Would Like Your Thoughts

[ecp]

Thank you so much I greatly appreciate this.
ps. my ASL classes are coming in great still have a long way to go but it worth the effort.

I have a cochlear implant and it is so much better than hearing aids ever were. My hearing loss is above the limit of audimeters and it is interesting seeing other Deaf people with residual hearing who are so against CIs. If hearing aids help, that’s fine.
Also, I can take off my CI processor and still be stone Deaf. It doesn’t take away identity.

 

[ecp]

My sentiments exactly about the CI. It may be great for some, and not for others. I’m just fine with my HAs. On days I work, they are in. On days or evenings when I’m just home, I usually don’t bother. I like the peace and quiet at times. I think one of my pet peeves is when some complete stranger tells me I need a CI. I think I know what’s best for me. Especially with being prelingually deaf. My other pet peeve is when strangers make up signs and tell me they can sign, and it’s nothing but gobbledygook.

One thing to remember is that if you get benefit from hearing aids, or have “70-80% hearing loss” (hearing loss isn’t measured in %. If it was I’d have 120% hearing loss.) you may not be a candidate for a cochlear implant so, why worry about something that doesn’t affect you?

Even with hearing aids I couldn’t tell speech from noise.
I’m not a hearing person but now I can hear things and understand speech when I want to. If I don’t want to hear, I can just remove my processor and go back to total silence.

My family doesn’t care if I want to have a “Deaf day”. I wish they knew more ASL.

 

[Michael2013]

If I ran around calling some part of my body "Broken" then it just makes me feel less-than... and makes other look at me differently

I have no issue acknowledging the fact that I have crappy ass ears. They don't work like they should and saying so doesn't make me feel any less-than. But that doesn't mean I "run around calling some part of my body broken." It's simply not at all a part of my identity, which is probably the difference and goes back to point in my first post.

In the context of hearing, when a Deaf person says "there is nothing wrong with me or my ears" to a hearing person, it will (generally) not be interpreted the way you want. They/we simply won't understand because it means something different to a Deaf person.

 

[Michael2013]

I DO NOT SEE us as DEAF ears being BROKEN! Them hypocrites! To come here and tell us we don't know ourselves. Pppft.. get lost!

Quite the opposite. I was simply trying to explain how those kinds of comments get intrepreted by a hearing person. You seem very frustrated, and I guess I was just trying to offer some perspective from the other side. It's not about telling you that you are broken - I don't know how many times I have to repeat that, but I will keep saying if needed.

If you say to a hearing person "there is nothing wrong with my deaf ears," they will simply not understand. They will be confused. That doesn't mean you don't know yourself or that you are wrong, but you should at least understand how the other side is intrepreting the words/message so you aren't so angry when they don't immediately get it.

-Mike

 

[peekaboo]

Quite the opposite. I was simply trying to explain how those kinds of comments get intrepreted by a hearing person. You seem very frustrated, and I guess I was just trying to offer some perspective from the other side. It's not about telling you that you are broken - I don't know how many times I have to repeat that, but I will keep saying if needed.

If you say to a hearing person "there is nothing wrong with my deaf ears," they will simply not understand. They will be confused. That doesn't mean you don't know yourself or that you are wrong, but you should at least understand how the other side is intrepreting the words/message so you aren't so angry when they don't immediately get it.

-Mike

You need to go back and see what you posted! You did, in fact, say that "that our ears are broken" You said it, read it on your post ... its all there in black and white! Here I will make it EASY for you>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Maybe it is just me, but I think this is the part that a lot of people struggle with relating to. My initial reaction to that is... well, no, your ears are broken. Sure, there is nothing wrong with you as a person, but biologically speaking, your ears do not function as they were designed to. So naturally people want to fix what is broken.

<<<

As far as hearing NOT understanding that a deaf person to say THAT to a hearing person and that THEY will not understand? buwhahahaha... you must take us for fools. And BTW this chick is not frustrated by you to ya'll perspective, I have seen it time and time again and again...
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN! You say one thing and then change your words around so that you don't sound like the bad guy.
You can repeat all you want if it makes you feel any better...but I will keep saying if needed for hearies to understand ... deaf ears are not broken, its that simple, what is there to not understand. If hearies can not simply understand that, then the hearies need to stop finger-pointing at people who are different simply because they are not " able" to use all of their... what was the word you use? Oh yeah, "function as they are designed to." This is clearly an attack without you even realizing it, but I will point that out to you since you do not grasp at the things that you are saying to someone not "able to function with all of their abilities to "function into the hearing world."


NEXT!!

 

[C-NICE]

I think that the main issue has been lost in the debate. The issue is not that ears are broken or not. It seems to me the issue is how the larger society has reacted to this and other disabilities. Either fix it or marginalize it!

 

[peekaboo]

I think that the main issue has been lost in the debate. The issue is not that ears are broken or not. It seems to me the issue is how the larger society has reacted to this and other disabilities. Either fix it or marginalize it!

Well fixing it ain't gonna help being the "larger society" really can't seem to accept us as we are, truly sad. We have accepted them, why can't they accept us as we are?? Marginalize it? Yup, that what it sums up!

 

[C-NICE]

My meaning is the larger society wants it fixed or marginalized so that they don't have to even deal with us at all. We live right now in a world that thrives on everything being easy & simple (No Heavy lifting or doing what is hard).

 

[peekaboo]

My meaning is the larger society wants it fixed or marginalized so that they don't have to even deal with us at all. We live right now in a world that thrives on everything being easy & simple (No Heavy lifting or doing what is hard).

That is what I meant. I guess I didnt word it right, their english language is not my first language. I really am trying *sarcasm* lol
ASL will always be ME.

 

[Michael2013]

... deaf ears are not broken, its that simple, what is there to not understand. If hearies can not simply understand that, then the hearies need to stop finger-pointing at people who are different simply because they are not " able" to use all of their... what was the word you use? Oh yeah, "function as they are designed to." This is clearly an attack without you even realizing it, but I will point that out to you since you do not grasp at the things that you are saying to someone not "able to function with all of their abilities to "function into the hearing world."

Wow. Finger pointing? Attacking you? Saying you can't function in the hearing world? I don't even know what to say to any of that. You're putting words in my mouth and I feel like you're missing the entire point of what I was trying to explain. You can be mad at me all you want; I'm just telling you how a hearing person may think and react when you say there is nothing wrong with your deaf ears.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

-Mike

 

[peekaboo]

Wow. Finger pointing? Attacking you? Saying you can't function in the hearing world? I don't even know what to say to any of that. You're putting words in my mouth and I feel like you're missing the entire point of what I was trying to explain. You can be mad at me all you want; I'm just telling you how a hearing person may think and react when you say there is nothing wrong with your deaf ears.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

-Mike

.

 

[LoveBlue]

Wow. Finger pointing? Attacking you? Saying you can't function in the hearing world? I don't even know what to say to any of that. You're putting words in my mouth and I feel like you're missing the entire point of what I was trying to explain. You can be mad at me all you want; I'm just telling you how a hearing person may think and react when you say there is nothing wrong with your deaf ears.

I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

-Mike

Why are you on a deaf forum? To fix our way of thinking? Obviously you think our thought process is also broken.

 

[Michael2013]

Why are you on a deaf forum? To fix our way of thinking? Obviously you think our thought process is also broken.

You do NOT have to change the way you think, I am NOT asking you to. I am simply trying to explain how a hearing person may think. I am not asking you to CHANGE; I am asking you to UNDERSTAND a different perspective. And it's the perspective that many hearing people will have. It doesn't matter anymore at this point, so we can drop it.

We are in a forum called "Hearing Aids & Cochlear Implants." I have been using HA's since I was a small kid, and am getting activated with my cochlear implant on Tuesday. Am I not deaf enough to have an opinion here, is that why you are asking?

-Mike

 

[Jane B.]

Why are you on a deaf forum? To fix our way of thinking? Obviously you think our thought process is also broken.

Not broken but definitely different and I think a good deal of that difference comes from the difference in ASL and English.

 

[Jane B.]

"That is what I meant. I guess I didnt word it right, their english language is not my first language. I really am trying *sarcasm* lol
ASL will always be ME.

I think this is where a good deal of the fight comes from. As I see more things posted by those that have ASL as their first language I see differences in meaning of things that appear to be the same.

I feel that those that keep saying their "deaf ears are not broken" need to realize that people that hear are referring to the ability to physically hear only not to other things about the person. That ability to hear does seem broken to those of us that can hear, or could in the past, and thus had English as our first language.

Then those of us that hear, or did in the past, need to realize that hearing is not important to those that grew up in or have adapted to the practices of the Deaf Community.

 

[Jane B.]

You do NOT have to change the way you think, I am NOT asking you to. I am simply trying to explain how a hearing person may think. I am not asking you to CHANGE; I am asking you to UNDERSTAND a different perspective. And it's the perspective that many hearing people will have. It doesn't matter anymore at this point, so we can drop it.

We are in a forum called "Hearing Aids & Cochlear Implants." I have been using HA's since I was a small kid, and am getting activated with my cochlear implant on Tuesday. Am I not deaf enough to have an opinion here, is that why you are asking?

-Mike

Mike
I agree so much with what you said in the first paragraph here.

I have been unilaterally deaf since 1947 or 48 (I was 5 but don't know the exact year) and my other ear went down to the point of starting to use a hear aid in the 1970's. But I do not have a CI.

 

[CanYouRepeatThat?]

I think this is where a good deal of the fight comes from. As I see more things posted by those that have ASL as their first language I see differences in meaning of things that appear to be the same.

I feel that those that keep saying their "deaf ears are not broken" need to realize that people that hear are referring to the ability to physically hear only not to other things about the person. That ability to hear does seem broken to those of us that can hear, or could in the past, and thus had English as our first language.

Then those of us that hear, or did in the past, need to realize that hearing is not important to those that grew up in or have adapted to the practices of the Deaf Community.

I think you may be onto the nature of the rift here. As someone who grew up hearing and who still lives exclusively in the hearing world, I understood Mike's post perfectly, because that's my frame of reference. But I also recognized that as I'm NOT part of the Deaf community, there's no way I can really understand their frame of reference.

To us, broken says nothing about our identity. My finger might be broken, or my leg, or yes, my ears. But to us that's not an identity.. To those in the Deaf community it seems as it is. Thus "broken" implies something more.

Or so it seems to me.

 

[peekaboo]

Here is the thing... to those who were born deaf... like me... to read and hear "hearies" that we are broken and that we need to be "fixed" in order to "survive" in the hearing world... what a load of HS. I know a lot of Deaf people that are fine in the hearing world that don't need to be fixed and they are living there dreams as far as being in the hearing world that ARE DEAF. And if you feel that you are losing your hearing and can not cope with living without your hearing, try being deaf and being told your ears are broken and need to be "FIX!" Losing ones hearing is not all that bad, you make it sounds like your life has just ended.

Now if you simple think your ears are broken nearly because of the fact you were not born deaf and born hearing and think your ears are broken, that's fine. Just don't post it here for us to see that you are implying that your ears are broken... that is like saying, if your ears are broken, that means you are saying that to us as well. You may not see it the way WE DO... but that is how we were told all our lives. You simply will not understand that since you are a hearing person.

So to say that on a deaf forum... * clears throat... is a slap to our face" Now if you are innocent and you didn't know...


NOW YOU KNOW!

 

[C-NICE]

To me the issue of someone's ears being broken is irrelevant to the original topic. The topic was people's different opinions on CIs as a means to address severe hearing loss/deafness. It's a forgone conclusion in any CI discussion that someone has a hearing issue.

 

[Michael2013]

What was your point?

I've restated my point so many times it doesn't even matter. You are so hell bent on being offended by everything I have to say, when it's the last thing I was trying to do. It seems you are projecting your own issues and insecurities onto me and then arguing and calling me names for it. You want people to make more of an effort to understand the Deaf culture, but can't be even the tiniest bit open minded to understand an opposing viewpoint.

My ears are broken. I think yours are too, but it doesn't make you or me any less of a person. I have my opinion about it, and you have yours. Nobody says either has to change, but if you want to have any kind of meaningful conversation with someone (about anything), understanding their viewpoint helps. But you're not interested in that. You just want to be angry and hateful at someone who doesn't think the way you think. Good luck with that.