Smartest question that someone asked you?

Daredevel7

Daredevel7

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I did the thread for funniest question an uneducated person has asked you, so now I'm asking sorta the opposite. What is the smartest question someone has asked you regarding your deafness? Assuming that someone does not know much about deaf people.

For me, I think it would have to be "How do you wake up early?" (They have never heard of vibrating alarms before) or "If you have a 100 dB loss, and you have amplification to offset that, wouldn't the amplified sound actually cause damage in the ears since damaging sound starts about 80-90 dB?"

The last question threw me off for a loop....
 
Some of the smartest questions people have asked me are:

(Pre-CI) "How do you travel outdoors independently or cross streets if you can't see and hear?" (I use my white cane or guide dog. To cross streets, I use a communication card which indicates that I need assistance crossing the street and to please tap my shoulder when it is safe to proceed.)

"How do you tell time?" (I have a Braille watch and James Remind-O-Timer Braille clock)

"How do you identify denominations?" (I fold them differently.)

"How do you identify your clothing?" (I use Braille clothing tags which indicate their color.)

"How do you use a computer?" (I use a Braille display and screen reader which converts information that appears on the computer screen into Braille and/or speech.)

"How are you able to understand sign language?" (I place my hands over the signer's and identify signs by touch.)
 
The smartest question that anyone has ever asked me was asked by my neighbor..."What can I do to make sure communication is easy for you so you wont be left out?"

I was impressed because I never expressed my experiences with communication issues with her beforehand. It was very touching and very thoughtful of her..rare in a hearing person who has never met nor associated with deaf people.
 
Is their an honestly a dumb or intelligent question.

If a person is honestly asking a question with out being a "smartass". Is truely asking an intelligent question.

Believe me I have been asked some dumb questions.

Then I have learned their is no such thing as a dumb question.

But if they are being a smartass then it would be a truely dumb question.
 
shel90 said:
The smartest question that anyone has ever asked me was asked by my neighbor..."What can I do to make sure communication is easy for you so you wont be left out?"

I was impressed because I never expressed my experiences with communication issues with her beforehand. It was very touching and very thoughtful of her..rare in a hearing person who has never met nor associated with deaf people.
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Actually, quite a few people have done that for me! I'll never forget the time when I went on a safari group, someone next to me (who I barely knew) asked me if I wanted her to repeat what the guide said about the animals, since the guide sometimes turned around. I NEVER said a thing to her beforehand! That was pretty awesome.
 
In another sense I have truely been asked if I could hear.

I would answer without being defensive.

Asked and answered
 
Daredevel7 said:
Actually, quite a few people have done that for me! I'll never forget the time when I went on a safari group, someone next to me (who I barely knew) asked me if I wanted her to repeat what the guide said about the animals, since the guide sometimes turned around. I NEVER said a thing to her beforehand! That was pretty awesome.
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Yea, it shows thoughtfulness on their part. Many times, many hearing people dont really try to put themselves in our shoes. Usually, in my case, it is because they equate my good speech skills to my hearing loss which gives them the wrong assumption that I could hear as well as I could speak.
 
I can't think of a smartest question anyone asked me, but I can think of a smartest statement someone made on his T-shirt.

"There are 10 types of people in this world... the ones who know binary and the ones who don't."

I walked in an elevator in the dorms at RIT a few years ago. He was wearing this shirt. When I read it, I laughed. His response? "Finally, someone who understands!" and he laughed too. :)
 
one interesting question ever i recieved from reporter when i was coached for JV boys in my alma mater school, CSD Fremont.

"Coach, congratulations on your win over College Prep. Can i ask you a question?"

answered through interpreter, "Sir, you can"

Reporter: "All right, thank you for your time with me, sir. Why do you willing to get techinal foul for yourself and what is the point?"

Coach Me: "Your welcome. Do you know why? i have seen in the history even i played, i know that opponents tends to take huge lead and dominate over our team and become downslide. I decided to take my anger to throw at referee and made scene, got techinal foul. It is working, got them to lift their spirit. Guess what? we climbed back and won over them by lead only 3. This is greatest comeback from 27 points to win by 3. My point is to LIFT them from downslide and start fire to make the best game"



one smartest question came from Animal Control Supervisor during interview.

"If i hire you, how can you capable defend yourself by attack of animals?"

[my first thought, i'd run]

"Sir, that is very good question because of average of people's mind would say, "i'll run and try to find somewhere safe" which it is true. Once i work for you, i'll sacrifice of my parts of my body to protect, trying to take control over animal, find a something that is harmless to animal instead kill but if i have to harm then i will attempt to either crack animal down or kill animal out. Is this choice? Its always have choices and i am only one who will get this without thinking because it is honest."
 
shel90 said:
The smartest question that anyone has ever asked me was asked by my neighbor..."What can I do to make sure communication is easy for you so you wont be left out?"

I was impressed because I never expressed my experiences with communication issues with her beforehand. It was very touching and very thoughtful of her..rare in a hearing person who has never met nor associated with deaf people.
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Happened to me too, but between mutal friends and other as such.
 
Hear Again said:
"How are you able to understand sign language?" (I place my hands over the signer's and identify signs by touch.)
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could be a dumb question from me :aw: - is it ASL?
 
:laugh2: and most probably me too...

sometimes i ask the dumdest question of all time lol, i ask out of curiousity but.... no evil meaning or sacasm behind wat i really said but.
i cant think or an example right now .... but i will post again, the next time i ask something dumb :lol:
 
Jiro said:
could be a dumb question from me :aw: - is it ASL?
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Jiro,

That's not a dumb question at all. In fact, when I started learning tactile sign, I asked my sign language instructor if the deafblind used an adaptive form of sign that was different from ASL. She told me they don't, but added that tactile interpreters *do* make variations of certain signs to make them easier to identify tactually.
 
The smartest question?
Hmmm, When I was about 5 or 6 I was staying at my older cousin's house for the weekend and she asked me "Which ear do I need to speak into for you to hear me?". I was happy to know that I had at least one family member that didnt gripe or grumble about my lack of hearing as it is beyond my control. Needless to say from that moment on, I always had the utmost respect for my cousin that took the time to consider my needs as a HOH kid.
 
Kudos to the guy who asked me:
"Since you are deaf, what is the best way for me to communicate with you?"

It was really refreshing.
 
Hear Again said:
Jiro,

That's not a dumb question at all. In fact, when I started learning tactile sign, I asked my sign language instructor if the deafblind used an adaptive form of sign that was different from ASL. She told me they don't, but added that tactile interpreters *do* make variations of certain signs to make them easier to identify tactually.
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Ah.... I see...... so you're saying tactile sign is same as ASL? Curious - how would you communicate with a hearie?
 
deafbajagal said:
Kudos to the guy who asked me:
"Since you are deaf, what is the best way for me to communicate with you?"

It was really refreshing.
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yea that's what my employers did. My boss's partner types up the summary of meetings and emails it to me. :cool2:
 
Jiro said:
yea that's what my employers did. My boss's partner types up the summary of meetings and emails it to me. :cool2:
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You're very lucky! Many bosses will not be that considerate (regardless of what the ADA says and all that). :)
 
deafbajagal said:
You're very lucky! Many bosses will not be that considerate (regardless of what the ADA says and all that). :)
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indeed.... indeed.... even though it was difficult to find the job with considerate boss... but yea got lucky this time.
 
Jiro said:
Ah.... I see...... so you're saying tactile sign is same as ASL? Curious - how would you communicate with a hearie?
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Yes, that's correct. Tactile sign can be done in ASL, PSE and SEE. Sometimes a few signs may be altered slightly to make them easier to identify tactually.

Some of the ways I communicated with hearies include TeleBraille (Braille TTY), Screen Braille Communicator/SBC (A device that has a QWERTY keyboard on one side and a Braille/Perkins keyboard on the other. The SBC also has an LCD screen for sighted-hearing to see what is typed by the deafblind person.), print on palm/POP (Tracing block letters into the palm of the hand), Braille/raised print alphabet card (My finger is placed on each letter to spell out words), Teletouch (A device similar to the SBC except that it has a QWERTY keyboard on one side and a single Braille cell display on the other. When a key is depressed on the QWERTY keyboard, it appears on the Braille display), Braille realtime captioning (A captionist's laptop is connected to my BrailleNote -- a PDA for the blind -- I'm able to read everything that is typed by the captionist on my BrailleNote's Braille display), typing information in Notepad or Wordpad and reading this information on a Braille display and Fingerbraille (Tapping Braille characters on a person's arm, back or lap with the first 3 fingers of each hand).
 
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