The Deaf Community

posts from hell said:
Thats the problem... MORE people see their oral upbring negatively.

Hearing people sees it as more people who grew up oral are happy. Thats what they're led to believe.

I've met easily at least 10,000 deaf people from all upbringings... now you see where I am coming from. There is a pattern, otherwise I wouldn't be saying all this.
Click to expand...

There you go. Once again it is the matter of the hearing perspective of the deaf or the deaf perspective of deafness. Which is more valid? Obviously, the deaf perspective of the deaf when it comes to discussing deafness and the effect it has on the individual.
 
Wirelessly posted

posts from hell said:
GrendelQ said:
Wirelessly posted

I think every direct experience represented here is valid and should be factored into our view of the deaf experience. But just as those describing a negative encounter with an orally focused upbringing should be 'heard' so should the many who see their background, whether oral, av, asl, cs, see, tc as positive

I don't think accepting, understanding, empathizing one or both indicates any invalidation or denial of the other.
Click to expand...

Thats the problem... MORE people see their oral upbring negatively.

Hearing people sees it as more people who grew up oral are happy. Thats what they're led to believe.

I've met easily at least 10,000 deaf people from all upbringings... now you see where I am coming from. There is a pattern, otherwise I wouldn't be saying all this.
Click to expand...

What you describe may be a more accurate representation, true, but the #s of stories I come across is skewed far in the other direction. Now, that may be a filtered group, I know, and it's one of the reasons I come here to expand the perspective I'm getting in the real world.
 
GrendelQ said:
Wirelessly posted



What you describe may be a more accurate representation, true, but the #s of stories I come across is skewed far in the other direction. Now, that may be a filtered group, I know, and it's one of the reasons I come here to expand the perspective I'm getting in the real world.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. In my experience, it's really skewed the other way too. I know deaf people who are like me (oral upbringing) who most likely will never interact with ASL users. In some ways, the Deaf community is also filtered. Although, I tend to believe that deaf people who are oral only is indeed the minority.
 
GrendelQ said:
Wirelessly posted



What you describe may be a more accurate representation, true, but the #s of stories I come across is skewed far in the other direction. Now, that may be a filtered group, I know, and it's one of the reasons I come here to expand the perspective I'm getting in the real world.
Click to expand...

Yup, skewed in a certain direction for money. :)
 
posts from hell said:
Yup, skewed in a certain direction for money. :)
Click to expand...
Doesn't that invalidate their experiences? Are you suggesting the oral deaf with positive experiences are profiting by sharing positive experiences?

This discussion is exactly my point. There are positive and negative experiences. If one were to base their decision on the numbers, then to be fair they would need a representation of as much of the oral deaf population as possible. Not just the experiences of one or a few. Me being the literal nut that I am, I would not stop until I had the opinion of every oral deaf person on the planet. My position on this is to be fair and objective. Not to invalidate or discount any experiences.
 
posts from hell said:
Yup, skewed in a certain direction for money. :)
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about reports, I'm referring to live anecdotes from deaf describing their experiences. In my daily life, I'm exposed to many more deaf and HOH who grew up oral and happy about it, who promote learning to speak and hear with aids (I less often come across CI adults) than ASL deaf who describe past miserable oral experiences and the rebirth that comes with ASL. It's only among a very small handful of deaf at my daughter's school and online in this forum and a few other similar forums that I read the perspective you describe as the majority perspective.

As I mentioned, I suspect the people I encounter in real life are a self-filtered group, and I wish there were a satisfaction study that represented all deaf. But if I were to give a rough estimate of deaf experiences I come across, I'd say they run 5 to 1 in favor of oral learning. So, I'm not invalidating your experience. But I am taking in all of the deaf experiences I come across, and I'm also not invalidating those 4 people who promote the oral or av learning experience they had to every one who promotes ASL.
 
GrendelQ said:
I'm not talking about reports, I'm referring to live anecdotes from deaf describing their experiences. In my daily life, I'm exposed to many more deaf and HOH who grew up oral and happy about it, who promote learning to speak and hear with aids (I less often come across CI adults) than ASL deaf who describe past miserable oral experiences and the rebirth that comes with ASL. It's only among a very small handful of deaf at my daughter's school and online in this forum and a few other similar forums that I read the perspective you describe as the majority perspective.

As I mentioned, I suspect the people I encounter in real life are a self-filtered group, and I wish there were a satisfaction study that represented all deaf. But if I were to give a rough estimate of deaf experiences I come across, I'd say they run 5 to 1 in favor of oral learning. So, I'm not invalidating your experience. But I am taking in all of the deaf experiences I come across, and I'm also not invalidating those 4 people who promote the oral or av learning experience they had to every one who promotes ASL.
Click to expand...

did those oral deaf ever experience being fluent in ASL or associate with the Deaf community in their lives?
 
rockdrummer said:
Doesn't that invalidate their experiences? Are you suggesting the oral deaf with positive experiences are profiting by sharing positive experiences?

This discussion is exactly my point. There are positive and negative experiences. If one were to base their decision on the numbers, then to be fair they would need a representation of as much of the oral deaf population as possible. Not just the experiences of one or a few. Me being the literal nut that I am, I would not stop until I had the opinion of every oral deaf person on the planet. My position on this is to be fair and objective. Not to invalidate or discount any experiences.
Click to expand...

money = doctors and educators.
 
Daredevel7 said:
Wouldn't that also apply the other way....?
Click to expand...

That's why I support in exposing all deaf with both. I dont believe in it must be one or the other.

I thought I was happy growing up oral until I learned ASL and realized why I had all these anger and low self-esteem issues.
 
shel90 said:
did those oral deaf ever experience being fluent in ASL or associate with the Deaf community in their lives?
Click to expand...

A surprising number of adult oral deaf I've met are fluent, familiar, or at least functional in ASL (I'm not a good judge on whether they really are fluent, and can only go on whether or not they conversed easily with my daughter, her teachers, or other ASL users around me), although I think many have picked up ASL for professional rather than personal communications reasons. Quite a few, such as one of my daughter's audiologists, work with the deaf, so they need to know multiple means of communicating, but aside from attending graduate programs at Gallaudet, which many have done, and interaction with people in the Deaf community, I don't think they identify as part of the Deaf community or grew up within the Deaf community.
 
GrendelQ said:
A surprising number of adult oral deaf I've met are fluent, familiar, or at least functional in ASL (I'm not a good judge on whether they really are fluent, and can only go on whether or not they conversed easily with my daughter, her teachers, or other ASL users around me), although I think many have picked up ASL for professional rather than personal communications reasons (quite a few, such as one of my daughter's audiologists, work with the deaf, so need to know multiple means of communicating), but aside from attending graduate programs at Gallaudet, which many have done, and interaction with people in the Deaf community, I don't think they identify as part of the Deaf community or grew up within the Deaf community.
Click to expand...

Ok then I am happy for these people. Still they got to experience both and get to make the decision on whether to be a part of the Deaf community or not. That's my whole point.
 
posts from hell said:
and?
Click to expand...

And... nothing. Shel said it best. Especially for an earlier age.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think it's easier to teach a deaf adult how to sign than how to speak. (Assuming both are taught written English, of course)
 
posts from hell said:
teaching an adult how to sign is harder too...
Click to expand...

Yeah. Unless they have a lot of time to devote to it it is very hard. I am finding it hard to learn due to family obligations. If I had more time without the family, I might do better and be able to get to the deaf social more often.
 
Well, at the least, we should be happy that there are more programs for youngers.

My Smart Hands
Clerc's Children
Baby Sign Language
Much more

Let's pray there will be improved for the education. The language is more important to develop it. :)
 
shel90 said:
did those oral deaf ever experience being fluent in ASL or associate with the Deaf community in their lives?
Click to expand...

I'm with Shel and PFH. I was never told about sign language or the Deaf community at all. I discovered them only recently after 40 years of going the oral way with HA etc, which was dictated to me and my parents by hearing medical professionals and specialists.

I was happy growing up when there weren't issues pertaining to my deafness. But I went through a lot of struggles and negative experiences that could have been avoided had I been given the option of Sign language and knowing the Deaf Community. How can anyone make good choices if they are not given the full picture?

It is forums like AD that help bridge that gap. Thanks AD.
 
KristinaB said:
Yeah. Unless they have a lot of time to devote to it it is very hard. I am finding it hard to learn due to family obligations. If I had more time without the family, I might do better and be able to get to the deaf social more often.
Click to expand...

Same for me, KB.
 
Back
Top