Can someone who is severely deaf talk normally?

Before I had my cochlear implant surgery, I tend to miss some sounds like th, sh, z, s. Mostly at the ends of words. I also tend to speak either too loud or too low at times. I noticed it more than most people did. My family was very honest with me about it. It didn't matter to them.

After surgery my speech has improved. I now notice the sounds being left off, but it is difficult to correct a lifetime of speech habits.

Just this week I received a note from my cochlear implant surgeron about my particapating in his research study. He wrote he was amazed to hear the differences in my speech on the video. I was flattered to know he noticed and took the time to write a handwritten note to me. (research is called percutaneous cochlear implant study)
 
flyingace said:
I always wonder about people who don't believe I'm deaf. I have to wonder if it's supposed to be flattery-like, "you speak too well to be deaf!" , or if it's just plain ignorance, like they think that all deaf people cannot speak at all, and must use sign language.
Click to expand...

Some people probably think it is a compliment cuz to them being deaf is a terrible thing to have. Others, it could be from ignorance.
 
:topic: If a black person speaks "proper" english, we run the risk of hearing something like: "you speak so well"!:roll: Suprise!! Not all of us use the standard hood-rat lingo. I am an individual, not an entire race. Learn that.

Ok so i do kinda talk like the stereotypical white girl. So sue me. :roll:
 
shel90 said:
Some people probably think it is a compliment cuz to them being deaf is a terrible thing to have. Others, it could be from ignorance.
Click to expand...

sometimes I feel like I'm a representative of all deaf people, especially if a person has never met a deaf person before, besides an aged grandparent.

A little off-topic: I wonder, how many deaf people have had hearing people shout at them because that's what they did when they talked to Grandma or Grandpa? And, I've had people stick their faces wayyy too close to me when they talked to me, I've literally had to gently push people back so I could read their lips.
 
society's_child said:
:topic: If a black person speaks "proper" english, we run the risk of hearing something like: "you speak so well"!:roll: Suprise!! Not all of us use the standard hood-rat lingo. I am an individual, not an entire race. Learn that.

Ok so i do kinda talk like the stereotypical white girl. So sue me. :roll:
Click to expand...

How racist!:lol:
 
society's_child said:
:topic: If a black person speaks "proper" english, we run the risk of hearing something like: "you speak so well"!:roll: Suprise!! Not all of us use the standard hood-rat lingo. I am an individual, not an entire race. Learn that.

Ok so i do kinda talk like the stereotypical white girl. So sue me. :roll:
Click to expand...

My husband who is black gets that often especially from his own family. His family talks the standard hood-rat lingo so they say that he is the white one in the family.
 
jillio said:
It is a double edged sword...learn to talk like the audists think you should, and then they use it against you and say you couldn't possibly need accomodations!:roll:
Click to expand...

Don't the Feds already do this?
 
jillio said:
They most certainly do, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Come to think of it, tho, Jillio, they may have made some inroads in this area, amongst other things, with the newly revised edition of the ADA, right?
 
Tousi said:
Come to think of it, tho, Jillio, they may have made some inroads in this area, amongst other things, with the newly revised edition of the ADA, right?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The revisions are intended to stop some of the ambiguity in the interpretations. Like, being able to hear with hearing aids means you no longer have a disability. Or, if your diabetes is controlled with insulin injections, you no longer have a disability. Even though you are still deaf or still diabetic. The most recent appointees to the Supreme Court have actually made some rulings that ridiculous.:roll:
 
Hi Jillo,
I have an assessment from being disabled worker because of my SSD (Single Sided Deafness) and despite I wear a BAHA hearing aid, they have recognized me as disabled worker.
 
That is good to know, Guila. Most of the time the case would be the same here in the states. Unfortunately, some individuals have had to sue for discrimination in the work place or school, and the Supreme Court has made some unfair decisions, IMO. But hopefully, the new revisions will help to take care ofthat.
 
jillio said:
That is good to know, Guila. Most of the time the case would be the same here in the states. Unfortunately, some individuals have had to sue for discrimination in the work place or school, and the Supreme Court has made some unfair decisions, IMO. But hopefully, the new revisions will help to take care ofthat.
Click to expand...
:wave: Jillo
Sorry for answering to you soooooooooooooo late, but I couldn't access to AD because of a problem with the browser :(

In France, SSD was not recognized by the MDPH (Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées, Departmental home for disabled people, sorry if I didn't translate it so well), so people didn't have any possibility of help.
I remember something quite funny (but at the moment not so funny) with my ENT doctor. I had to ask him complementary certificates to complete the form he filled. He refused first, telling me that it will force the hand to the COTOREP commission. The COTOREP is the old name of MDPH for adults (for children, it was CDES).
So mom told him (because I didn't feel strong enough and credible enough to do it) that the whole system has changed, and a lady of the CDAPH (Commission des Droits et de l'Autonomie des Personnes Handicapées, it's the commission for adults and children which decides at the MDPH) told me to make a complementary certificate.
So he did it, doubtful of course....
But 8 days later, I had my assessment :) My ENT doc was thrilled too :) So now, he knows that complementary certificates are definitively necessary for the MDPH ;)
 
I still have people who don't believe that I'm deaf since I talk so clearly. (44 years with some hearing). My biggest problem, is forgetting how some words are pronounced since I haven't heard them lately. I have half a mind to just stop speaking totally and maybe that will let people know that I can't hear. I keep a notebook and pen available wherever I go, but they refuse to use use it. They think I am giving up and should try harder. I am still learning ASL, but no one in the God-Forsaken town knows it, so I am at their mercy sometimes.:mad:
 
Speaking

I lost my hearing at 10 months of age and am profoundly deaf. I've been speaking well all my life since I started oral education at the age of 18 months. I used to work in retail and provided a lot of customer service. I've had a lot of customers ask me "What country are you from?" This is because I sound like I have an accent. They do understand me, but I don't sound perfect like someone that just learnt English as a second language. This is what deaf speak sounds like. I think that the critical factor in being able to speak well as a deaf person is how soon one begins to learn how to speak and listen with hearing aids and how well the education is, how often they utilize that skill. I always had to speak in my family, social environment and at hearing school all throughout my child hood.

It also depends on how long the baby was exposed to sounds in the first few months. The first few months of a baby is crucial for neural development because that is when the brain is growing these neural pathways rapidly. That's why we expose babies to sounds, colors, touch, etc to encourage strong brain development. Then it slows down as we approach the toddler age. So that's why I had to start school right away as soon as they found out my deafness to take advantage of this stage. It made a huge difference in my ability to respond to sounds and speaking as well as possible.

I'm sure its different for someone that was born deaf and has never heard any sounds. Yes they can still learn to speak, however, the deaf accent might be a bit thicker. It would really depend on the person and their level of hearing loss, background in education and family environment.
 
I believe that there is an infinite number of factors that influence a person's ability to speak normally. We cannot say that it's impossible for somebody to speak normally just because that person has never heard speech. We can only say that it's unlikely at best.
 
Back
Top