Being deaf is

sailerboy said:
drphil: I consider myself HOH. I have a hearing loss of 75 DB in my left ear, 95 DB in my right ear. I have hearing aids. Let me tell you what I have done: I have gone to a HEARING high school, taken Honors and AP ENGLISH classes. I have gotten a 5 on the AP test for English. I have a better vocabulary than many of my HEARING friends and often help them with their English homework. I also competitively sail, which is a sport that requires more communication and discussion than pretty much any other sport on the Earth. All this while having a Severe-profound hearing loss in my GOOD ear.

As a result of the previous, I consider myself "cured" of Deafness. I function well in a normal society. I accept that people may not take that cure. It required a great amount of hard work on my part, but nothing frustrates me more than a blatantly obvious cure that people ignore. Thus, if people choose not to accept the cure, the physical problem becomes a psychological problem.
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There is no "cure" for deafness... there DOESN'T need to be. do you think there needs to be a "cure" for blackness? No, because there is nothing wrong with being Deaf. Once you realize that, maybe you will be happier with yourself. I grew up being told there was something wrong with me, it was only within the last few years that I have begun to understand there is nothing wrong with me. It is the ignorance of others (of some hearing people) that cause Deaf people to think there is something wrong with us... THERE ISN'T. I am perfectly fine with who I am, and Yes, I am not profoundly deaf, and yes, I do use HA's as an assistive device, but, I know, if i take them off, I am perfectly perfect, there is nothing wrong with me, there is nothing wrong with any of the Deaf people on this forum, and if you think there is... then maybe this isn't the place for you.
I have grown up all my life being told, no you say it this way... fell how i'm saying it... try it... no... its written this way. I grew up without having the opportunity to learn the language that should have been mine in the first place, and its because of people who think the Deaf need to be cured. Well... we don't.
 
sailerboy said:
drphil: I consider myself HOH. I have a hearing loss of 75 DB in my left ear, 95 DB in my right ear. I have hearing aids. Let me tell you what I have done: I have gone to a HEARING high school, taken Honors and AP ENGLISH classes. I have gotten a 5 on the AP test for English. I have a better vocabulary than many of my HEARING friends and often help them with their English homework. I also competitively sail, which is a sport that requires more communication and discussion than pretty much any other sport on the Earth. All this while having a Severe-profound hearing loss in my GOOD ear.

As a result of the previous, I consider myself "cured" of Deafness. I function well in a normal society. I accept that people may not take that cure. It required a great amount of hard work on my part, but nothing frustrates me more than a blatantly obvious cure that people ignore. Thus, if people choose not to accept the cure, the physical problem becomes a psychological problem.
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Sounds as if your physical problem has most definately become a psychological problem for you.:cool2:
 
ash345 said:
There is no "cure" for deafness... there DOESN'T need to be. do you think there needs to be a "cure" for blackness? No, because there is nothing wrong with being Deaf. Once you realize that, maybe you will be happier with yourself. I grew up being told there was something wrong with me, it was only within the last few years that I have begun to understand there is nothing wrong with me. It is the ignorance of others (of some hearing people) that cause Deaf people to think there is something wrong with us... THERE ISN'T. I am perfectly fine with who I am, and Yes, I am not profoundly deaf, and yes, I do use HA's as an assistive device, but, I know, if i take them off, I am perfectly perfect, there is nothing wrong with me, there is nothing wrong with any of the Deaf people on this forum, and if you think there is... then maybe this isn't the place for you.
I have grown up all my life being told, no you say it this way... fell how i'm saying it... try it... no... its written this way. I grew up without having the opportunity to learn the language that should have been mine in the first place, and its because of people who think the Deaf need to be cured. Well... we don't.
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Don't need to be cured and don't need to be "helped" without having asked for assistance.
 
jillio said:
Don't need to be cured and don't need to be "helped" without having asked for assistance.
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I agree... even now when my mom tries to "help" me... all she is doing is hurting me... telling me she still doesn't understand that I'm perfect just the way I am. It makes me shake with anger sometimes... grrrr :twisted:
 
ash345 said:
I agree... even now when my mom tries to "help" me... all she is doing is hurting me... telling me she still doesn't understand that I'm perfect just the way I am. It makes me shake with anger sometimes... grrrr :twisted:
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Yep. It is very patronizing and insulting to assume that you need help just because you are deaf. But hearing people, and some hoh people, do it all the time. What a sense of superiority that takes!:roll:
 
sailorboy - I'm very happy that you're doing well in school and enjoying life and boating. That really is great and keep it up!

But thinking you're cured .... don't put yourself into denial like that. As long as you're still deaf, it doesn't matter if you're the most accomplished positive person ever, you're still contending with people who do NOT think you're cured at all. And the more you keep thinking yourself as cured while living in a world full of people who dont think you are, the more difficult it's going to be for you as you get older.

If you accept that you're deaf and that it doesn't stop you from living your best life, you'll be even happier than you are now.

I can tell you're definitely aware of your deafness for you keep pointing out how despite that you're deaf, you're the same as the hearing or as functional as they are. If deafness is such a non-issue in your life and you're truly cured, you would have no need to point your successes AS A DEAF PERSON. You would point out your successes as just simply sailorboy.
 
You're the one saying there's a difference between deafness and Deafness so why don't you tell us?
 
DeafCaroline said:
sailorboy - I'm very happy that you're doing well in school and enjoying life and boating. That really is great and keep it up!

But thinking you're cured .... don't put yourself into denial like that. As long as you're still deaf, it doesn't matter if you're the most accomplished positive person ever, you're still contending with people who do NOT think you're cured at all. And the more you keep thinking yourself as cured while living in a world full of people who dont think you are, the more difficult it's going to be for you as you get older.

If you accept that you're deaf and that it doesn't stop you from living your best life, you'll be even happier than you are now.

I can tell you're definitely aware of your deafness for you keep pointing out how despite that you're deaf, you're the same as the hearing or as functional as they are. If deafness is such a non-issue in your life and you're truly cured, you would have no need to point your successes AS A DEAF PERSON. You would point out your successes as just simply sailorboy.
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that is point good topic!
 
Don't deflect. you said you're cured of Deafness, not deafness and I am asking you what does that mean? Are you taking lessons from Kokonut, by any chance?
 
My request of your personal definition between big D and little d still stands.

However, since you directly requested such, I will give you mine. The lines are fairly simple, almost black and white in my opinion.

Big D:
Deaf culture, sign language, shunning everyone hearing. Psychological identity resulting from a physical condition.

Little d:
hard of hearing, physical problem that people can work around.
 
sailerboy said:
My request of your personal definition between big D and little d still stands.

However, since you directly requested such, I will give you mine. The lines are fairly simple, almost black and white in my opinion.

Big D:
Deaf culture, sign language, shunning everyone hearing. Psychological identity resulting from a physical condition.

Little d:
hard of hearing, physical problem that people can work around.
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oh you are so wrong...
Big D for Deaf - culturally deaf, it does not mean a psychological problem, its a culture, being within a culture.

Little d - a state of being

Just so you know... there is no PROBLEM, not to most of us...
 
ash345 gave the right answer.

Who told you the Deaf shun everyone hearing? The hearing school?
 
DeafCaroline said:
ash345 gave the right answer.

Who told you the Deaf shun everyone hearing? The hearing school?
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Prob. thats part of why my parents wouldn't let me learn sign, they thought I would shun everyone... and that i would be "abnormal"
 
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