Awakening

[RaynboFlutterby]

Just curious how many people were rushed into deciding whether to learn sign language or attend deaf school?
I wasn't born deaf but contracted meningitis at 8 mos old and lost all my hearing in my right ear and 70% in my left. At that age you don't really realize what's going on and don't even realize that you "lost" anything. All I remember was going to audiologists and taking all these hearing tests and thinking that it was normal until I noticed that I was the only one with a hearing aid and other kids making fun of me.
There was always so much going on and I hated being "different" so when it was meantioned that I could learn sign or go to deaf school, I chose to attend public education and not learn sign because I didn't want to be different. Looking back now, I really wished I'd have went the other route.
I didn't know an actual community existed until recently and feel like I could've had a better childhood growing up around a supportive community.

 

[deerheart12]

Hi!

I was born deaf and my parents didn't know until I was about 3 years old. They didn't have hearing testing for babies back then. I still had residual hearing so I got hearing aids and went to an oral preschool where there were other hard of hearing kids like me and was taught to speak. Some of my classmates went to the Deaf school I was aware of it and knew some basic signing but didn't felt the need to go there. In middle school I was mainstreamed with the hearing kids and it became much harder to lip read. It wasn't till my junior year I made the jump to go to the Deaf school for the last two years of my high school and it was a culture shock! But learning ASL really helped me become a lot more confidence about myself.

This is common for most people as the medical field is more likely to push for the oral approach and many go their lives without realizing there is a Deaf community out there. It's never too late! I'm happy you found it and hope you get to have the chance to learn ASL and the community!
Annie