Deaf Awareness

rchz

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Hello I am a Graphic Design Student and I am doing Deaf Awareness for my Final Project at Uni. The reason that I decided to do this is to make hearing people Aware.

I just would like to see what your views are on being Deaf, as I am Deaf myself.



What is it like being deaf?








How would you make people be aware about being Deaf?






What are the good things about being Deaf?









What are the bad things about being Deaf?









What is important in the guide to make people interested of being deaf and help them being Deaf aware?
 
You can find answers to all these questions if you look throughout the threads.

I see you posted in Jolie's thread (the same thread in which she ASKS that you look through other threads for this information.)

Have fun! :)
 
What is is like being Deaf-silence. How to make others aware-don't react when spoken. Both the "good/bad" re being Deaf-up to you on how to react.

Back track: I became bilaterally deaf-December 20, 2006 and shortly in Jan/07 started the process to "get a Cochlear Implant" Sunnybrook/Toronto. Fortunately was successful. The operation happened July 12, 2007.
I don't use ASL. I have also pointed out before- don't know any deaf/Deaf persons personally except at Cdn Hearing Society.

Some books I found of interest; 1) Wired for Sound-a journey into Hearing Beverly Biderman 2) Rebuilt- Michael Chorost 3) Life after Deafness- Bena Schuster 4) Seeing Voices Oliver Sacks 5)A Journey into DeafWorld Harlan Lane et al.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
 
What is is like being Deaf-silence. How to make others aware-don't react when spoken. Both the "good/bad" re being Deaf-up to you on how to react.

Back track: I became bilaterally deaf-December 20, 2006 and shortly in Jan/07 started the process to "get a Cochlear Implant" Sunnybrook/Toronto. Fortunately was successful. The operation happened July 12, 2007.
I don't use ASL. I have also pointed out before- don't know any deaf/Deaf persons personally except at Cdn Hearing Society.

Some books I found of interest; 1) Wired for Sound-a journey into Hearing Beverly Biderman 2) Rebuilt- Michael Chorost 3) Life after Deafness- Bena Schuster 4) Seeing Voices Oliver Sacks 5)A Journey into DeafWorld Harlan Lane et al.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07

OP: This person does not represent every single person in the Deaf community. This is a person who does not identify as culturally deaf - please take this into account.
 
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.

---------------

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.
 
Does anyone else find it odd that the OP requested responses from Deaf (signifying cultural identification), yet has only gotten responses from deaf?:P
 
Does anyone else find it odd that the OP requested responses from Deaf (signifying cultural identification), yet has only gotten responses from deaf?:P

The first two questions are deaf with a lowercase (d) and the next three are Deaf with a capital (D)...

interesting.
 
Does anyone else find it odd that the OP requested responses from Deaf (signifying cultural identification), yet has only gotten responses from deaf?:P

:lol: It may be that everybody else has been here so long we are very bored.

Always the same questions. Type it out politely 100 times and the surveyors should be able to find it.

And you must admit, it gives a different perspective.
 
The first two questions are deaf with a lowercase (d) and the next three are Deaf with a capital (D)...

interesting.

You're right. I was going on the first sentence where it says the student is doing a paper on Deaf Awareness.
 
:lol: It may be that everybody else has been here so long we are very bored.

Always the same questions. Type it out politely 100 times and the surveyors should be able to find it.

And you must admit, it gives a different perspective.

Yep! Seems to happen at the end of every semester or quarter.:lol:

Oh, yeah. A different perspective to be sure!:giggle:
 
Perhaps we at AllDeaf should send out a memo to all ASL classes in the States to educate that when students visit the AllDeaf site, or other Deaf Communities, they should interact with the community and are not permitted to do surveys. Let them keep their survey questions at home to fill in for themselves. Just a suggestion. :p
 
Perhaps we at AllDeaf should send out a memo to all ASL classes in the States to educate that when students visit the AllDeaf site, or other Deaf Communities, they should interact with the community and are not permitted to do surveys. Let them keep their survey questions at home to fill in for themselves. Just a suggestion. :p

We've got Bott. She generally lets them know pretty quick.:giggle:
 
kyleb: I don't represent any Deaf/deaf faction here except myself. All comments are MY experience. I became Bilaterally deaf-Dec/06 and do in fact have a Cochlear Implant-Advanced Bionics-Harmony.I was processed at Sunnybrook/Toronto-2007 I have never keyed that I subscribe to the "cultural theory" of deafness- which to me is very different than actual SILENCE of deafness. How one deals with "it" either by having a Cochlear Implants or using ASL( whatever other sign utilized-British etc) is a PERSONAL CHOICE

Supposedly alldeaf.com is a forum for persons with Hearing Loss/ deaf/Deaf- relating their experiences. Also for other interested in such matters.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07
 
kyleb: I don't represent any Deaf/deaf faction here except myself. All comments are MY experience. I became Bilaterally deaf-Dec/06 and do in fact have a Cochlear Implant-Advanced Bionics-Harmony.I was processed at Sunnybrook/Toronto-2007 I have never keyed that I subscribe to the "cultural theory" of deafness- which to me is very different than actual SILENCE of deafness. How one deals with "it" either by having a Cochlear Implants or using ASL( whatever other sign utilized-British etc) is a PERSONAL CHOICE

Supposedly alldeaf.com is a forum for persons with Hearing Loss/ deaf/Deaf- relating their experiences. Also for other interested in such matters.

Implanted A B Harmony activated Aug/07

I was trying to address the original poster to ensure that they did not at all misunderstand the intent of your first post in this thread - that, for example, you do not identify with the cultural theory of deafness. I just didn't want them to be misled since it seemed from the original post that they were culturally deaf.

I will not be responding anymore to this thread.
 
In case the OP is still reading and hasn't been scared off: I notice that you are a Graphic Design student. I'm curious about what this survey project is for. Are you planning a public information campaign, posters, flyers, something like that? What do you eventually hope to do with the information you get?

I was an Advertising/Mass Communication major in college, so am interested in what you plan to do in that field. If that's where you're going with it, anyway.
 
I was trying to address the original poster to ensure that they did not at all misunderstand the intent of your first post in this thread - that, for example, you do not identify with the cultural theory of deafness. I just didn't want them to be misled since it seemed from the original post that they were culturally deaf.

I will not be responding anymore to this thread.

Kyleb,

You input is wanted; please do not stop responding. In fact, you were correct in pointing out the difference. If the poster wanted input from members of Deaf Culture as a way to gain understanding of the phenomenon, they need to take the opinions of those that are not members, and in fact, discount the very idea of a socially and psychologically supported concept of Deaf Culture, with a huge grain of salt.

It would seem that we have members that poo-poo the very idea of Deaf Culture and it's value that are unusually quick to respond to any thread that has anything to do with culture. It seems there may be an attempt to fulfill an agenda. The same happens in ASL threads often, as well.
 
Kyleb,

1. You input is wanted; please do not stop responding. In fact, you were correct in pointing out the difference. If the poster wanted input from members of Deaf Culture as a way to gain understanding of the phenomenon, they need to take the opinions of those that are not members, and in fact, discount the very idea of a socially and psychologically supported concept of Deaf Culture, with a huge grain of salt.

2. It would seem that we have members that poo-poo the very idea of Deaf Culture and it's value that are unusually quick to respond to any thread that has anything to do with culture. It seems there may be an attempt to fulfill an agenda. The same happens in ASL threads often, as well.

bold numbers added for reference purposes here

1. jillio, thanks! I was just concerned re said person's response and the way it was phrased.
2. I do think the same here. It's why I responded to this in the first place.
 
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