MachineGhost
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2010
- Messages
- 16
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I've been a lurker for a few years, but figured it's time I registered and formally introduced myself.
I'm 37 and lost most of my hearing (95% left, 75% right) when I was almost five due to meningitis. After I recovered, my parents decide to ignore the "authorities" and mainstream me with hearing aids in both ears as opposed to sending me to a boarding school for the deaf. After some speech therapy, I was able to speak -- and still do -- perfect English and without any accent. Although I do have an annoying (to me) quirk of speaking exotic or unfamiliar words in a phonetic manner rather than how they are actually spoken (don't get me started on French!).
Other than a general lack of accomodation by society, all was well. Unfortunately, a bit over a decade ago, I developed swollen ear tubes and resulting tinnitus, so there went the usefulness of wearing hearing aids. I had picked up some speechreading skills indirectly while growing up, but not at a high enough level to be fluent. I tried a self-study DVD course but I quickly realized I was not going to improve any further and that watching TV with closed captions had essentially been the same thing.
Needless to say, I've been very frustrated at times and wish technology would hurry up and advance to the point real time voice recognition was portable and the text displayed on glasses or the retina. But until then, I am stuck in no man's land, speaking but not hearing.
I'm currently single and am open to dating non-hearing women. I have never done that before, but at this point, I have my doubts that hearing women have the capability or patience to truly empathize with what it is like to be deaf or hard of hearing. Not to hold it against those hearing women who are (and have been) thankfully open minded, but I'd like to explore a closer intimacy on the issue and see what kind of difference it makes.
Jason
I'm 37 and lost most of my hearing (95% left, 75% right) when I was almost five due to meningitis. After I recovered, my parents decide to ignore the "authorities" and mainstream me with hearing aids in both ears as opposed to sending me to a boarding school for the deaf. After some speech therapy, I was able to speak -- and still do -- perfect English and without any accent. Although I do have an annoying (to me) quirk of speaking exotic or unfamiliar words in a phonetic manner rather than how they are actually spoken (don't get me started on French!).
Other than a general lack of accomodation by society, all was well. Unfortunately, a bit over a decade ago, I developed swollen ear tubes and resulting tinnitus, so there went the usefulness of wearing hearing aids. I had picked up some speechreading skills indirectly while growing up, but not at a high enough level to be fluent. I tried a self-study DVD course but I quickly realized I was not going to improve any further and that watching TV with closed captions had essentially been the same thing.
Needless to say, I've been very frustrated at times and wish technology would hurry up and advance to the point real time voice recognition was portable and the text displayed on glasses or the retina. But until then, I am stuck in no man's land, speaking but not hearing.
I'm currently single and am open to dating non-hearing women. I have never done that before, but at this point, I have my doubts that hearing women have the capability or patience to truly empathize with what it is like to be deaf or hard of hearing. Not to hold it against those hearing women who are (and have been) thankfully open minded, but I'd like to explore a closer intimacy on the issue and see what kind of difference it makes.
Jason