Do you guys embrace your hearing loss/deafness?!

[Cheetah]

Okay, here's me ageing myself. My first computer was the Radio Shack, TRS-80 Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3 as well as their Color Computer. Serial number for the Coco - was 12, serial number for the Mod 1 was 8, serial number for the Mod 2 was 16 and serial number for the Mod 3 was 4.

We also had the Daisy Wheel printer with printer wheels for different fonts.

Ah! I remember programming on the Trash 80 (TRS-80). I also programmed on the Commodore 64. Good times!

 

[Banjo]

Ah! I remember programming on the Trash 80 (TRS-80). I also programmed on the Commodore 64. Good times!

Oh Good Lord, I remember the Tandy computers. We used to have one of these computers.

 

[KristinaB]

Right Cheetah!! Trash-80's from the Rat Shack!!

 

[Jane B.]

Okay, here's me ageing myself. My first computer was the Radio Shack, TRS-80 Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3 as well as their Color Computer. Serial number for the Coco - was 12, serial number for the Mod 1 was 8, serial number for the Mod 2 was 16 and serial number for the Mod 3 was 4.

We also had the Daisy Wheel printer with printer wheels for different fonts.

From other things I think I have a few years on you but you used a slightly older computer.

The oldest thing I used was at work — a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III followed by both a Model IV desktop and portable. All had two 5 1/4" floppy drives (never did use tape). The portable was about the size of today's portable sewing machines. Even after we went to a PC clone I still used one of the Model IV's for payroll because I could enter rate changes for SS & Medicare as well as union dues myself rather that wait for and pay for updates to the Peachtree accounting software.

Printers were dot matrix.

My first home computer was a PC clone with a 8088 processor that I bought used.

 

[KristinaB]

From other things I think I have a few years on you but you used a slightly older computer.

The oldest thing I used was at work — a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III followed by both a Model IV desktop and portable. All had two 5 1/4" floppy drives (never did use tape). The portable was about the size of today's portable sewing machines. Even after we went to a PC clone I still used one of the Model IV's for payroll because I could enter rate changes for SS & Medicare as well as union dues myself rather that wait for and pay for updates to the Peachtree accounting software.

Printers were dot matrix.

My first home computer was a PC clone with a 8088 processor that I bought used.

The Model II used 12 inch disks and to Color Computer was cassette tape. The modems were phone couplers and you could not talk, sneeze or anything within 15 feet of them. All computer programs we used we had to type in Basic from PC computing magazine. A favorite of my father's was the Dancing Demon.

 

[KristinaB]

Okay - back to the main topic. More and more I am embracing my hearing loss. By now, I wish I was born the way I am currently so then maybe I would have had the chance to learn ASL.

 

[lucas]

im trying to embrace it but when your born and raised with people who hear, it makes u want to fit in with that crowd and showing everyone ur implant and announcing ur deaf kinda kills that opportunity. If there was a strong deaf community with people my age around me maybe i would say otherwise, but im isolated and have to deal with what i got

 

[Banjo]

If there was a strong deaf community with people my age around me

Believe it or not, there is a large deaf community in Toronto and surrounding cities. Didn't you mention that you're from Toronto? Have you ever been to the Deaf Culture Centre?

Deaf Culture Centre - Le Centre De La Cutlure Des Sourds

The address is 55 Mill St Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It's a part of the Stone Distillery. You may find the place to be enlightening. They often have events there and in several places around the city.

 

[lucas]

thanks for the post ill make sure to find my way down there sometime

 

[azlady]

Are you guys happy to show people your hearing aids, or cochlear or not? Do you mind tying up your hair to reveal your HA or CI? Do have coloured hearing aids etc? Do you like having a hearing loss? Does it make you feel unique? Etc.
C'mon guys, inspire me!

To me,deafness is something to accept. I might not like it but it isn't the worst thing in the world. If I had been born deaf then I too would be shouting "Deaf Pride" and Deaf Power because being born with it is different. Just like people of different races and cultures, they should be proud of who they are. Me? since my deafness is something I accept then I probably don't have the same amount of "Deaf Pride" but I think it it is a healthy attitude to be proud of who you are.

I know deaf people who say they never want to be hearing, why should they if thats all they know. I think that question of whether you want to be hearing or not is like asking a black person if he/she rather be white than black.

 

[CareyJay]

I make no effort to hide it. My aids are a plain dark shade for no reason other than that I'm a ginger so bright colors would clash horribly. I'd frankly prefer that people (at conversational range anyway) did see them, because that way they are less surprised/annoyed if I ask them to repeat themselves a lot. For the most part I embrace me for how I happen to have been born, and there are perks despite the problems. Sleeping through flatmates stumbling in drunk=good. Sleeping through fire alarms=bad. I do hate the first day of classes when I have to have awkward conversations with professors about my FM system with the whole class staring at me though, those make me feel like a bit of a circus freak. (Awkward because generally they've never seen one before and have difficulty understanding what I'm asking.)

 

[LDNanna]

Well, I do.

 

[HH scientist]

I used to wear HA. I did not really feel like I needed it.

Once there are CI implants that are at least as good as the real stuff and you can turn them on and off for enjoying solitude, I am gonna get them. They should be to human hearing, what the Hubble telescope is as compared to human vision.

 

[nicegirl]

I guess at first it bothered me but now I am ok with it. I mean what else can I do lol. I guess the part that makes me mad is how rude some hearing people are. They don't even try.

 

[BecLak]

Wirelessly posted

I totally agree. I cringe at the thought that children have to go through what I've gone through.

They don't. They are forced to because of the rampant audism in this country, not because of their deafness. Get rid of audism, and the whole world changes. We don't need to get rid of deafness; we need to get rid of audism.

Good post, Jillio.

 

[BecLak]

Wirelessly posted

You wish it wasnt true, that's good. I am curious to what are you doing to contribute towards the solution of the problem.

African Americans suffered from racism and instead of bleaching their skin white in an attempt to cope with it, they had the Civil Rights movement. It would be great if the Deaf, instead of focusing on less than perfect technology to cope with audism, organize their own movement to promote awareness and education about deaf children in mainstream settings.

When I was growing up, I only saw a group of deaf people signing just once until I reached age 18. The deaf community needs to be more visible, need to put on shows and performances in public schools, do more outreach programs in society. Until they do, the world at large will remain ignorant.

:thumbs up: I agree.

 

[BecLak]

Wirelessly posted

Mine is! And I'll admit it.

So from what I gather - "normal hearing" = no hearing loss. Except that some people take offence at that definition of "normal hearing" because to them, not having any hearing is also normal.

So we have a phrase that can be defined by the person using it, or by the person reading it, and if the person reading it doesn't care for the person using it, then it's fair to get upset. But if the person reading happens to personally like the person using the phrase, then it's ok.

Welcome to Alice in Wonderland, I guess.

Ok, so what's abnormal deafness then? Hearing?



Really, some people do get their knickers in a twist over that one. We all know what they mean when they say "normal hearing" as in having no hearing loss.

The word "normal" is offensive when it is in reference to a hearing person saying that hearing like a hearing person hears is normal, and anything other than that is not normal. Whereas to Deaf, the opposite is normal.