Therapy helps deaf woman speak too well to be believed

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Therapy helps deaf woman speak too well to be believed -- chicagotribune.com

DEAR ABBY: I am a deaf woman who was raised by a woman who made sure I had speech therapy most of my life. Because of it, my speech is quite good, and people often forget that I am deaf or don't believe me.

I was pulled over by a cop, and when I told him I was deaf and needed to read his lips, he didn't believe me. Friends and co-workers have even told me, "With speech like yours, you can't be THAT deaf!" It is frustrating and sometimes hurtful.

The truth is I cannot hear, and I need people to look at me so I can read their lips. Any suggestions on how to kindly remind people -- including law enforcement officers -- that I really am deaf? -- READ MY LIPS IN D.C.

DEAR READ MY LIPS: You should request from your physician a card explaining your hearing disability, and carry it in your wallet in case you are stopped again by law enforcement. You can also use it if there are any more misunderstandings in the workplace.
 
There is that double edged sword again. People assuming that being able to speak is the same as being able to hear. When will we learn? We continue to do it to our deaf children. We concetrate so hard on providing them with those services that will allow them to speak well, and completely forget that expressive communication is only half of the equation.
 
jillio said:
There is that double edged sword again. People assuming that being able to speak is the same as being able to hear. When will we learn? We continue to do it to our deaf children. We concetrate so hard on providing them with those services that will allow them to speak well, and completely forget that expressive communication is only half of the equation.
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:gpost:
 
Doesn't her license state that she is deaf? Mine states that I wear a hearing aid because I'm deaf. :)
 
That's a huge problem that I have had all of my life. My deaf friend's hearing boyfiend kept telling her and me that we are so lucky we can "talk" so well and I told him that is true but it can be a huge burden. He still didnt get it when my friend and I tried explaining to him why. Is it a hard concept for most hearing people to understand? Not being critical or anything..just wondering.
 
Since I'm hearing impaired and that I can hear to an extent possible, if I speak to someone who're deaf and can speak well, I can take that into account without any further delay like the law enforcement did.
 
By the way, even with a card saying that s/he is deaf, a cop or a friend may not believe him/her that s/he is deaf even though s/he can speak very well.

All I can say is "you can't question anyone who're deaf but can speak well. Believe him/her or not, but you've got to take disabilities into account and take approperate actions as necessary, like giving out a piece of paper and write it down so that a deaf person can understand and be able to speak back for a response (or not, depending on how well they speak).
 
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