Here's another one who doesn't identify as culturally deaf. I am a late-deafened adult, and identify more as hard-of-hearing rather than deaf. I have used hearing aids for 30 years; every time I get a new aid, it has to be more powerful than the one before. So, taking into account that I function only within the hearing world, don't know ASL, and my friends and family are all hearing, here are my thoughts:
1. What is it like being deaf?
I have to rely on technology in order to communicate. Sometimes the technology is not good enough or cannot be used in a given situation. I worked at a gov't job, had a Top Secret clearance, and could not use FM microphone systems at some meetings, due to security issues. They were concerned about confidential discussions being picked up by others outside the immediate room, with FM.
Also I do not use telephones at all; amplification of a regular land-line phone isn't quite powerful enough for me now, and cell phones are impossible to hear. I tried a loop system and it didn't work well for me. I really miss not being able to use the phone.
Mostly being deaf (or HoH) is an inconvenience rather than an absolute impairment, but that's only due to having some pretty good hearing aids and a very helpful husband. Life would be a lot more difficult without them.
2. How would you make people be aware about being deaf.
I'm not quite sure exactly what you mean. When I need to let someone know I can't hear them, I tell them. For instance, when I go to the hairdresser, I tell the woman who is going to cut my hair that I can't hear her with my aids off, and we will have to talk about what haircut I want before I take them off for shampooing.
With my friends and family, they know to e-mail me, not phone me, to arrange to get together or to share information.
With businesses that we have to telephone, my husband does the calling. When it is in regard to financial matters on one of my accounts, I speak into the phone and explain I can't hear them and my husband has my permission to discuss the details of my account.
3. Good things about being deaf:
I can sleep through thunderstorms. Also can sleep through my dog's barking in reaction to thunderstorms. ;-)
4. Bad things about being deaf:
It's difficult to keep up with popular culture, to some extent. For instance, I can't hear music very clearly on the radio. The music program on my hearing aids doesn't help much in that situation. Can't really hear anything very clearly on the radio, for the most part.
Have to use CC on television.
I don't enjoy movies as much as I used to because I can't understand more than the occasional sentence here and there. And I used to love going to movies. I still go, and still enjoy movies for the pictures and techniques of filming, and usually can basically follow the plot, but I like them best when I can watch DVDs at home with CCs.
Social situations like parties are more difficult. I do best when talking to people one-on-one; at a party with a lot of background noise, it's harder to understand. In a group, I miss a lot of the conversation. I hate not being able to catch all the jokes!
4. What is important in the guide...
If someone is wearing hearing aids, it does not mean that they will hear like a person with normal hearing. Please do NOT speak directly into my aids; it causes distortion and I don't want bits of saliva being spit on me. I need to LOOK at you, not have you lean into my ear. If you have to whisper for some reason, I'd rather you write me a short note than try to whisper, because I will not hear you at that volume, no matter what you do.
If you speak to me from the side or from behind me and I don't react, please tap my shoulder or move to being in front of me; probably I'm not trying to ignore you, just didn't realize you were speaking to me.
Technologically: the producers of new HDTVs and the various connectable devices need to change the HDMI cables so they will transmit captions from internet TV, Blueray disc players, and similar devices!! This is such a basic thing, and we are going backwards in that respect.
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Hope that helps you. Again, this is from the perspective of someone who had normal hearing for 30 years before needing hearing aids. I'm sure it's not the same as the perspective of someone born deaf or who became totally deaf and is not helped by hearing aids.