Pretend to be Deaf

I'm a little hesitant about sharing this, what I'm about to say may offend some people.

When people say you don't LOOK deaf. They are not talking about beauty, or intelligence. Sure that's what the hearing will say... but truthfully they mean something else.
I've talked to several hearing friends, family, co-workers, about this very topic. Their response is that a deaf person LOOKS different, in several ways, because of the following,

1. The way they carry themselves, mannerisms
2. They look a little confused/ Lost/Vacant
3. Jittery, overly dramatic
4. The way they move their mouths


Oral deaf individuals are harder to figure out, because they've adapted to behavior etc of hearing people.

I don't know about you guys but I can usually tell who is hearing, oral deaf, and ASL deaf, based on body language.
 
Ginette said:
I'm a little hesitant about sharing this, what I'm about to say may offend some people.

When people say you don't LOOK deaf. They are not talking about beauty, or intelligence. Sure that's what the hearing will say... but truthfully they mean something else.
I've talked to several hearing friends, family, co-workers, about this very topic. Their response is that a deaf person LOOKS different, in several ways, because of the following,

1. The way they carry themselves, mannerisms
2. They look a little confused/ Lost/Vacant
3. Jittery, overly dramatic
4. The way they move their mouths


Oral deaf individuals are harder to figure out, because they've adapted to behavior etc of hearing people.

I don't know about you guys but I can usually tell who is hearing, oral deaf, and ASL deaf, based on body language.
Click to expand...

Then you haven't met me. ;)
 
Meow =0_o=

I'm sorry if I seem stupid. BUT, What is the difference if he told her he was hearing or deaf. If he was signing good, and polite (Hopefully) and did nothing wrong, Why would she be mad? I am hearing, and I guess sometimes I play deaf . Infact in my school my sign language teacher sets a date where we wear a necklace which identifys her students in her sign class. On the set date, all we can do is sign. We are not allowed to speak until the day is over. Its fun because the newer students begin to understand how deaf people put up with hearing. but that is besides the point. I think if your good with a language (especially such a beautiful one as sign language) that it doesnt matter if you are deaf or not. I know people who speak both spanish and english and sign language, some I didnt know knew spanish, should i threw a drink in their face for not telling me as soon as we meet? Maybe it is because I live in miami where its basically a melting pot of different cultures, but if someone doesnt tell me their normal language, I dont get mad.
At a place i goto, this guy i know is haspanic, he is cute, but I thought he only knew spanish, hm, okay, I dont know spanish... but one day he started talking to me in broken up english, I was shocked, but also amazed for him TRYING to learn a new language. Maybe people shouldnt scorn someone else for knowing a language which is not their first. MAybe instead people should encourage the other people to continue learning.
My personal idea (not saying it is right) is that people should learn the language of other people. The reason is to be polite, and not force your own language on other people. I wouldnt force a deaf person to speak, instead I would sign, wouldnt that be better? It seems that the lady didnt want a hearing person to sign to her, looks to me she was probably stuck up. her own fault for not asking.

If anyone disagrees with me im sorry, im not trying to start anything up, if anyone wants to talk to me my AIM name is Butterflysdice

Meems
 
Ekk! People are making a big thing about this.. Well one thing that bugs me about deaf people is that a hearing person would go up to a deaf person and start signing away a conferstation but then the deaf person stops and ask are you deaf or hearing? Then the hearing person would be like im hearing, why? Then the deaf person goes oh then walks away.. Whats up with that? Also one time i was at a deaf slient mingle around where I live.. I was talking to one person who was hearing and i was using my voice because the hearing person knew little bit of signing and one deaf lady goes up to me signing hey you hearing person go away this is for deaf people you dont belong here.. I was like whoaaa signing back im deaf and all im oral and stuff.. then the deaf lady was like you should be ashamed of yourself impersonating to be a hearing person!!! I was like whaaa! WTF??!! Whats with deaf peepz?! No offense im deaf too but i dont act like that.. :|
 
I know someone who is hearing but, in other words, that person sometimes like to act "deaf" in a way that can offend any deaf person.

That person is an interpreter major in my school, and is pretty fluent with ASL skills. Often me and my friends would interact with that person and other interpreter majors. I've gotten stories from other people saying that person wanted to be "deaf" just for the fun of it. I've heard during the freshman year orientation that person REQUESTED for an interpreter (umm... that person is hearing) and I was like, what the hell? Another one was when that person went to Mickey D's, signed to the cashier (you expect the cashier to know sign language!?) and the cashier had no idea what that person was saying so, that person had paper and pen all ready right out of the backpack and wrote it down on piece of paper. That person is pretty good for an interpreter but the personality is just BAD, and thinks that being 'deaf' is fun? Um..is there anyone else that thinks it's offensive? I think it is offensive. It's not always easy being deaf.
 
Why on earth should it matter if he told her or not? My sister is a native signer because she grew up with me and it was used all the time in our house, and although she is hard of hearing, she is most certainly not deaf and her hearing impairment is not a hindrance to her. So if she becomes interested in a deaf individual by signing to them, and neither party ever asks if the other is hearing, then I think it's a case of the good old ass-u-me. ;)

I can't say I've ever been mistaken for hearing in "real life," but because of my English skills, I have people online who always forget I'm deaf. My vocal quality gives me away in real life, I guess, even though I am oral as well as using ASL.
 
yeah my friend, he is hearing, rathered to be deaf himself when he is around us (deafies) so that he can learn alot more. he need to practice on catching on with readin on signs..
 
Yeah, my boyfriend usually tells me if a person is hearing or deaf just by their voice... we saw a couple of deaf people around... he told me they weren't hearing because I had assumed that seeing the person understood an announcement... they turned out to be deaf but with a bit of hearing but their voices are awful. They turned out to be old friends from primary school which is how I knew that they could hear but not very well and not talk very well.
 
I had a not so pleasant experience at a Deaf senior citizens club recently. I have a progressive hearing loss. Currently my left hear has a 68% loss and my right ear has a 75% loss in hearing however I can still speak well. Once in a while people tell me not to talk so loud and I didnt realize it and some people have told me themselves they can actually tell I have "lost more hearing". As someone who has been speaking their whole lives and does reasonably well with reading lips (although not well enough to really understand the conversation) many people would have thought I was hearing (that is until recently when it has dropped even more and I can't pretend to hear as well). At the Deaf meet, they asked me if I was hearing or deaf. I signed back hard of hearing. Later, they were playing bingo and I asked to play (in sign of course). They told me no that I couldn't play because I was hearing. I was so hurt by that that I ended up leaving and it took me a while to get over it. For the 900th time, I am NOT hearing!! When will the Deaf learn I am not hearing and the hearing learn the same? It is such an isolating feeling being in the middle :(
 
Yeah people are bastards like that sometimes, like they just can't accept either way. It doesn't matter which one you are, hearing, deaf, HOH, you're not good enough and you may as well leave.

Whatever. It's a bunch of shit. One thing that i often find offensive (and i'm not sure if i should) is when my friends (who are all hearing) when they miss something, they go, "Sorry i'm deaf, say that again". That just hurts sometimes...coz for me, missing conversation is not something i can change!
 
Tell you a funny story...My husband and i were at the mall inside JC Penneys, we were signing to each other cuz he wanted to practice sign language, this salesman came up and tapped hubby on the shoulder, mouthed words real slow and no voice (i started to snicker) and my husband was like :wtf: and he started laughing..the poor man was confused..so my hubby said im not deaf! His face turned red, poor thing..he stammered an apology then we all had a good laugh..I told him im the one who is deaf and his eyebrows shot up and said "YOU can talk?" LOL! He said he never encountered deaf people before.
 
That saddens me

I am HH, and have run into what I can only call bigotry by some Deaf people. Between that, and not being able to follow oral conversations, this puts HH folk 'in the middle', feeling isolated. I wish some Deaf people were not so 'stuck up' and realized that many hearing people learn ASL in an effort to reach out, or because they have family or loved ones that are HH or Deaf.

As my hearing gets worse, I get more isolated. Right now, it is a frustrating 'game' of 'what did they just say?" I only watch TV with CC on, which drives my wife nuts, so I just stopped watching TV 5 or 6 years ago. After I graduated college, I lost touch with my Deaf/HH classmates, and now can barely remember any signs. I keep telling myself I need to go to Deaf Night at the local mall, but forget or get busy.

Anyway, I am just writing to say it is depressing that people would be so close-minded. We have a fair number of late-deaf people here in Tampa Bay, so it isn't *too* bad, but there is still a "wall" between the Deaf and HH/Late Deaf/Hearing people. I will one day be deaf, but never Deaf, it seems. Excluding people that can talk is just as bad as excluding someone because they are Deaf. :(
 
my mom and i went shopping many time... so few times, my mom told me WATCH her, i was puzzled... so i watched her, she walked to casier, she acted like she is deaf, she signed, told them i cant hear, need write paper, woman say ohh okay gave her then my mom wrote down and asked them to help her something so woman tried to speak with her lip so told her come on, my mom went with her, i was RME at her!!!! oh jesus!!! woman helped her, and very nice to my mom, i was giggle and rme!!! we done, we got out store and i asked her what are u doing in there???????????????????? she say cuz of made sure that they TREAT deaf right!!! i told her u are smartazz do that.. she :rofl: at me! GAWD! i was stared at her with growled... she still :rofl: at me... my mom know skill with signs..
 
My parent always accident signs to waitess or cashier all the time... I was laugh at them because they uses talk in signs with me. My parents look like deaf when they signs to ppl -- ppl look at them like huh?? not understand, sorry.. not know sign. They finally use the voice and ppl GLUPED. LOL
 
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