Deaf Attitude Toward HoH?

B

BoricuaChevere

New Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
54
Reaction score
0
I read somewhere that Deaf attitude toward HoH is negative. Deaf don't like HoH because although they can barely hear, Deaf don't like it. I'm HoH myself and haven't really experienced Deaf culture, but I'm learning ASL and am ready to be involved with the culture. I know another HoH girl who go to Deaf school and we talk a lot. But if this is true about Deaf, why is it like this?
 
You have to develop the guts to ignore the opinions of a few rock-headed people. They don't represent all of Deaf culture. There's always a bad apple in every bunch, you can't do much about it other than shake it off like water off a duck's back. The same you do for other hearing or HoH that might criticize you. Just like hearing people who might abhor you for unknown reasons yourself. You already know to ignore them.

The main thing to point out is that HoH is generally still considered as hearing culture, so ideas, values, beliefs, replicate and stem off from Hearing perspective. Hearing people are seen as superficial in deaf culture as you may have noticed as a HoH yourself. Deaf culture in its truth, is blunt and straightforward. They are honest and generally do not think twice before developing an opinion about something or a person. There is no "lessen the blow" or play around words to make something sound not as bad as it is prevalent in hearing culture. Each individual's personality and cultures differ.

In hearing culture, you are not expected to criticize someone out in public without ample reason for doing so. It's generally considered a unspoken hearing etiquette. With Deaf, there is no such etiquette - some people will let you know what they think of you (even if it's negative) without second thoughts.

So, just try to not take it too seriously if you encounter those type of Deaf people. Just a :2c: from my experiences.
 
I think its more the individual person, All the deaf people i have talked to in person have been really friendily and accepting and more then happy to help me with my terrible auslan skills.
 
As someone who grew up HOH and oral, and met the deaf community for the first time as a camp counselor for a day deaf camp, it was quite a rude experience but looking back on it now, I realize why I was treated badly. They saw this 18 year old who was quite proud of being able to speak and write well and who didn't hide that pride. They took it as my acting superior and I probably did.

Ego can really get in the way sometimes, especially among young people.
 
From my experience, it is not the level of hearing but the ability to speak and lip read. I have a lot less hearing ( L-108dB and R- 105dB) which makes me profounded but when the deaf community labels me they refer to me as HoH because they consider any person who can talk and lip read unable to be label D/deaf. Those with much greater hearing sign of themself as Deaf (only because they are totally ASL), it has nothing to do with hearing lost.
 
My cousin is HOH and don't bother me! I just proud of him! :)
 
It really is about attitude. If you act like "Oh I didn't get a chance to learn ASL and I REALLY want to learn." you'll be accepted. A lot of Deaf people understand that it wasn't a person's choice to be exposed to ASL or not.
If you act all high and mighty b/c you think you're better then those poor wittle ASL users you won't be accepted. It's not about dcb loss...it's about attitude. HOH people can be just as Deaf as a person with a profound loss.
 
so DD , you ar Pro HOH who happens to think HOH are Deaf?
and yet you say is ok to speak?
 
DeafCaroline said:
As someone who grew up HOH and oral, and met the deaf community for the first time as a camp counselor for a day deaf camp, it was quite a rude experience but looking back on it now, I realize why I was treated badly. They saw this 18 year old who was quite proud of being able to speak and write well and who didn't hide that pride. They took it as my acting superior and I probably did.

Ego can really get in the way sometimes, especially among young people.
Click to expand...

I remember thinking that a 12 year old guy that I met at VSDB really flubbed things by bragging about how he could speak in the school newsletter. I didn't get on too well cuz i used my voice all the time even though I rolled my eyes at the guy's article.
 
first of all, where did you read that stuff comes from? i haven't seen it on sites or i must have oversighted it. If you do have links, then please post it here because i need to make sure if they say that in public. I am an asl user, and involved with deaf culture and in the community. If HOH has superior attitudes of telling me that they can speak while i can't then i dont like who they were, not because of they were hoh. thats different between that egoist and who they were. Sure i have friends who are HOH. what i can tell you is to ignore others and believe in yourself and find in your own comfort self esteem with whatever hearing world or deaf world or hoh world you are assoicate with.
 
The deaf community is really friendly and open to other people. I actually never met anybody whose deaf have an bad opinion about the HoH. My best friend is HoH, and my friend from school who has type 1 diabetes's sister is HoH but she doesn't need hearing aids, but she is learning sign language from an ASL class that our school is giving. So, I think of my deaf community as friendly and open to others. I wish some communities can be that way too.. I think everybody needs it!
 
"Deaf Culture" is something that's not really a culture of its own. What I would really call it is "GLBT Deaf Culture", "Asian Deaf Culture", "Hispanic Deaf Culture", "Rochester Deaf Culture", "Texas Deaf Culture", "DEAF Culture", "Deaf Deaf Culture", etc... it goes on and on.

I've seen people from one group who claim to be part of "Deaf Culture" (in Rochester, NY) have conflicting attitudes with people from another group who claim to be part of "Deaf Culture" (in Dallas, TX).

I've gone to Starbucks for Deaf Chat Coffee and seen people who claim to be part of "Deaf Culture" (they're middle-eastern), but their views conflict those who claim to be part of "Deaf Culture" (they're from Dallas, TX and not middle-eastern).

So, who is really part of Deaf Culture? My best advice is to just stick with those you're comfortable with. If you attend a deaf event and come across a group of deafies who start acting selfish because they don't think you can be part of that group, then don't bother trying. Just move on and look for a different group. It's more fun to be with people that you're comfortable with than to try so hard just to be with someone whose attitude isn't the same as yours.
 
Thanks everyone who offered the encouragement. I'm trying to get more involved with Deaf community instead of just talking to one person, as I stated before. I'm trying but I live in Lawrenceville, GA and I don't really see much of a big Deaf community here. Then again I could be wrong
 
My experience with the Deaf culture has not been negative. IMHO, a person's reception in the Deaf community largely depends on that person's attitude. Of course, you're going to run into jerks in any community, so don't take that personally. Just find someone else who is interested in socializing.
 
I have had particular jerks that insulted me or did not accept me because of me being HOH, To think of it... there were more hearing jerks, than they were deaf jerks. Like Sally said. You just got to weed out the idiots.
 
A lot of kind Deaf people accept me as a late deafened person. I was clueless when I showed up a the Deaf Center. Not very many jerks really.
 
Back
Top