The Deaf Community

shel90 said:
I can agree to that to a degree...it is not their fault that they are ignorant and I give them the benefit of the doubt but it is when they exhibit audist attitudes, that is what I have a big big problem with.

My hubby was so ignorant about deaf people and ASL when we first met but he was willing to keep an open mind. We need more hearing people like that. They are the best!
Click to expand...

Exactly. I have NO beef with the hearing problem. My only issues is accessibility.
 
shel90 said:
PFH's post wasnt about deaf people wanting to hear. His point was about how people look down on deaf people based on their dB loss rather than see them as equal people.
Click to expand...

But most of those who have CIs are profoundly deaf, and some may even drop from 95 -100 to 105+ after surgery -- so if anyone has a complaint about being looked down upon based on their audiogram, it's the CI community as a whole.

But honestly -- except for those of us who are living with a deaf person or who are deaf ourselves, most hearing people haven't got the faintest conception of the varying levels of hearing loss, they aren't classifying one person as "better" than another because one has a 60db loss and another a 100 db loss.
 
GrendelQ said:
But most of those who have CIs are profoundly deaf, and some may even drop from 95 -100 to 105+ after surgery -- so if anyone has a complaint about being looked down upon based on their audiogram, it's the CI community as a whole.

But honestly -- except for those of us who are living with a deaf person or who are deaf ourselves, most hearing people haven't got the faintest conception of the varying levels of hearing loss, they aren't classifying one person as "better" than another because one has a 60db loss and another a 100 db loss.
Click to expand...

Then what is this....

A hearing woman at my hubby's work picnic a few years ago telling me that all deaf people should get CIs so they can improve themselves?

To me, that is looking down on us all because of our dB loss.

Maybe you and others find that acceptable but I dont and I told her off.
 
GrendelQ said:
But most of those who have CIs are profoundly deaf, and some may even drop from 95 -100 to 105+ after surgery -- so if anyone has a complaint about being looked down upon based on their audiogram, it's the CI community as a whole.
Click to expand...
I am not sure how to respond to this. I must be missing something.

GrendelQ said:
But honestly -- except for those of us who are living with a deaf person or who are deaf ourselves, most hearing people haven't got the faintest conception of the varying levels of hearing loss, they aren't classifying one person as "better" than another because one has a 60db loss and another a 100 db loss.
Click to expand...
Very true.
However 60 db and 100db is very significant. It is the difference between being able to hear with aids, and not really able to hear with aids... The aided ones can get jobs easier than the 100 db. It might not register in the general populace minds but when you see someone "more able" in regards of speaking more likely they will get hired.
 
shel90 said:
Then what is this....

A hearing woman at my hubby's work picnic a few years ago telling me that all deaf people should get CIs so they can improve themselves?

To me, that is looking down on us all because of our dB loss.

Maybe you and others find that acceptable but I dont and I told her off.
Click to expand...

I would have too. And have done so in the past. I was told that I would get free CI's no questions several times from different corporations..
I gave them a piece of my mind. Pretty sure they will not tell anyone else that again.
 
posts from hell said:
I am not sure how to respond to this. I must be missing something.


Very true.
However 60 db and 100db is very significant. It is the difference between being able to hear with aids, and not really able to hear with aids... The aided ones can get jobs easier than the 100 db. It might not register in the general populace minds but when you see someone "more able" in regards of speaking more likely they will get hired.
Click to expand...

That can be tricky because I have a 120 db and I can speak a lot better than many people with a 60 db which leads hearing people into thinking I can hear better than them which is the total opposite.

Funny, a few years ago, I went with my friend through a drive through. We didnt want to go inside the restaurant for whatever reason. She has no speech skills but hears at 40 db with hearing aids while I have speech skills but cant hear very well. So, she used her hearing and I used my speech skills to order food through the drive through. It was funny. :lol:
 
shel90 said:
That can be tricky because I have a 120 db and I can speak a lot better than many people with a 60 db which leads hearing people into thinking I can hear better than them which is the total opposite.

Funny, a few years ago, I went with my friend through a drive through. We didnt want to go inside the restaurant for whatever reason. She has no speech skills but hears at 40 db with hearing aids while I have speech skills but cant hear very well. So, she used her hearing and I used my speech skills to order food through the drive through. It was funny. :lol:
Click to expand...
lol Yea I was thinking of the dynamics. i know a couple people who speaks well at 100+ losses.. Its just interesting how it works
 
shel90 said:
Should the Deaf community accept hearing people calling deafness defective or that Deaf people need to improve themselves by getting CIs or seeking a cure.? Or that we should assimilate in the hearing world fully>
If so, why?

If not, why not?

For me...NO...because we have the right to be comfortable with our deafness and be respected as contributing citizens to this country. No, we may not live our lives the hearing way but as long as we are contributing to society, why complain about us wanting to stay in the Deaf community and using ASL as our language?
Click to expand...
Isn't this the age old argument of a cultural vs. pathalogical view of deafness?
 
deafgal001 said:
Do you think it is because hearing aids confuse them?
Click to expand...

hearing aids confusing them? Whos them?

If its the deaf person, its not confusing them, they know theyre deaf. Some of the deaf people can speak very well like shel.

hearing people? Its more of deluding them not confusing... You lead them to believe you can hear well because you can speak dang well.

Look at Mandy Harvey.... Jazz singer, deeeeeeeeeaf.
 
shel90 said:
Then what is this....

A hearing woman at my hubby's work picnic a few years ago telling me that all deaf people should get CIs so they can improve themselves?

To me, that is looking down on us all because of our dB loss.

Maybe you and others find that acceptable but I dont and I told her off.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. I don't think anyone should tell me I should implant my child to 'improve' her (or not to implant my child).
 
hearing aids confusing them? Whos them?
Click to expand...
you know, how they suppose to sound based on what they hear with their hearing aids. I wonder if that confusing for them (deaf people). While some deaf barely use their hearing for their speech skills.
 
deafgal001 said:
you know, how they suppose to sound based on what they hear with their hearing aids. I wonder if that confusing for them (deaf people). While some deaf barely use their hearing for their speech skills.
Click to expand...

aha. Was just discussing this with my friend a few minutes ago.

How do you know what REAL sounds sound like if you've been deaf all your life?

There are hearing losses that hearing aids can't work up to par with.. it's a tricky area.

So.. it all boils down to "learning what sounds goes with what" then go on?
 
shel90 said:
PFH's post wasnt about deaf people wanting to hear. His point was about how people look down on deaf people based on their dB loss rather than see them as equal people.
Click to expand...
Sometime it may just come across that way simply cause of the communication barrier. If some hearing people sometime give off the impression that they don't want to spend that much time with you, doesn't necessarily mean "they're looking down on you".

Heck, an hearing person could still even actually have a good opinion of you. But still wouldn't spend that much time with you if he or she feels that it may be a little difficult to communicate with you.

Sometimes it's simply a question of personal compatibility.
 
It appears that this is a simple case of not "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" but rather "the grass is greener on our own side of the fence". That is the way it should be and everyone should have that understanding, if they did, all would be well with the world. :)
 
shel90 said:
Should the Deaf community accept hearing people calling deafness defective or that Deaf people need to improve themselves by getting CIs or seeking a cure.? Or that we should assimilate in the hearing world fully>
If so, why?

If not, why not?

For me...NO...because we have the right to be comfortable with our deafness and be respected as contributing citizens to this country. No, we may not live our lives the hearing way but as long as we are contributing to society, why complain about us wanting to stay in the Deaf community and using ASL as our language?
Click to expand...
I agree with you. I don't think Deaf= defective, or that deafness needs "fixing"... and I don't think it should be (or should EVER have been) up to hearing people to decide what deaf people need.


Oddball said:
Yes. That's so sad that Hearing people are simply ignorant, period.
Click to expand...
Not all of us.
 
shel90 said:
Should the Deaf community accept hearing people calling deafness defective or that Deaf people need to improve themselves by getting CIs or seeking a cure.? Or that we should assimilate in the hearing world fully>
If so, why?

If not, why not?

For me...NO...because we have the right to be comfortable with our deafness and be respected as contributing citizens to this country. No, we may not live our lives the hearing way but as long as we are contributing to society, why complain about us wanting to stay in the Deaf community and using ASL as our language?
Click to expand...

I agree, but, what Tousi said is true.

Parents of newly identified deaf/Hoh children are going to be presented with a myriad of options based on how much of a hearing loss the baby/child has. Reality would dictate that a lot of babies are going to be implanted. That may be a given, so therefore, the attitudes you spoke of in your OP will probably be perpetuated. So, I guess, the question becomes..."How does the Deaf community stop that perpetuation?" Fighting against CI's isn't going to work. Maybe the fight should be insuring that every deaf baby grows up knowing ASL and the professionals of the future has knowledge that is friendly to Deaf culture? Since this is often "medicalized", it has to start there. There needs to be a curriculum change to include courses in the history of the Deaf and ASL.

You're not going to effect change until there is understanding. There isn't going to be understanding until Dr's are exposed to Deaf culture and it's history. You can't have an appreciation of something until you experience it or hear of it. If that makes sense?
 
Oceanbreeze said:
I agree, but, what Tousi said is true.

Parents of newly identified deaf/Hoh children are going to be presented with a myriad of options based on how much of a hearing loss the baby/child has. Reality would dictate that a lot of babies are going to be implanted. That may be a given, so therefore, the attitudes you spoke of in your OP will probably be perpetuated. So, I guess, the question becomes..."How does the Deaf community stop that perpetuation?" Fighting against CI's isn't going to work. Maybe the fight should be insuring that every deaf baby grows up knowing ASL and the professionals of the future has knowledge that is friendly to Deaf culture? Since this is often "medicalized", it has to start there. There needs to be a curriculum change to include courses in the history of the Deaf and ASL.

You're not going to effect change until there is understanding. There isn't going to be understanding until Dr's are exposed to Deaf culture and it's history. You can't have an appreciation of something until you experience it or hear of it. If that makes sense?
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense. It's what I'm angling at too.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
I agree, but, what Tousi said is true.

Parents of newly identified deaf/Hoh children are going to be presented with a myriad of options based on how much of a hearing loss the baby/child has. Reality would dictate that a lot of babies are going to be implanted. That may be a given, so therefore, the attitudes you spoke of in your OP will probably be perpetuated. So, I guess, the question becomes..."How does the Deaf community stop that perpetuation?" Fighting against CI's isn't going to work. Maybe the fight should be insuring that every deaf baby grows up knowing ASL and the professionals of the future has knowledge that is friendly to Deaf culture? Since this is often "medicalized", it has to start there. There needs to be a curriculum change to include courses in the history of the Deaf and ASL.

You're not going to effect change until there is understanding. There isn't going to be understanding until Dr's are exposed to Deaf culture and it's history. You can't have an appreciation of something until you experience it or hear of it. If that makes sense?
Click to expand...
How would you feel that if someone that does not use a wheelchair dictates how all those that does should live?

I still think it comes down to who are YOU to determine how ALL of the deaf should live?
 
Back
Top