Oralism, Deaf culture, and would you choose to be hearing?

[apkeats26]

Well I'm sure that it's a different type of appreciation, do you watch "Regular" films? Or do you have captioning?

 

[Banjo]

Well I'm sure that it's a different type of appreciation, do you watch "Regular" films? Or do you have captioning?

Well, I do watch regular films including independent, occasional foreign, epics and I do need captioning to understand a lot of these films too as well.

In fact, I watch almost anything I can, but I don't have all the time in the world to see them all.

There are way too many crappy movies being released as we speak, and it have been for years.

But there are some gems that we get once in a while which I'm quite grateful for.

 

[apkeats26]

What is your honest, un-edited, opinion of hearing people?

 

[Banjo]

What is your honest, un-edited, opinion of hearing people?

They're human beings just like I am, nothing more.

 

[Sweet_KJ]

AP,

Welcome to the forums...
and I wish you the best in writing your research paper!

Anyway -- if I had been given the choice.. I would love to remain hearing (I was born hearing), because I LOVE music, I listen to music all the time (all types).. only compliant is that I don't hear the lyrics

If I was hearing I'd be singing all the time.. haha, I'm a born entertainer.

But anyway, being Deaf has its positive sides. You can go to bed without anything waking you up until the alarm does/or someone else does by physically touching you. You have a bigger tolerance for all kinds of people.

I was raised Oral. The techniques they used with me is speech therapy, sounding out sounds, then words, then sentences. It's a long, and, sometimes, difficult and frustrating process. I learned lipreading on my own (kinda like to learn to speak by imitating others).

Now, I use ASL whenever I'm with fellow Deafies/HOH.

I don't think it makes a difference whether or not you should hear a car coming down to save your lives. Deafies rely on their sight, and that may be good because they have a quicker reaction.

 

[Sweet_KJ]

My honest opinion of hearing people... hmm it really depends on the individual. I know for a fact that everyone is different. If I had a general opinion of hearing people, then I would have a general opinion of Deaf people. It's same as stereotyping.

There are wonderful, extraordinary inviduals. Both deaf and hearing. There are other not so extraordinary, awful people that are deaf and hearing.

 

[apkeats26]

Hey thanks for the welcome...
So far I have quite a bit of info for my paper, which is something I intend to finish by Wednesday.

Here is something else that I have wondered, do the deaf feel like they do not have something, in terms of hearing. Let me think of how to say this.
When a deaf person is thinking about hearing people, does he feel like he/she is missing something/hearing, or that the hearing person has just one thing more/hearing. If you get what I mean.

 

[Y]

agee with SweetKJ about various types
of hearing and deaf people... this is bit
difficult to figure out how i feel if there is
something missing....

Just to make things easier for you to
remember only one word or 2 words
that describe what I think/feel:

"Communication Barrier"

This is how I think/feel at
every time when I see
a hearing person.

Nothing personal at all.

 

[deafdyke]

What is everybodys opinion on Oralism? What do you think about the process that they teach children, should they teach Deaf children/adults to talk?

Well it depends on what you mean by oralism. I think speech and language training is an excellent idea...it gives dhh kids more oppertunties then if they only learned ASL. However, I am VERY against making a dhh kid grow up with only oral language. I think that dhh kids should be raised bilingally so THEY can choose which language and which worlds they want to be a part of.
I know far far far too many ex-oralists (and sucessful oralists too at that!)
who grew up without ASL and discovered ASL late in life and are now angry at their parents b/c their parents never exposed them to ASL as kids.
Too many experts think of ASL as "speshal needs" or a "crutch" instead of a real legitmate language. Too many pro-oralists push the healthy normal aspects of oralism to hearing parents who are still grieving b/c their dhh kids aren't "perfect." Too many oralists think that a kid who has an OK command of the English language (eg they say stuff like "How many spiders have legs) is higher fucntioning then someone who doesn't have great oral skills but who can express themselves at a Harvard level in ASL.

If you could choose before you were born to be deaf or hearing, what would you choose and why?

I'd choose to be hard of hearing, just the way I am now!
I'm actually five dcB away from being legally deaf. I wear hearing aids so I have some hearing....but when I don't want to hear I can turn my aids off! (I used to turn my hearing aids off on people for a joke when I was little) I get the best of both worlds by being HOH! You seriously do not know HOW many times I've been told by hearing people that they wish they could turn their ears off!

When a deaf person is thinking about hearing people, does he feel like he/she is missing something/hearing, or that the hearing person has just one thing more/hearing.

It depends.....culturally Deaf people feel that hearing is just something extra...however many deaf people feel like they're missing hearing.

If you can hear, couldn't it save your life to hear a car horn blowing as you were walking across the street?

What about music? Do deaf people/the people on the board, ever wish that they could hear music?

Well most people are taught to look both ways before crossing the street.
Besides, most Deaf people have useful residual hearing. Very few deaf people are totally deaf. As a matter of fact, there are some people who only have residual hearing in the "speech banana" frequncies. They learn to speak without speech therapy or going to auditory-verbal therapy. Some deaf people actually wear hearing aids to help them hear enviormental sounds, even if they can't hear speech with aids.
I can hear music...(and I think Pinkster can too although she has a profound unaided/unCId loss) although I can't understand everything 100%....then again, not even hearing people know the real words to Louie Louie or Smells Like Teen Spirit I have a low frequncy loss so my favorite singers are female (their voices tend to be higher pitched)

 

[apkeats26]

Now here was a questions that I asked somebody earlier.

If you would have the choice of being deaf or hearing before you were born, and you had a completely mental clean slate, you had no idea what either world was like, so in essence, you were a "Virgin mind" that didn't know anything about either, which would you go with?

 

[Levonian]

When is this paper due? Also, can I have a copy of it when it’s finished?

 

[pinkster]

If a genie came to me and gave me the choice to be able to hear or be deaf,

I like that.. thats a good guide for me. If that were to happen to me, sorry folks, I'd ask to be hearing. I know what its like to be hearing, i know what its like to talk for hours on an end on a regular phone. I know what its like to be in choir, play the guitar, listen to music anywhere I want to and know that its not super loud. I miss those things, a whole lot. Often times I get fustrated (the feelings mutual, i know) with Megladon, when I cant see him well or he says something and im like huh? I often wish I could talk to him without looking at him, or hear the things he'd like to whisper to me. Its hard, a daily struggle, but you learn - i try to teach him ASL! Sometimes my patience (and im sure his too) runs very thin, but at the end of the day i find myself wondering why I ever bothered to worry about the differences.

However, I could never give up the ASL skills I have, or the experiences I've received by being a coda-lda. Im deaf by nature, and hearing/deaf by culture. It wont last, you know, eventually I'll have to pick which culture do I want to live by. Right now, Im perfectly happy with my ASL/oral combo I just wish my life were simpler, not so complicated as it is now.

err.. the question... i should answer that - I think people should be bilingual. The ability to talk has opened more doors for me than it has for my mom. (who has been deaf since the age of 2, by spinal meningitist) I dont think it ruins the culture or the language like most Deaf people do, I think it makes life simpler, easier if i can say that. And I dont think being deaf endangers our lives, it makes us more attentive, as it has been said. Only stupid people dont look both ways, or pay attention to the road while driving.

 

[Ginette]

I was born deaf and was taught both ASL and Oral Methods. At the age of 5, I chose to continue with verbal communication, eliminating ASL completely. I don't regret my decision.

An honest un-edited opinion of hearing people....ignorant.
Don't get me wrong, I love them.
Truth is they feel sorry or pity me because of my deafness. I can't hear sounds like birds chirping, the wind blowing, thunder clouds, or classical music. Ask yourself this, how can you miss something you've never heard? I feel that because we are hearing impaired our other senses are heightened, our sight, touch, smell.

Just the other day, I was watching my twin daughters dance and sing along to Joan Osborne. I remember thinking, it must be nice to hear music.

 

[kuifje75]

What is your honest, un-edited, opinion of hearing people?

I agree with some of the other people here, that hearing people are just as much human as the Deaf people. I don't get any ideas of who people are unless I get to know them better, then I can say if this person is nice or not so nice. Some hearing people are very open-minded and nice, and others aren't. Same goes for Deaf people as well. I just hate it when some Deaf people don't like me just because I refuse to isolate myself in one world (Deaf World or Hearing World). I like making new friends both hearing and deaf.

However, one common thing that I dislike about hearing people is the ignorance (not a negative word, but defined as unknowing or uneducated) towards the Deaf culture, world, etc... I agree with Ginette when people say "Oh, I'm sorry!" I go like "Hey, don't be sorry, I'm fine the way I am, functioning 100% " Sometimes I think if one uses a positive attitude about his deafness and smile about it, it makes people feel less awkward about it and become more curious to ask about deafness. With my deaf mentoring job, I have really enjoyed answering parents' questions about myself, my life, deafness and so on. It is important not to lose patience quickly when it comes to communication issues between the hearing and the deaf. If one gets mad or frustrasted, then other will start to build a defence up and the communication wouldn't go smoothly.

 

[peacetrain]

"An interesting point was brought up, "If I could hear, what if I didn't like all of the sounds and couldn't turn it off?" Well, I am hearing and iI can't see anything wrong w/ noise, except for when I'm trying to sleep."

Do you have kids?????????????????

"If you can hear, couldn't it save your life to hear a car horn blowing as you were walking across the street?"

I'm a hearing parent of 4 kids, 1 is deaf. My deaf son is more responsible riding his bike than the other 3. Why? We've spent time teaching him to use his vision to watch for cars. I think it's our hearing perspective that gets in the way of realizing that there is more than one way to do something. We use our hearing a lot, but there are many ways to use all our senses to provide us with information.

 

[Cheri]

This is sreat so far, what are some of the different methods of oralism? Are there many different techniques? Are there any sites that have info? THanks
-Aaron

You know U could be able to go to a Library and get some books about Deaf Cultures... There are some Great Books there..
*Deaf like me: by Thomas S. Spradley, James P. Spradley
*A Journey into the Deaf-World : by by Harlan L. Lane
*Deaf in America:Voices from the Culture: by by Carol Padden
*When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf: by Harlan Lane
*In this Sign: by Joanne Greenberg

Or u can Go to Deaf Clubs I am sure there some in Columbus You could meet some deaf people and learn from them also...

 

[Kalista]

You know U could be able to go to a Library and get some books about Deaf Cultures... There are some Great Books there..
*Deaf like me: by Thomas S. Spradley, James P. Spradley
*A Journey into the Deaf-World : by by Harlan L. Lane
*Deaf in America:Voices from the Culture: by by Carol Padden
*When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf: by Harlan Lane
*In this Sign: by Joanne Greenberg

Or u can Go to Deaf Clubs I am sure there some in Columbus You could meet some deaf people and learn from them also...

My favorite books are http://www.forhearingpeopleonly.com/ by Matthew Moore.

Also The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community by
Harlan L. Lane

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...325320-9256913?_encoding=UTF8&asin=1581210094