I am keeping it simple. 
I was born to a hearing family w/ 2 brothers & a twin sister w/ mild-moderate bi-lateral hearing loss. It has continued to decline & now starts at moderate, but is mostly in severe-profound. I was mainstreamed w/ 2 HAs & a speech therapist & I picked up a little lip-reading.
In college, I was given CART & note-takers, which I admit I felt guilty about accepting (“why didn’t they give it to me before” mentality). My first year, I started learning ASL & about Deaf Culture. I met another deaf person for the 1st time & hung out with the local community. My sister was by my side & helped me through my school years until I graduated.
I had done very well & got a job with the Government, so I moved to Washington, DC where I’ve been for five years. But I was shocked about how many sounds I don’t catch even with my 2 year-old state-of-the-art digital HAs, since previously my sister had alerted me to alarms, the door, phone, etc (I’ve overslept, burnt food, missed visitors & callers, etc). I also can’t locate the source of sounds that I do hear w/ or w/o HAs. I know I wouldn’t qualify for some service dog programs, so I adopted a rescue, Leah; found a dog trainer; & taught Leah to alert me. After learning her 3rd sound alert, the trainer certified Leah, but as I didn’t go through an “official” program I feel guilty (I know I am w/in my legal rights).
With no one to practice with, my ASL skills have atrophied a little. I am trying to accept my “deafhood” (no longer HOH) and reclaim ASL as my primary language.
I was born to a hearing family w/ 2 brothers & a twin sister w/ mild-moderate bi-lateral hearing loss. It has continued to decline & now starts at moderate, but is mostly in severe-profound. I was mainstreamed w/ 2 HAs & a speech therapist & I picked up a little lip-reading.In college, I was given CART & note-takers, which I admit I felt guilty about accepting (“why didn’t they give it to me before” mentality). My first year, I started learning ASL & about Deaf Culture. I met another deaf person for the 1st time & hung out with the local community. My sister was by my side & helped me through my school years until I graduated.
I had done very well & got a job with the Government, so I moved to Washington, DC where I’ve been for five years. But I was shocked about how many sounds I don’t catch even with my 2 year-old state-of-the-art digital HAs, since previously my sister had alerted me to alarms, the door, phone, etc (I’ve overslept, burnt food, missed visitors & callers, etc). I also can’t locate the source of sounds that I do hear w/ or w/o HAs. I know I wouldn’t qualify for some service dog programs, so I adopted a rescue, Leah; found a dog trainer; & taught Leah to alert me. After learning her 3rd sound alert, the trainer certified Leah, but as I didn’t go through an “official” program I feel guilty (I know I am w/in my legal rights).
With no one to practice with, my ASL skills have atrophied a little. I am trying to accept my “deafhood” (no longer HOH) and reclaim ASL as my primary language.
to AllDeaf forum. Botti is correct on this one. 
