Deaf Culture/sign language

S

soph51

New Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
41
Reaction score
0
Had some type of experience working in a deaf organization in baltimore, where they made fun of my hearing impairment...the staff is all deaf, and the leader made insulting remarks about me being half hearie and half deafie....and telling me that i know nothing about deaf culture....

and the leader came from an oral school and grew up in a hearing family, whereas i came from a deaf family but didnt go to a deaf school....

is it right for me to feel insulted?? about my hearing impairments?? i could go on and on about wot the leader said and did to me.....but will not do that.but i often wondered if it was silly of me to feel insulted
 
I don't think its silly of you at all to feel that way. Especially if you come from a deaf family!
 
U have every right to feel insulted! The leader is setting a bad example of unprofessionalism if he is behaving like that. U can report him.
 
Agree with Shel, it's not okay for them to make fun of you, especially it's a deaf organization, nobody should do that at that company. Report on him.
 
Yes, you are right to feel insulted. Obviously, that was the intent of this person. It sounds to me like he has some issues of his own that he needs to deal with. Perhaps growing up oral has put him in the position of always trying to prove that he is just as good, or better, than others. Unfortunately, that is very common in adults who were raised in an oral only environment. They spent their childhood trying to prove that they were just as good as their hearing peers, but always having the focus on how they were different. As adults, that carries over into their interactions with others. It's sad.

You, however, have every right to stand up for yourself. His behavior is unacceptable, even though there might be a valid reason for his attitude.
 
Hey. You have your right to felt insulted. If I were you ..I will report it. And stand up what is right . You are who are you ..no matters where you came from. Be you. I live in Baltimore but not inside of Baltimore.. just outside of Baltimore.I also am deaf person myself. I will feels insulting too.
 
That was so wrong I don't even know where to begin! :rl::rl:

I agree with everyone else. Report him.

I bet it's jealousy that you lucked out compared to him - you were born to a deaf family, and you have the advantage of both worlds, while he was born always on the outside looking in.
 
If that's how he acts, then he should NOT be a "leader".
 
jillio said:
Yes, you are right to feel insulted. Obviously, that was the intent of this person. It sounds to me like he has some issues of his own that he needs to deal with. Perhaps growing up oral has put him in the position of always trying to prove that he is just as good, or better, than others. Unfortunately, that is very common in adults who were raised in an oral only environment. They spent their childhood trying to prove that they were just as good as their hearing peers, but always having the focus on how they were different. As adults, that carries over into their interactions with others. It's sad.

You, however, have every right to stand up for yourself. His behavior is unacceptable, even though there might be a valid reason for his attitude.
Click to expand...

I agree with Jilio. The guy is probably dealing with his own insecurities and need to feel accepted as culturally Deaf. If you don't report him, or at least confront him, he will continue to hurt you and others after you. That might eventually give the oraganization a bad name to. You can confront him without being hateful, take the moral high ground and don't succumb to acting as bad as he is. Still, address the issue so other people in the future won't have to end up feeling as bad as you do now.
 
DragonYoga said:
That was so wrong I don't even know where to begin! :rl::rl:

I agree with everyone else. Report him.

I bet it's jealousy that you lucked out compared to him - you were born to a deaf family, and you have the advantage of both worlds, while he was born always on the outside looking in.
Click to expand...

It could be...I am always envious of my deaf friends who were born to deaf families but then again some of my friends are envious of me cuz I have a deaf brother while they have nobody else who is deaf in their families so that shut me up right there!
 
Shel90 - :D

Understood! I never thought there could be all-deaf families, never met any until middle school. I'm the ONLY Deaf person in my family - both my side and husband's side. My parents helped me feel confident, and all the feel-good things - so I never felt any jealousy towards Deaf families.
 
You have every right to feel insulted, I've experienced the same as you did by some deaf people. They always comparing who's more deafer fits more with the deaf culture, they're very defensiveness, those are stereotyped people. It doesn't matter how much amount of hearing loss any deaf person has, or how well they speak, or how late they learned to sign, how they didn't come from a long line of generational of being deaf, we are all deaf and we should all be treated equally and be acceptance by the deaf community. ;)
 
soph51 said:
Had some type of experience working in a deaf organization in baltimore, where they made fun of my hearing impairment...the staff is all deaf, and the leader made insulting remarks about me being half hearie and half deafie....and telling me that i know nothing about deaf culture....

and the leader came from an oral school and grew up in a hearing family, whereas i came from a deaf family but didnt go to a deaf school....

is it right for me to feel insulted?? about my hearing impairments?? i could go on and on about wot the leader said and did to me.....but will not do that.but i often wondered if it was silly of me to feel insulted
Click to expand...

I'd say you certainly should feel insulted. A leader is supposed to understand both sides and not to make snide remarks about one or other. it doesn't matter if you didn't go to a deaf school, you shouldn't deserve that kind of treatment. We all are equal and should not be barred for our background diversities.

That kind of attitude coming from the leader is definitely outrageous.
 
WOW!!!!!!!! thank you for your great responses.....i had to say leader, cuz actually he is the boss, owner of this small organization in baltimore.....and to report him?? i dont think i can......cuz the organization just opened last july.....i did check it out, but dont know where i could go, and ure right about his own insecurities.....I just thought the way how he said it to me was so very insulting...and ive asked him a few times not to criticize me in front of the clients/members....but I think maybe...its part of the deaf culture?? to do things like that?? like i said i didnt go to a deaf school, but my family didnt do that....so i thought its best that i quit, and let bygones be bygones....maybe someone else who works there one day he will get his share??
 
soph51 said:
WOW!!!!!!!! thank you for your great responses.....i had to say leader, cuz actually he is the boss, owner of this small organization in baltimore.....and to report him?? i dont think i can......cuz the organization just opened last july.....i did check it out, but dont know where i could go, and ure right about his own insecurities.....I just thought the way how he said it to me was so very insulting...and ive asked him a few times not to criticize me in front of the clients/members....but I think maybe...its part of the deaf culture?? to do things like that?? like i said i didnt go to a deaf school, but my family didnt do that....so i thought its best that i quit, and let bygones be bygones....maybe someone else who works there one day he will get his share??
Click to expand...

I live near Baltimore..if u can PM me this organization, I can go down there and see if this guy insults me. If he does, I can give him a piece of my mind about professionalism.
 
soph51 said:
WOW!!!!!!!! thank you for your great responses.....i had to say leader, cuz actually he is the boss, owner of this small organization in baltimore.....and to report him?? i dont think i can......cuz the organization just opened last july.....i did check it out, but dont know where i could go, and ure right about his own insecurities.....I just thought the way how he said it to me was so very insulting...and ive asked him a few times not to criticize me in front of the clients/members....but I think maybe...its part of the deaf culture?? to do things like that?? like i said i didnt go to a deaf school, but my family didnt do that....so i thought its best that i quit, and let bygones be bygones....maybe someone else who works there one day he will get his share??
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, he's the owner/ boss and he hired you?
 
am sure you have heard of the place, and no he wont insult you at first.....he will be nice as pie at first, but if youre a regular member...then u might see him like that....or either we had a personality conflict but i just couldnt take his insults like that especially in public , in the workforce.....but the purpose of the center is great..its something that baltimore needs for the deaf people....but the leader, he isnt the right person for it, but he owns it...yes he hired me.....
 
Back
Top