Daredevel7, so true. Yes, I was one of the victims of audism, and yes you are right when you said I want to spare any child what I went through. I was taught from a young age that I needed 'fixing' that being deaf in any degree was defective. At school I was taught via the taunting of my peers who were hearing and even from other deaf kids who were in the same boat as me, that it was something to be ashamed of. I spent the majority of my life 'fitting in' and fooling people and even myself that I could hear. It has only been recently that I have come to accept that being deaf is me, is who I am, it is what defines me as a person and that it is not something to be ashamed of. I would like to save any child or person from what I had to go through.
I support total communication as long as it is not depriving the child or person of self-worth and acceptance of who they really are in being deaf. In my own opinion, having Sign Language as the primary language is vitally important.
(btw, my parents are hearing and they have always wanted the best for me as any parent would. They have always been supportive but cannot begin to fathom how I could be content being just as I am without hearing aids or cochlear implant/s or any of the 'fix it' things. But they respect my decision not to go that way).
