We are NOT disabled.

[sr171soars]

...
I am not incapacitated or limited by my hearing status, though my family doesn't want me to learn to drive - their problem - I'm taking lessons now.

What can disable us is what people tell us from a young age. I grew up feeling disabled because that's how I was treated for so long. Now I am learning to NOT see myself as disabled/broken.
...

I agree with you about driving. There should be no reason why you can't unless there are other issues involved.

But I disagree with you in this...there are things that hearing is a requirement and no amount of philosophizing is going to make that go away. The trick is to make full use of your life even within those constraints. Life is never fair.

 

[kyleb]

please read for an insight on this: All about being deaf: What can Deaf people do?

 

[Texan Guy]

Hate to spoil your rant but I agree with the military in this matter. I wouldn't want you as a fellow soldier myself. Nor would I expect another soldier to want me myself.

It more than about doing everything but hear. You and I are liabilities on a battleground. You need all five senses (fully as possible) and hearing is probably the most important one when you are hunting another anywhere. It is split second timing and the one who detects the enemy first usually wins. Guess what, it is usually hearing that detects the other first. Sure, sight is more important when shooting. But believe it or not, hearing is just as important when you can't see where they are shooting from. Worst yet, there will be many times you will be fighting in the dark. Your sight doesn't help you as much there. Hearing becomes the critical factor.

Being a soldier isn't a game as it is life and death. The person with five fully functional senses beats a person four fully functional senses hands down in 97% or more most of the time (assumes one is talking about one missing hearing as a sense).

The truth hurts but one who can acknowledge that can go far in life...

I understand what you said. Well, let me tell ya, I'm a paintball player. One day, there were 10 players including me. We were playing woodballs in the night. I decide not to wear my CI. Cause I don't want my CI to get broken by the paintballs. So, we out to play game. I was really carefully, walking around the wood. Play in the half-moon. After about 10 minutes, I got hit from behind. I was pretty pissed off. lol My team lost, then we decide to play second rounds. I put CI on my head. 2 mintues after playing, I already heard someone were shoot each other. Sound like..click click click. So, I ran to that gunfight. Probably a half mile. I walked in the wood to flank them. I sit for the moment. I heard someone cracked the stick on the ground, then I looked back. Ahh...it was my teammate, anyway. So, we walked few more steps, saw my "enemy." We shot 5 players like a duck sitting in the lake. So, about 25 minutes later, I haven't been hit and my team won the second round. True story of me as a paintball player. lol I play paintball a lot. My team considered that I'm the best player of the team with my CI on. lol Pretty difference for without and with CI?

 

[sr171soars]

I understand what you said. Well, let me tell ya, I'm a paintball player. One day, there were 10 players including me. We were playing woodballs in the night. I decide not to wear my CI. Cause I don't want my CI to get broken by the paintballs. So, we out to play game. I was really carefully, walking around the wood. Play in the half-moon. After about 10 minutes, I got hit from behind. I was pretty pissed off. lol My team lost, then we decide to play second rounds. I put CI on my head. 2 mintues after playing, I already heard someone were shoot each other. Sound like..click click click. So, I ran to that gunfight. Probably a half mile. I walked in the wood to flank them. I sit for the moment. I heard someone cracked the stick on the ground, then I looked back. Ahh...it was my teammate, anyway. So, we walked few more steps, saw my "enemy." We shot 5 players like a duck sitting in the lake. So, about 25 minutes later, I haven't been hit and my team won the second round. True story of me as a paintball player. lol I play paintball a lot. My team considered that I'm the best player of the team with my CI on. lol Pretty difference for without and with CI?

LOL...Pretty good I'd say.

That is as close to "combat" without doing combat. Just remember war is for keeps (winner and losers/life and death) and the CI isn't the same as normal hearing. Fine shades of difference between the two. Besides, what you going to do when the batteries give out or the processor breaks in the middle of a firefight? That was the one of things I thought about and said what an impossible situation to be in! At least, there are so many things one can still do with a CI that not being able to be a soldier isn't so bad.

 

[VamPyroX]

You're kiding right? Who wouldn't want to park up front?

So, you're willing to abuse the "I'm disabled!" concept just to park in the front?

Hearing people look at us differently in many ways and using deafness as an excuse for a handicapped parking pass is one of them.

Who really needs it... a deaf guy who can walk perfectly fine or a woman in a wheelchair?

 

[missLsej]

I agree with you about driving. There should be no reason why you can't unless there are other issues involved.

But I disagree with you in this...there are things that hearing is a requirement and no amount of philosophizing is going to make that go away. The trick is to make full use of your life even within those constraints. Life is never fair.

I know that there are things that you NEED to have your hearing for (like the combat situations being talked about).

Life never is fair, this is true.

What I meant was that while growing up I wasn't allowed to play sports because my family saw me as disabled. I was allowed to take Karate but not allowed to do sparring (1-to-1 empty hand combat for those who don't know) because I was viewed as disabled.

That kind of thinking, while it never made me truely disabled - it made me feel disabled so I never fought those choices of my parents and I never tried to participate in those things until I was helped to see different by a really good friend.

I was disabled by a thought.

I know that I can't do certain things because of my hearing but now I do anything I want that I can do.

 

[shel90]

I know that there are things that you NEED to have your hearing for (like the combat situations being talked about).

Life never is fair, this is true.

What I meant was that while growing up I wasn't allowed to play sports because my family saw me as disabled. I was allowed to take Karate but not allowed to do sparring (1-to-1 empty hand combat for those who don't know) because I was viewed as disabled.

That kind of thinking, while it never made me truely disabled - it made me feel disabled so I never fought those choices of my parents and I never tried to participate in those things until I was helped to see different by a really good friend.

I was disabled by a thought.

I know that I can't do certain things because of my hearing but now I do anything I want that I can do.

That is really awful that u werent allowed to play sports. It is that kind of thinking that really hurts a lot of deaf people and keeping us from reaching our full potential. That kind of thinking is still occurring with many deaf kids and it makes me

 

[sr171soars]

I know that there are things that you NEED to have your hearing for (like the combat situations being talked about).

Life never is fair, this is true.

What I meant was that while growing up I wasn't allowed to play sports because my family saw me as disabled. I was allowed to take Karate but not allowed to do sparring (1-to-1 empty hand combat for those who don't know) because I was viewed as disabled.

That kind of thinking, while it never made me truely disabled - it made me feel disabled so I never fought those choices of my parents and I never tried to participate in those things until I was helped to see different by a really good friend.

I was disabled by a thought.

I know that I can't do certain things because of my hearing but now I do anything I want that I can do.

Ah! I see where you are coming from. Sorry for the misunderstanding. You are correct that you can do almost anything you want to do. Your parents did you no favors by "restricting" you. Shame you had to go through that. I'm glad to see you were able to "see" through all that and get on with your life.

As long as you have a good perspective, you will go far.

 

[missLsej]

Thank you. I firmly believe that anyone can do anything they want to do!

My history is why I want to become a Teacher for the Deaf and HoH. I want future generations to understand better and families to support instead of restrict. I want kids like me to have a role model that can say I DO understand (instead of someone who thinks they understand because they have read about it). I also want to be able to teach the families how to properly interact with a D/HoH sibling (instead of getting frustrated b/c someone can't hear you when your back is turned :P )

 

[shel90]

Thank you. I firmly believe that anyone can do anything they want to do!

My history is why I want to become a Teacher for the Deaf and HoH. I want future generations to understand better and families to support instead of restrict. I want kids like me to have a role model that can say I DO understand (instead of someone who thinks they understand because they have read about it). I also want to be able to teach the families how to properly interact with a D/HoH sibling (instead of getting frustrated b/c someone can't hear you when your back is turned :P )

Same for me! That's why I became a teacher. Are u going to school to become a teacher?

 

[Lojistik]

Yes of course you're not disabled.. yet you want special treatment like touchscreen drive thrus?
Speaking a different language doesn't make you disabled and when one speaks a different language they don't recieve special treatment, rather, they must learn what others speak if they wish to communicate with those. No? So until you can 'learn' to make your ears work, what would you call yourself?

Quite a debait.

 

[jillio]

After reading this whole thread, why not say that deaf people have a disability rather than deaf people are disabled. I think it really changes the meaning of the label, dont u think?

Very good, shel. To say "disabled person" defines the whole person by one aspect--their disabiltity. And although a deaf person may have an auditory disability, it doesn't mean they are disabled in alla areas of their lives. They are people first, deaf second. I always told my son that yes, he has a disability, but it is only a handicap if he lets it be.

 

[jillio]

Yes of course you're not disabled.. yet you want special treatment like touchscreen drive thrus?
Speaking a different language doesn't make you disabled and when one speaks a different language they don't recieve special treatment, rather, they must learn what others speak if they wish to communicate with those. No? So until you can 'learn' to make your ears work, what would you call yourself?

Quite a debait.

That's not special treatment. It's an accommodation. Men like to have urinals in their public restrooms, too. Is that special treatment because their anatomy is different from the majority female population?

 

[missLsej]

Yes of course you're not disabled.. yet you want special treatment like touchscreen drive thrus?
Speaking a different language doesn't make you disabled and when one speaks a different language they don't recieve special treatment, rather, they must learn what others speak if they wish to communicate with those. No? So until you can 'learn' to make your ears work, what would you call yourself?

Quite a debait.

Under that arguement we should remove all packaging that has multiple languages on it (English/Spanish in States, English/French in Canada).

Same for me! That's why I became a teacher. Are u going to school to become a teacher?

Not yet, I have other school loans to pay. Hopefully I can go back in a couple of years to finish off what I started. I have a General Studies Diploma (Associates degree) and a Special Education and Disabilities Support Worker Diploma. I hope that I can use these as partial credit for Teaching programs.

 

[shel90]

That's not special treatment. It's an accommodation. Men like to have urinals in their public restrooms, too. Is that special treatment because their anatomy is different from the majority female population?

 

[Lojistik]

Under that arguement we should remove all packaging that has multiple languages on it (English/Spanish in States, English/French in Canada).



Not yet, I have other school loans to pay. Hopefully I can go back in a couple of years to finish off what I started. I have a General Studies Diploma (Associates degree) and a Special Education and Disabilities Support Worker Diploma. I hope that I can use these as partial credit for Teaching programs.

It's not an 'argument' It's simply an observative point.

You don't see what I'm saying, although it's perfectly clear. Sad.

 

[mouse]

haha

Is that special treatment because their anatomy is different from the majority female population?

Jillio, are you suggesting there are is a minority of males who have female anatomy?

BTW I'm enjoying this thread immensely. Thank you all for the contributions, even when we agree to disagree.

 

[saywhatkid]

I just happen to have a massive clitoris and very small breasts, and my ovaries are external...JK

Jillio, are you suggesting there are is a minority of males who have female anatomy?

BTW I'm enjoying this thread immensely. Thank you all for the contributions, even when we agree to disagree.

 

[jillio]

Jillio, are you suggesting there are is a minority of males who have female anatomy?

BTW I'm enjoying this thread immensely. Thank you all for the contributions, even when we agree to disagree.

Nope, I'm stating that the majority of the world's population is female!

 

[rockdrummer]

So, you're willing to abuse the "I'm disabled!" concept just to park in the front?

Hearing people look at us differently in many ways and using deafness as an excuse for a handicapped parking pass is one of them.

Who really needs it... a deaf guy who can walk perfectly fine or a woman in a wheelchair?

Geeze, I see this argument so many times. Handicapped parking is for people that have mobility disabilities not anything else.