Hello! How is everyone doing? I'm not quite sure what to write here. I'm not going to get into my whole life story, so I'll just summarize the recent issues of my deafness. I'm late deafened and have adapted very well. I grew up in the deaf community as a hearing person, so when I lost my hearing there really wasn't any culture shock. Not to say deafness is necessarily a good thing, but it was a bit of a relief for me because I get chronic migraines multiple times a week and sound was a big trigger for them. It’s now been a few years and I’m starting to go through a bit of a transition regarding my deafness. I’m in the process of becoming voice-off. I apparently still speak just fine and use inflection well and correctly, but it’s the incredibly uncomfortable feeling that I get when I speak that really bothers me. I’ve heard that if I stop talking I will eventually forget how to pronounce sounds and get a deaf voice since I have absolutely no hearing left, but I just feel like this is something I need to do for me in order to feel comfortable with myself. I do feel guilty for doing this to my friends who know me as oral, but it’s really weighing down on me to be the one to always make the effort to communicate by lip reading and speaking. It takes more energy than people realize. I’m not all the way voice-off yet because I’m trying to take it slowly for others.
If anyone else has ever made the ‘decision’ to go voice-off, especially when you still have the ability to talk please let me know what it was like. Was it hard? How did others take it? Did it make your life easier or harder? I know some parts will be harder obviously, but I think emotionally I will be better off.
for reading!
to AllDeaf forum. I hope we did not make you ignore our questions on speaking as you have a right to not speak if you don't want to. You know your way around Deaf community and Deaf socials, so that is good. As for the deaf children and people, we don't expect to have perfect speech. :roll: Nobody is telling you to use speech. I understand your situation. 
