Interview Questions! Please help me out!

alliewinks said:

I was planning on interviewing my uncle, but he became ill this week and is in the hospital. i'm kind of out of luck because all my deaf friends are down at school and i have no way to contact them!

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AliciaM said:

What are your questions allison?

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alliewinks said:

Hello! I'm learning ASL in school and my deaf culture class requires that I have an interview with a deaf person. Your responses would be greatly appreciated! Please help me out! Thanks!


1.How did you become deaf?
I was born deaf.
2. How did your parents react to you becoming deaf?
They were unsure as what to do. They were recommended by the Dr. to get me CI, although my parents decided against CI and accepted me being deaf.
3. Any other minority?
NA
4. Do parents or siblings know sign language?
My whole family: parents and two siblings uses sign language with me.
5. What communication method did you use at first?
sign language
6. Education background? (school and college)
I completed high school and some college.
7. Where do you work? If no job, why?
Currently no job due to recent relocation. I miss working at my old job.
8. What communication method do you use now?
American Sign Language
9. Social activities?
I chose not to be into social activities unless they are sports that I'm interested in.
10. What is your view on ASL?
AWESOME! Clear concept and clear communication!
11. View on Deaf Culture?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
12. View on cochlear implants?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
13. Any deaf role model?
NA
14. Where there any frustrations in your life? (Please explain in detail)
Too many to list... although there are three major frustrations in my life: ignorant people; people assuming they know me when they really don't; and cliques
15. If you were president, what would you change in the hearing world?
I wouldn't change a thing. Human are human.
16. Religion-Do you attend church?
Yes, I do. For the right reasons, that is which doesn't include attending just because there are other deafies there.
17. What kind of hobbies do you take part in?
Reading and spending quality time with my significant other.
18. Significant others or friends-How did you meet? For my significant other; our brothers met at a college and introduced us thru email. As for friends... events, camping, and school.
19. Have you taught family members signs?
No, it was the other way around, actually. A teacher taught my parents and they taught me what they learnt. I taught my siblings though.
20. What is the most useful way for you to communicate with your hearing family or friends?
Depends on who I'm talking to... if they know sign language, then I use sign language. If they don't know sign language, then that's where paper and pen pops up!


Good luck.


Please answer as many as you would like. All of them would be fantastic! Thanks!

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alliewinks said:

Hello! I'm learning ASL in school and my deaf culture class requires that I have an interview with a deaf person. Your responses would be greatly appreciated! Please help me out! Thanks!


1.How did you become deaf?

I became deaf (progressive hearing loss) as a result of prematurity, secondary effects of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), ototoxic drugs given to me while in the NICU, childhood ear infections, antibiotics and years of untreated allergies.

2. How did your parents react to you becoming deaf?

My parents were accepting of my hearing loss when it was in the mild to moderate and later, moderately-severe range. However, when my hearing loss progressed to severe-profound, they had a difficult time adjusting emotionally because of their inability to communicate with me. Once they learned fingerspelling and a few signs (as well as other alternative communication methods for the deafblind), communication between my parents and I became much easier.

3. Any other minority?

N/A

4. Do parents or siblings know sign language?

My parents and sister know how to fingerspell. My parents also know some additional signs.

5. What communication method did you use at first?

I was raised orally since my hearing loss (when first diagnosed at age 3) was mild to moderate. When my hearing loss reached the severe-profound range, I started to communicate using tactile sign (PSE).

6. Education background? (school and college)

I was mainstreamed in public schools from kindergarden through 12th grade. I'm currently in my senior year at a public university working towards my Bachelor's degree.

7. Where do you work? If no job, why?

I don't work because I'm a full-time student.

8. What communication method do you use now?

I now have CIs, so my primary communication method is speech. I'm able to function quite well in quiet, one-on-one situations, but when background noise is an issue, I use an FM system and Braille realtime captioning (a captionist's laptop is connected to my BrailleNote -- a PDA for the blind -- information typed by the captionist is read on the BrailleNote's Braille display).

9. Social activities?

Participating in a local activity group for the blind, Deaf Events, church activities.

10. What is your view on ASL?

I believe that all d/Deaf children (whether implanted or not) should have access to ASL.

11. View on Deaf Culture?

I've been a part of the Deaf community for the past 4 years and have found it to be a valuable and rewarding experience. If I were to have a d/Deaf child, I would expose them to the Deaf community as soon as possible so they can have positive role models.

12. View on cochlear implants?

Even though I've chosen CIs for myself, I'm of the opinion that d/Deaf individuals must decide for themselves whether a CI is the right decision for them. If a d/Deaf adult chooses not to be implanted for whatever reason, I respect their decision 100%.

13. Any deaf role model?

As for famous deaf role models, Helen Keller, Marlee Matlin and Heather Whitestone come to mind. As for role models in my own life, I have great respect for a deafblind woman in my area who I met while in training at my local deafblind center.

14. Where there any frustrations in your life? (Please explain in detail)

When my hearing loss progressed to the point where it was in the severe-profound range, communication was very difficult for me given the fact that I'm also totally blind. Since I couldn't rely on lipreading or other visual cues for communication, I had to learn other alternatives. Some communication methods such as print on palm (tracing block letters into the palm of the hand) and a Braille/raised print alphabet card (in which my finger would be placed on individual letters to spell out words) were extremely slow. Also, since the deafblind population is very small, it was difficult to find tactile interpreters.

15. If you were president, what would you change in the hearing world?

I would change people's attitudes about the capabilities of the d/Deaf, HoH and deafblind. I would also try to eliminate the negative stereotypes people have about the d/Deaf, HoH and deafblind.

16. Religion-Do you attend church?

Yes.

17. What kind of hobbies do you take part in?

Reading, writing, downhill skiing, cooking, exchanging recipes, shortwave DXing, collecting vintage audio equipment, learning about adaptive computer equipment/software for people with disabilities, watching TV, surfing the Internet.

18. Significant others or friends-How did you meet?

I met my sighted-hearing friends in my neighborhood as well as my university. I also have friends who are blind who I met at a local activity group for the blind. I met my d/Deaf friends at local Deaf Events.

19. Have you taught family members signs?

Yes.

20. What is the most useful way for you to communicate with your hearing family or friends?

In a quiet environment, I use speech. When background noise is a problem, I use an FM system or alternative communication methods such as print on palm or a Braille/raised print alphabet card.

Please answer as many as you would like. All of them would be fantastic! Thanks!

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alliewinks said:

Hello! I'm learning ASL in school and my deaf culture class requires that I have an interview with a deaf person. Your responses would be greatly appreciated! Please help me out! Thanks!


1. How did you become deaf?
2. How did your parents react to you becoming deaf?
3. Any other minority?
4. Do parents or siblings know sign language?
5. What communication method did you use at first?
6. Education background? (school and college)
7. Where do you work? If no job, why?
8. What communication method do you use now?
9. Social activities?
10. What is your view on ASL?
11. View on Deaf Culture?
12. View on cochlear implants?
13. Any deaf role model?
14. Where there any frustrations in your life? (Please explain in detail)
15. If you were president, what would you change in the hearing world?
16. Religion-Do you attend church?
17. What kind of hobbies do you take part in?
18. Significant others or friends-How did you meet?
19. Have you taught family members signs?
20. What is the most useful way for you to communicate with your hearing family or friends?

Please answer as many as you would like. All of them would be fantastic! Thanks!

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As the writer-in-residence, your questions don't tackle the six most important ones, as they'll answer the others. Those questions are: Who? What? Why? Where? When? How? I assume you're in high school, so I'm going to mention to you that some of the questions are a bit personal and, as a hearing person, you won't understand. Your question #12 is a very heated one, as many d/Deaf don't approve under any circumstances having a CI done. Question #3 is a little vague, as none of us d/Deafs consider ourselves a minority. You probably noticed I used "d/Deaf" and the reason for that is some of us are deaf (lower case d) and were not raised or hang around others in Deaf culture. The upper case "Deaf" consists of the culture. Most of the Deafs were in residential schools for the deaf and every state of the union has them.

A person here that I put a lot of stock into answering your questions more succinctly would be shel90, although I think Maria would be able to answer it, too, as well as a host and hostess of others.

I interviewed a man in Duluth, Minnesota, a few years ago who had lost his hearing in a car accident when he was in college. He was fine after the accident, but a few days later, his hearing was gone permanently. He had a CI done and his own sons, through their growing up years, never knew or realized their father was deaf. A CI is not for everyone and is a very complex surgery. Any residual hearing remaining before it is gone, so if the CI is a success, great. If not, there's no going back. A candidate is thoroughly examined in all aspects before any kind of surgery is started on this, including an endless list of health care workers clearing the person. On the list, of course, is either a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Best wishes on your report!

pek1 said:

Your question #12 is a very heated one, as many d/Deaf don't approve under any circumstances having a CI done.

More and more Deaf individuals are accepting of CIs -- especially in cases where an adult is late-deafened or a child/adult has a secondary disability (such as low vision or blindness).

A CI is not for everyone and is a very complex surgery. Any residual hearing remaining before it is gone, so if the CI is a success, great. If not, there's no going back. A candidate is thoroughly examined in all aspects before any kind of surgery is started on this, including an endless list of health care workers clearing the person. On the list, of course, is either a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

CIs are performed on an outpatient basis and the surgery takes 2-3 hours to complete. CI surgery involves drilling through the mastoid bone and inserting electrodes into the cochlea.

More and more CI users are retaining their residual hearing following implantation. Over the years, CI surgery has become less invasive (for example, nowadays having a 2 inch incision made at the fold of the ear instead of stitches that go from the top of the ear towards the top of the head) and CI companies have developed electrodes that "hug" the cochlear wall thus helping to preserve residual hearing.

As for CI candidacy, a person will meet with a CI audi and surgeon. In some cases (not all CI centers require this), they may also see a psychologist for psychological testing. In addition to the CI audi, surgeon and/or psychologist, they will need to see their general practitioner for a physical exam.

When someone is deemed a CI candidate, they receive very little or no benefit from hearing aids, so any residual hearing that is lost during CI surgery wasn't very useable in the first place.

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