Am I deaf?

DeafBadger

DeafBadger

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I am a little confused on what exactly being deaf means.

I was mainstreamed as a solitaire HOH person. I have severe-to-profound hearing loss in both ears since birth.

I was always told by the HI teachers that I was not actually "deaf," that I was "hearing impaired."

I had a discussion earlier this month with a lady in my college's Student Accessibility Office. I was talking to her about my experiences as HOH and said that growing up I had not thought of myself as deaf, but rather as a "struggling hearing person". That's what I was told by the HI teachers.

The woman in the Student Accessibility office said that I am actually deaf.

So it's kind of a question that remains for me... at what point does "deafness" begin? Is it a range, or a specific point? Is it an identity, a way of thinking of yourself?

Since I first met some local deaf folks last month, I've been kind of trying to figure out what it all means to me. How to think of myself and so on. Like I mentioned in my introduction, being at that deaf meet made me feel that my HOH is normal, because I struggle with trying to hear hearing people. So it was good to be among people who also have hearing loss and that it is no big deal for anyone. And I really appreciated that.

I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks. :ty:
 
It sounds like you are beginning a journey on finding your identity as a Deaf person.
 
I agree with Banjo. You are on road to identity as Deaf and it's a beautiful journey to witness.

I identify as Deaf. I never used to. Always tell people HoH but born profound deaf and recently discover, thanks to discussion, and comments from Jillio, that I was pre-lingual. Never understood that before.

It's been a long journey but a great, great one.

As for other question. I do not know how ENTs define deafness versus HoH but I recall reading somewhere that 30% hearing, or less, was deaf. Do not know if true. Either way, that would be deaf or Hoh.

Deaf is an identity and a culture. I'm Deaf and freaking proud of it!:giggle:
 
It is the medical point of view that hearing impaired is more of an acceptable term but it becomes confusing to the person who is struggling with his/her own identity. Trying to live as a "broken" hearing person but when they are really deaf after all.

I went through it too and I blame those people for giving me confusing messages as a child. No, you arent deaf..you are hearing impaired. whatever.
 
shel90 said:
It is the medical point of view that hearing impaired is more of an acceptable term but it becomes confusing to the person who is struggling with his/her own identity. Trying to live as a "broken" hearing person but when they are really deaf after all.

I went through it too and I blame those people for giving me confusing messages as a child. No, you arent deaf..you are hearing impaired. whatever.
Click to expand...

Or, worse yet, when your parents say you are hearie because you can hear airplane overhead. :shock:
 
Since being bilateral DEAF for almost 5 years (December 20, 2006) quite easy to describe deafness-silence.
What does one do about it: Implant ( if suitable). learn/use ASL et al or regress to passivity. In the end YOUR CHOICE. You LIVE with the results of your choice.

Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
Wirelessly posted

It all about being true to yourself. "Struggling hearing person" says volumes. If you are comfortable and 'at home' with using speech and your priority is on wanting and needing to hear then you are not Deaf. If you have realised that you have finally come 'home' when you are with Deaf people and Deaf Community and you share the same values and are comfortable with visual communication and you identify yourself with that then you are finding your identity as Deaf. Been there done that and its the best thing I have ever done for myself. All the best to you.
 
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I know I am deaf by medical terms but do not define myself as Deaf if anybody knows what i mean
 
Wirelessly posted

I'm having a really hard time figuring out my identity... My hearing stays can fluctuate but I'm always more comfortable with visual communication. I have to speak and lip read though because no one around me signs.
 
DeafBadger said:
Am I deaf?
Click to expand...

Legally and Medically - yes you are deaf or "legally deaf"

Culturally & Socially - pick a label you're comfortable with.

if you're comfortable with that "deaf" label... then fine.
if you prefer something else like HOH... then fine.
 
Like Jiro said.

Go with your own preference of labeling yourself as HOH, Deaf, or deaf.


I am Deaf. I tend to correct people who says impaired hearing. I said, "just Deaf is fine."
 
Whether I am legally bilateral DEAF- haven't went to court yet. Not exactly a pressing matter to have determined since December 20, 2006.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
 
drphil said:
Since being bilateral DEAF for almost 5 years (December 20, 2006) quite easy to describe deafness-silence.
What does one do about it: Implant ( if suitable). learn/use ASL et al or regress to passivity. In the end YOUR CHOICE. You LIVE with the results of your choice.

Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
Click to expand...

drphil said:
Whether I am legally bilateral DEAF- haven't went to court yet. Not exactly a pressing matter to have determined since December 20, 2006.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
Click to expand...

Which one is it? :P
 
Thank you everyone for your replies.

rebeccalj said:
I identify as Deaf. I never used to. Always tell people HoH but born profound deaf and recently discover, thanks to discussion, and comments from Jillio, that I was pre-lingual. Never understood that before.
Click to expand...

Does "pre-lingual" mean being deaf before one acquired language?

shel90 said:
It is the medical point of view that hearing impaired is more of an acceptable term but it becomes confusing to the person who is struggling with his/her own identity. Trying to live as a "broken" hearing person but when they are really deaf after all.
Click to expand...

One of the things I was told to be was "independent," which I took to mean that I should not ever ask for help, that I should always soldier on through whatever I was experiencing. So I never told anyone that I needed help, and didn't know that I should have.

BecLak said:
Wirelessly postedIt all about being true to yourself. "Struggling hearing person" says volumes. If you are comfortable and 'at home' with using speech and your priority is on wanting and needing to hear then you are not Deaf.
Click to expand...

Well, "struggling hearing person" was my only choice as far as I ever knew. I grew up in a hearing world and did not know any deaf/hoh people after grade school (the other students dispersed to other schools).

"Comfortable" with it doesn't really enter into it. I do it because I must. It's the world I'm in. I want to talk to people because it's how I meet new people. The problem is that I have a hard time understanding them and it also isolates me. I usually end up just sitting back and not participating because I'm not hearing enough anyway.

But hopefully that will change once I learn sign language well enough. :)

I recently met someone who used to be in my class in grade school. He told me that during the summers, he used to go to a summer deaf program at the state's deaf school. How come I didn't know about that or go to it? I never knew about that! :shock:

Just the way it goes, I guess.

It sounds like being Deaf has a lot to do with the community you're involved in... so I'm just getting started, so I suppose I have a long way to go yet. :)

Thanks again for your replies!
 
DeafBadger said:
Thank you everyone for your replies.
One of the things I was told to be was "independent," which I took to mean that I should not ever ask for help, that I should always soldier on through whatever I was experiencing. So I never told anyone that I needed help, and didn't know that I should have.
Click to expand...

My parents told me the same thing: to suck it up and deal with it and always be independent. If I expressed I needed help or that I needed more, my mother would tell me not to be a princess or that I'm not better than everyone else. so i would be shamed into keeping quiet.
 
I went through the same thing. At first (in elementary school), I thought that since I was given hearing aids and mainstreamed that the adults were telling me that I was the same as everyone else (including hearing - like hearing aids were a cure). I thought it was cool to identify myself as hearing impaired with hearing aids thinking "hey these people get to meet/know an actual hearing impaired person, but they can still communicate with me since I am mainstreamed." But I was still asking people to repeat and repeat and repeat. After a short while, the other kids were not actively trying to communicate with me. Later in high school and college, people would occasionally try to include me in conversation, but I had already become withdrawn. At work, I thought that interpreters were not for me since I had hearing aids and could speak. It wasn't until five years after college (about a month ago) that I started accepting myself as deaf/Deaf. I now use interpreters for work training and meetings and I can finally get everything and being fully involved in those activities. Basically, as a hearing impaired/hard of hearing person I was not a whole person, but as a deaf/Deaf person I am whole.
 
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