chaymes

I grew up hearing but for at least the past 5-6 years have been going deaf. I say at least because it could have been longer before I started to notice any hearing loss. I have had one doctor even guestimate I have been losing my hearing since around 15 (I'm 26). At the moment, I have a severe to profound hearing loss which means I am borderline deaf. There is only one phone left I can use and it has super amplification and even with that phone I have to press the phone hard against my ear, strain to understand, get frustrated and confused, and hang up feeling like a truck hit me. I dread when people call because it means I have to go through that again and then I misunderstand because I really couldn't understand them that well. Other phones (pay phones, cell phones, etc) completely unintelligible. Can't hear my baby cry if I am in another room and didn't know fire alarm went off at college a few weeks ago so yeah.... I am having to make many adjustments. I do not see my progressive deafness as a bad thing.. just who I am. I am a member of RIAD and have made my first real connections to the Deaf community in my area and plan to get involved in any way possible. I am pretty good at ASL although not fluent yet but am not giving up until I am really good at signing. This is what I find. If I am around hearing people and have to rely on lipreading and speech I come across many problems. I get about 50% or less of what a person says (even less with some and impossible with others). If I am around Deaf people and have to rely on sign language, I get about 75% or more. Around hearing people, I live in a state of frustration and confusion. Around Deaf people, I can finally relax and for once not feel those all too familiar feelings. So here is where the problem begins. I want to make the switch from oral to sign - completely. However, beings I was hearing much of my life, how do I just stop talking to people? I can speak pretty well and people unless I tell them I can't hear or they find out for themselves (talk to me when I am not looking), think I am hearing. That has posed problems because if I talk to them, they talk back like tey are talking to hearing person. If I tell them i can't hear, they get confused (until they find out for themselves like when I was at the store with my sister and I come walking towards her and she sayd "didn't you hear me? i was screaming your name!". I tried an experiment yesterday... I went to town and refused to use my voice. If they didnt know sign, I wrote on paper. People immediately knew I couldn't hear and there was much less confusion. Things got done faster and people were not rude enoguh to not look straight at me. I didn't have to try to struggle to lip read and understand what they were saying. I feel that if I can make the switch to sign and stop using oral methods, my life will be much easier and less frustrating. I just don't know how to go about this... any ideas?

Deafness

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Miss-Delectable

I want to make the switch from oral to sign - completely. However, beings I was hearing much of my life, how do I just stop talking to people? I can speak pretty well and people unless I tell them I can't hear or they find out for themselves (talk to me when I am not looking), think I am hearing. That has posed problems because if I talk to them, they talk back like tey are talking to hearing person. If I tell them i can't hear, they get confused (until they find out for themselves like when I was at the store with my sister and I come walking towards her and she sayd "didn't you hear me? i was screaming your name!". I tried an experiment yesterday... I went to town and refused to use my voice. If they didnt know sign, I wrote on paper. People immediately knew I couldn't hear and there was much less confusion. Things got done faster and people were not rude enoguh to not look straight at me. I didn't have to try to struggle to lip read and understand what they were saying. I feel that if I can make the switch to sign and stop using oral methods, my life will be much easier and less frustrating. I just don't know how to go about this... any ideas?[/quote]


Um, I don't quite know what to say as I have never been in your situation (hearing wise). I think you will have to find a balance. Like for example: you can be at ease and sign only with the deaf. And when with hearing people, whom you don't know, best use written communication. With your friends, perhaps, you will have to speak like you always did. Whoemever said it's a easy solution. I don't think it is. It's impossible to use only one method of communication. You see, even if you use sign everyday but then there's always written way with the hearings and even spoken method. Ahh, I hope I helped you some.... Good luck.

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VamPyroX

Don't give up speaking orally. It's good to keep in touch with your oral side. I'm oral but also sign.

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