Something I'm thinking about....

:wave: rolling, Shel and DD! :ty: Shel!

rolling, because there are languages, jokes and other aspects of Deaf that make it a culture, I personally don't think being born deaf has to be a disability. I think it's another situational variant, like someone born in one country <being born deaf> coming to another country <born into hearing family>. I think what happens a lot is other people consider it a disability and and something to fix, remediate/rectify, see as a tragedy. Other people's attitudes/lack of knowledge make it a disability.

yeah, DD, people so often make assumptions - "oh, you didn't LOOK like....." < a certain way that they think someone in a perceived category is supposed to look like>, or "you seem so smart to be/have LD" which has happened to me.
It can be hard to be patient at times-
 
dogmom said:
as I learn more and take on the Deaf culture perspective, I find myself explaining more to others based on what I have learned and my experience.
this week I came across someone comparing being born deaf to other "illness" or "disability" that just happens. I wrote that from a cultural perspective, being born deaf is not an illness or sad "condition" , and that it is a linguistic and cultural difference, not a problem -the problem is hearing people's attitudes or stereotypes.

Then I was with someone who is a teacher working with deaf kids. I find that sometimes in talking I may use some signs; and sometimes if I want to be sure I understood something I will repeat with the sign if I know it. Since I count on my fingers, I have been doing the no. 3 the Deaf way for some years. So she asked me if I was hearing impaired. I said, no, I'm hoh and re-learning ASL.
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I *SO* know what you mean! I think, immersing myself more in the Deaf community has made me more proud of our uniqueness and I feel, somewhat, like, how do you say, activist and teacher in a way. I *want* hearies to understand us better. Things I knew for years but never say because don't feel it's important now is. Does that make sense?

When I explain to co-workers how I don't think in words but, instead, think in pictures, have to translate to English words, they were fascinated. They never thought of it like that before. I almost feel a responsibility now to educate simply because of being here and passing along the things that I am learning or the things that were always there but I felt weren't important to share. Pack mentality can be used for good things and I'm proud to be part of this pack. :hug:

The first time I signed a song, in front of my girlfriends (a few weeks ago), I felt *SO* proud and they thought it was so beautiful. I was always so ashamed to talk with hands. Now? Not so much.

I go back to re-learn proper ASL beginning on the 24th and while I'm nervous that I bring bad signing habits to class I am so, so excited to learn to fluently speak with my hands again.

A funny little story. My one co-worker, she's very respectful of my uniqueness and came to ask me oneday if she was doing something wrong when she comes to my office to ask if I want to go for a smoke. She always make the "U" sign in front of her lips, almost like the 'talk' sign but with the letter "U", and was worried she might be making a sexual sign.:giggle: I tell her I understood just fine what she meant.:laugh2:
 
GrendelQ said:
I like the way you've put this, dogmom. There was a recent thread in which someone referred to a child being born deaf as not being a "healthy" child and it truly jarred me to think that some do perceive deafness as sickness.
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If you're referring to me then you, again, are misquoting. This is how my Mother referred to her hearing children. Healthy. Normal. Forgive me if this was the only way I knew, growing up, how to refer to myself or how to explain it now to others. My Mother wasn't exactly going to win "Mother of the Year.":roll:
 
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rebeccalj said:
If you're referring to me then you, again, are misquoting. This is how my Mother referred to her hearing children. Healthy. Normal. Forgive me if this was the only way I knew, growing up, how to refer to myself or how to explain it now to others. My Mother wasn't exactly going to win "Mother of the Year.":roll:
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Most of society refers to hearing children as "normal" when talking about a deaf child. Absurd. But your mother was not alone, unfortunately. Does wonders for a child's self concept. NOT
 
jillio said:
That "oh, I am so sorry" face that so many people give a person who says, "I am deaf." Like you have just lost the most cherished person in your life.
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Please refer to above illustration. :P
 
dogmom said:
:wave: rolling, Shel and DD! :ty: Shel!

rolling, because there are languages, jokes and other aspects of Deaf that make it a culture, I personally don't think being born deaf has to be a disability. I think it's another situational variant, like someone born in one country <being born deaf> coming to another country <born into hearing family>. I think what happens a lot is other people consider it a disability and and something to fix, remediate/rectify, see as a tragedy. Other people's attitudes/lack of knowledge make it a disability.

yeah, DD, people so often make assumptions - "oh, you didn't LOOK like....." < a certain way that they think someone in a perceived category is supposed to look like>, or "you seem so smart to be/have LD" which has happened to me.
It can be hard to be patient at times-
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That is so much how I view it as well. I was born into a family that speaks a different language than me. Not a disability. A blessing in many ways. A challenge in others; but not a disability.

I get tired of the, "Oh, sorry," or, "Oh, you don't *LOOK* Deaf." :roll:

Patience is a virtue and I'm not very virtuous. :giggle:
 
Good picture, Botti. I get the funeral face a lot because I'm going deaf. The implication is that I'm losing my status as a "normal' person and must be seriously grieving now. :roll:
 
sallylou said:
Good picture, Botti. I get the funeral face a lot because I'm going deaf. The implication is that I'm losing my status as a "normal' person and must be seriously grieving now. :roll:
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:wave: Glad to be of service!
 
jillio said:
That "oh, I am so sorry" face that so many people give a person who says, "I am deaf." Like you have just lost the most cherished person in your life.
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:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2: What? I get it but I don't get it. Why do people make that expression for just not being able to hear properly?
 
jillio said:
Most of society refers to hearing children as "normal" when talking about a deaf child. Absurd. But your mother was not alone, unfortunately. Does wonders for a child's self concept. NOT
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Yes, you are right. I'm still trying to process that whole blueprint, even as adult. While therapy helped, a few years back, it doesn't totally go away.

Still, I like the poster who said, "Normal is just a setting on your washer." :giggle: Perfect and an answer I will give the next time someone says that I am not normal because I don't hear right.:cool2:
 
sallylou said:
Good picture, Botti. I get the funeral face a lot because I'm going deaf. The implication is that I'm losing my status as a "normal' person and must be seriously grieving now. :roll:
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:giggle: Yep, losing status. :giggle: Isn't that crazy? How can we be seen as less simply because we don't hear right. I will never, ever get that!

I have my own website and I can tell you that they are very, very thankful that I don't hear right. That I read body language. They have learned lots. It makes me feel like they lose status because they hear. They miss *SO* much that we don't. :hug:
 
The one thing I just could not comprehend is that hearing parents, even hearing grandparents want to have a "normal" children and try to pressure them into the hearing world with CI or oral-only program in the mainstream schools. That is why they are grieving so much over this hoopla "disability" which we are not except that we can not hear. Our brain is one hundred good and very intelligent. We don't like to be pressure every time the hearing family members like Mom and Dad try to get us "fix". Beside it is the same old record player for many, many years every time the hearing people think that the hearing doctor can "fix" them with the new devices like hearing aids and now CIs and what next after this? It is like playing the viola or violin over and over again. Can we just say enough is enough? Geeze. :mad:
 
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