New Guy Here...

bkswva

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My name is Brian and I am hard-of-hearing. I lost my hearing around the age of 3 years when I contracted Bacterial Meningitis. I lost my ability to walk and hear... If I hadn't learned to speak before this incident, I would probably not be able to speak now. The only "scar" from the virus is the hearing loss. However, I communicate through lipreading, speech, and sign language.

I am an English major (Literature, Writing, and Journalism emphases) and hope to achieve my Master's of Library and Information Sciences (hopefully through the distance education program at University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee) to become a Librarian. I am attending Concord University which is a dominant hearing school and am the only deaf currently attending. I have a transcriber who uses TypeWell to aid me in class.

I am fluent in PSE but want to learn more ASL. I also hope to start up a group for sign language here on campus so that others can learn not only to communicate with me, but understand the deaf community a bit more.

I am glad to have the best of both worlds (hearing and deaf) although I want to get more active in the deaf community and meet other deafies and make up for lost time. [I was not allowed to sign in depth while I was growing up and only knew the basics because my stupid "audiologist" (probably a AGBell supporter) informed my family and parents that I would not need it nor did they need to learn it to communicate with me.]
 
welcome bkswva,

I am in the Milwaukee area too.... am out of college. Not sure if I understand correctly you in Milwaukee but if so be aware of DeafChat coffee hour on Milwaukee's East side <Starbucks - haven't been yet> if u are interested. Am hearing, recently discovered very mild hearing loss, have husband who is oral moderate-severe hoh w/o ha's. I have very limited ASL skills and often run into people Deaf around and want to communicate better and have better knowledge of culture, of which I have been exposed to but only little. I worked for a time in Summer Recreational program for Deaf and hoh students and with Deaf staff, where I originally learned some ASL. Have been recently studying w/Deaf adult in the area who is a para at the Milwaukee Sign Language school. Milw. Sign Language school might also be a resource for you because I think they at one time did have ASL practice groups; also Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and WI Deaf/Hard of Hearing Alliance.

Good luck with the support group!
 
dogmom,

No I am not in Milwaukee but that is where the college is located that I plan to have distance education for my graduate (Master's) degree in Library Sciences. Thanks for the invite, though! ;)

Thanks for the luck wishes on the support group though!
 
:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. I hope you have fun reading and posting all the threads here. See you around. :wave:
 
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