Hey everyone! My name is Samantha and I'm brand new to alldeaf. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a few things about myself and why I decided to join alldeaf. I'm a speech major at Kean University in NJ and I'm currently taking ASL. I'm very interested in learning more about your community and I figured this would be the best way to do it. My ASL instructor is deaf and she is really opening my eyes to the deaf culture and how it works. I know very little right now so if I say something wrong or inappropriate please DO NOT hesitate to tell me. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone here. My main purpose for joining this site is to gain insight on your culture and learn as much as I can. I really think this will help me in my scholastic endeavors. I also have a question for you guys (if you're willing to help me out). I have a paper to write about the word "Deafness" and why the deaf community do not like the term. If you'd like to help me out it will be greatly appreciated. If not, it's cool too. I'd just like to meet some new people.
Hearing Newbie!!
- Thread starter Samantha*
- Start date
Hey everyone! My name is Samantha and I'm brand new to alldeaf. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a few things about myself and why I decided to join alldeaf. I'm a speech major at Kean University in NJ and I'm currently taking ASL. I'm very interested in learning more about your community and I figured this would be the best way to do it. My ASL instructor is deaf and she is really opening my eyes to the deaf culture and how it works. I know very little right now so if I say something wrong or inappropriate please DO NOT hesitate to tell me. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone here. My main purpose for joining this site is to gain insight on your culture and learn as much as I can. I really think this will help me in my scholastic endeavors. I also have a question for you guys (if you're willing to help me out). I have a paper to write about the word "Deafness" and why the deaf community do not like the term. If you'd like to help me out it will be greatly appreciated. If not, it's cool too. I'd just like to meet some new people.Welcome!
I've never heard that Deaf people don't like "Deafness." What really irritates me is "hearing impaired."
What my teacher told me was that Deafness was a term used by medical professionals to describe a disability and that non of you are disabled at all...for instance I have horrible eye sight and without corrective lenses, I am so incapacitatingly blind that I surpassed "legally blind" over a decade ago and I'm only 21. If someone referred to me as disabled because I'm blind, I would feel offended. Why don't you like the term "hearing impaired"?
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
- Messages
- 43,645
- Reaction score
- 504
You are not legally blind unless corrective lenses won't correct it.
I am legally blind.
sabachtani
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2011
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 0
Samantha,
None of the deaf people I know have ever had a problem with the words deaf, deafness, deafer (ok I made that one up), deafie, et all. It's usually quite the opposite- they embrace those terms.
Peace,
Saba
None of the deaf people I know have ever had a problem with the words deaf, deafness, deafer (ok I made that one up), deafie, et all. It's usually quite the opposite- they embrace those terms.
Peace,
Saba
I know that. Last year when I went for my comprehensive, I asked my optometrist how poor your eyesight had to be to be considered legally blind. He explained to me the same thing you just said but also told me that if corrective lenses weren't in existence, that anything more than a -2.00 would be considered legally blind, which is what I was referring to.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
- Messages
- 43,645
- Reaction score
- 504
It's really common for people to say that when they are glasses wearers.
It's very offensive. You wanted to know if you are being offensive.
You aren't deaf because you have a head cold, and you aren't blind because you wear glasses.
Thanks for your input Saba. It's nice to read other people's positions on the matter. I really don't know very much about what's appropriate or not appropriate so all of this is a learning experience for me =)
I'm really sorry I offended you...it's really not my intention whatsoever. Just so I know how it was that I offended you, was it me asking about the term Deafness, me referring to myself as legally blind without the use of my corrective lenses, or the fact that I joined the site? Everyone else I've encountered has been really patient with me considering I'm genuinely trying to learn more about the culture.
DeafCaroline
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2007
- Messages
- 4,889
- Reaction score
- 8
See bolded.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
- Messages
- 43,645
- Reaction score
- 504
I already told you it is very offensive to claim you are legally blind because you have poor vision.
Are you going to complain if anybody else isn't perfectly happy with your posts?
Better change that opening to saying you will throw a fit if anyone criticizes.
Do you have any idea how many young women come in here each week all saying almost the exact same thing?
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2009
- Messages
- 6,634
- Reaction score
- 3
I don't like hearing impaired because I'm not impaired. I just can't hear. I can do everything but hear.
Try reading some of the specific threads about deafness to get an idea of culture. Also read the thread called ignorant hearing people stories. That's a thread for deaf people to vent about problems with hearing people. It's not that we dislike hearing people, it's just that we get frustrated with them. It's hard for hearing people to understand what being deaf is like.
Try reading some of the specific threads about deafness to get an idea of culture. Also read the thread called ignorant hearing people stories. That's a thread for deaf people to vent about problems with hearing people. It's not that we dislike hearing people, it's just that we get frustrated with them. It's hard for hearing people to understand what being deaf is like.
Sunshine
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 3,262
- Reaction score
- 0
Right. Hearing impaired is non-deaf person after eight beer.
No one is throwing a fit. I've been nothing but pleasant to everyone on here. And if I knew how many young women come on here saying the same thing, I would've read their posts and gotten some information from there. The purpose of this post was much more to introduce myself than to annoy you.
I don't think anyone on here is a bitch...my general experience has been great and I really thank everyone for welcoming me.
hey Samantha*
but since your instructor is deaf, why not ask that individual who would be open to answering your questions locally?
A significant part of Deaf culture is face-to-face contact if possible. Much of ASL also involves facial grammar...ASL is very important in the Deaf community in much of North America.
so why online here?
we get tons of you and and as Botti wrote, you guys ask the same thing in different ways.
would you just go up to a group of people talking the street who happen to be African-American and ask - what do you like or dislike about that term?
but since your instructor is deaf, why not ask that individual who would be open to answering your questions locally?
A significant part of Deaf culture is face-to-face contact if possible. Much of ASL also involves facial grammar...ASL is very important in the Deaf community in much of North America.
so why online here?
we get tons of you and and as Botti wrote, you guys ask the same thing in different ways.
would you just go up to a group of people talking the street who happen to be African-American and ask - what do you like or dislike about that term?
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2011
- Messages
- 2,689
- Reaction score
- 0
Welcome Samantha!
I know it can be hard finding a way to fit into a new community like ours. It's easy to say things that you think mean one thing and have someone else get upset.
My advice is: try to remain calm and do not make any sudden movements.
You can call me any version of Deaf you want
. Just don't call me Hearing Impaired. This is one of those rules where most Deaffies agree. There will always be a few out there that refer to themselves with that term, but most of them are not culturally Deaf (hence the capital 'D').The second thing you will notice is Deaf folks tend to be very blunt and say exactly what they feel about something. Hearing folks often take offense to this because their culture says that responses should be mutted as to not hurt others feelings. That's just a cultural thing. You could come up to me at a Deaf gathering and call me fat and I would probably laugh and say you are right.
Lastly, if you are willing to listen, to change your way of thinking, to be open to new ideas.... then we want to have you here. We want others outside of our communities to understand who we are and the wonderful rich diverse lives we live. (I believe my life is much better for knowing the people here on Alldeaf).