Being Hearing in a Deaf World

AJ

AJ

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well let me just say yes im hearing.

my aunt patty teaches ASL at a high school. she taught me when i was about 7 and im almost 23 now. so ive been around deaf people and deaf culture pretty much all my life. ive been accepted into deaf culture and ive also been pushed away. sometimes i will meet deaf people and they are like...what are u doing? why are u talking to us. ur hearing. they arent too accepting of a hearing person in their world, in their culture. but now, there are many more deaf people who are accepting of me and embrace me into their culture. but when i look back on it, when those certain deaf people turned me away, it was a learning experience. it let me see how some deaf people feel in a hearing world u know. they aren't always accepted in a hearing world. and that is from ignorance and fear. not that deaf people are scary or anything...some people like cookie monster can be (joke) but its the situation. hearing people may act nervous around deaf people because they've never met someone that cant hear. and they dont know how to handle it so they freak a bit.

anyway. i made this post to see what u guys thought about hearing people and the relationships between hearing and deaf.
 
:gpost:

As a hearing person wanting to get more involved in the deaf community, I am apprehensive. I guess I just feel like I'm not welcomed. I already plan on attending GPC's ASL interpreting program, but I'm wanting to get a head start now with Memphis' local community before I move out to Atlanta, but I guess I'm just show or afraid to. However the people that I commonly interact with on here are some of the nicest, most welcoming people I've ever met, deaf or hearing. I guess I could just use more encouragement.
 
:gpost: AJ, I am hearing myself too, but, I grew up with deaf parent's. When I was younger, my parent's took me to all the deaf functions because they didn't believe in babysitters at that time. These deaf people accepted me because I continued to stay with them all through my life.
Now, I married a man who is deaf, and this is where life had been different. I had met a lot of deaf people who did not know me, they were skeptical of me until they saw me signing, and readily accepted me.
I was at a basketball tournmanet many years ago in Hartford, Ct. It was Friday night, my husband and I just came back from an Open House at the deaf club, and there was a deaf couple at the information desk, and they were very agitated and their hands were signing so aggressively. So, I told my husband I am going to see if I can help out. So, I asked in sign language if there anything I could do to help this situation. The deaf woman said " oh thank God someone who is deaf and understands", she told me the girl at the information desk doesn't understand anything I am saying to her. So I asked the deaf woman what she needed, and it turned out that they had a reservation at the hotel, and the girl at the information desk said they didn't and there was no more rooms, the husband had then interjected and said they had already sent a deposit and they most certainly do have a reservation. Well, it turned out when I asked the couple to spell their last name for me, and I repeated spelling to the desk clerk, whoever took the reservation over the phone had misspelled their last name. Because when I asked for their address, I repeated it to the desk clerk, and she found the reservation. I asked them if they needed anymore help from me, and they asked me to stay until they were entirely finished. So I did, when they left the desk to go to their room, they said to me, "stupid hearing people" and I just started laughing so hard, but, they asked me with a puzzling expression on their face what was wrong? I signed to them "surprise surprise I am hearing too". Well, their face dropped and I felt the whole building shake. They said to me " you can't be, you sign like a deaf person" I took that as a compliment from them. I just hope I opened their minds just a little.
 
yah AJ, there are some people in the deaf community who are tooo hmm what's the word.. in the deaf community and don';t like to interact with hearing community or whatever.. But there are many who arent like that.
 
darkangel8603 said:
yah AJ, there are some people in the deaf community who are tooo hmm what's the word.. in the deaf community and don';t like to interact with hearing community or whatever.. But there are many who arent like that.
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ignorant is the word ur looking for. and yes i totally understand, and know that many many deaf people are very accepting and loving towards hearing dudes.
 
CODAchild said:
they said to me, "stupid hearing people" and I just started laughing so hard,
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Sadly some of my fellow ROs have the same feeling towards deaf people.
 
Impressive posting! I am deaf and I like to welcome hearing ppl who are so very interested in learning sign language or knows well about sign language. You see, I was born in a hearing world til I came into the deaf world in 2001 when I became a girls' counselor for a deaf camp in 2001. I was very very shocked of how impressive and how cool of being in a deaf world. I am still in my hearing and deaf world because I sometimes see my deaf friends but they live far and I dont get together with them because they gossip about B.S. and I dont like that but I still love them.

So, AJ-you are welcome in my deaf world whether you are hearing or deaf. We are welcome here as deaf and hearing ppl, right? :gpost:
 
DeafGeorgiaLady said:
Impressive posting! I am deaf and I like to welcome hearing ppl who are so very interested in learning sign language or knows well about sign language. You see, I was born in a hearing world til I came into the deaf world in 2001 when I became a girls' counselor for a deaf camp in 2001. I was very very shocked of how impressive and how cool of being in a deaf world. I am still in my hearing and deaf world because I sometimes see my deaf friends but they live far and I dont get together with them because they gossip about B.S. and I dont like that but I still love them.

So, AJ-you are welcome in my deaf world whether you are hearing or deaf. We are welcome here as deaf and hearing ppl, right? :gpost:
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thank you beautiful, and yes ur right
 
You are most welcome. Have a good day. Hope we can still talk today or tonight. Anyways, I have to go. I will be back tonight. Have a good day. :nana:
 
DeafGeorgiaLady said:
Impressive posting! I am deaf and I like to welcome hearing ppl who are so very interested in learning sign language or knows well about sign language. You see, I was born in a hearing world til I came into the deaf world in 2001 when I became a girls' counselor for a deaf camp in 2001. I was very very shocked of how impressive and how cool of being in a deaf world. I am still in my hearing and deaf world because I sometimes see my deaf friends but they live far and I dont get together with them because they gossip about B.S. and I dont like that but I still love them.

So, AJ-you are welcome in my deaf world whether you are hearing or deaf. We are welcome here as deaf and hearing ppl, right? :gpost:
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I sure hope there are more deafies with an attitude likes yours. Thank you for the welcome.
 
there are some people in the deaf community who are tooo hmm what's the word.. in the deaf community and don';t like to interact with hearing community or whatever..
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Deafer then thou? Deaf seperatist?
 
cental34 said:
Sadly some of my fellow ROs have the same feeling towards deaf people.
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:( OH I can imagine, because your job is not an easy one when you have to deal with difficult people like that to give and get an opinion like that. A lot of deaf are afraid to open their doors to hearing people.
 
My own requirement is an open heart. :) I'm deaf...
Some people can be assholes, even some deaf peeps. I don't buy into a deaf utopia where hearing people are evil and forbidden to associate with. That's just ridiculous. Everyone is welcomed in MY utopia :)
 
:) Even though I am hearing, born to deaf parent's who have been so special to me, because I interacted mostly with the deaf all my life. I have more deaf friends than hearing. A lot of deaf have watched me grow, get married, and then watch my children grow. For me, it's an honor to be accepted into the deaf community, and I have cherished this acceptance all my life. They look up to me, as I look up to them, and I think it's because I never strayed.
Although, I did face challenges with deaf people I didn't know and didn't know me, they were afraid to trust me, afraid of what I thought of them, but, as soon as they find out that both my parent's are deaf, their reaction is "oh that's differrent, she's alright then". Why wasn't that reaction passed on before they found out I was a CODA. It's a difficult situation, and I hope and pray there will be a time when a deaf person and a hearing person or vice versa meet for the first time, they will do their best to understand each other and be patient with each other. Life is too short to be skeptical of one another, we just need to give each other a chance culturally. :)
 
cental34 said:
I sure hope there are more deafies with an attitude likes yours. Thank you for the welcome.
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I have to agree with you. There are some deafies out there in the world are rude, I was hoping that we would have a lot of deafies that are more friendly and welcome hearing world come into deaf world so they can learn about deaf community and we can learn about their community too...don't you agree?
 
CODAchild said:
:( OH I can imagine, because your job is not an easy one when you have to deal with difficult people like that to give and get an opinion like that. A lot of deaf are afraid to open their doors to hearing people.
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Well make no mistake about it. This job is very easy. Its the abuse that makes the job stressful. The hate from operators towards the deaf community is that they think they're supperior because of broken English and mispellings. I can't count how many times I've heard the phrase "retarded deaf people" from friends at work.
 
cental34 said:
Well make no mistake about it. This job is very easy. Its the abuse that makes the job stressful. The hate from operators towards the deaf community is that they think they're supperior because of broken English and mispellings. I can't count how many times I've heard the phrase "retarded deaf people" from friends at work.
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:eek: Ahhhhhhhh get you know cental, I see what you're saying. This has to bother you a lot when you hear things like that. Especially when it's coming from a person with the same job as your's, but, the interior of that person is different from you. Thank God you have the patience and the understanding to know it's not their fault for the misgivings the deaf go through. Thank you for sharing that, it made it much clearer for me what you were trying to explain.
 
ive knocked out a kid for calling my deaf friend Deaf and Dumb. it was in highschool. got suspended for it.
 
This is the most amazing post that I have read in a while. I am deaf myself, I grew up in hearing world with so little education in the deaf culture. I was mainstreamed in public schools all the way through college where deaf program was very small. I was fully exposured to the deaf culture when I attended RIT with very little knowledge of NTID. I was in awe of shock that I never saw a great number of deaf people/culture there. I ended up being roommate with someone who came from strong generation of deafness in her family.

It was very difficult at first because she was so strong in ASL and very proud of her deaf culture and me being total communication (Excat English and Oral), we were able to break down barriers between us. We still remain good friends today, I can feel the excat thing what you feel when you are approached by deaf people. They did not accept you being hearing person with knowledge of sign language, I felt the excat same thing when I tried to approach deaf people who had strong deaf culture background. They did not accept me at all even I am profound deaf person myself. Deaf people gave me a sign that I couldn't figure for 6 months until my roommate finally confessed to me what it meant. I was signing the sign over my forehead in circle telling people that I am trying to become a hearing person.

I was in shock and hurt, I realized there is so many barriers that needs to be broken down, nothing can be done as you mentioned Ingorance and fear which is so quite true. I agree this is quite an learning experience for each person in different approach that they face every day.

You mentioned, "I made this post to see what u guys thought about hearing people and the relationships between hearing and deaf", I am proud of what you are doing right here.

I am still in my hearing world and trying to conquer deaf world at same time. I am married to a wonderful deaf guy (He grew up oral, never knowing sign language until his college yrs) that we both bore two wonderful hearing boys even there is no deafness in both of our families. I have to divide and balance my time share between both worlds. Having this challenge to go through both worlds is worth all my time trying to learn.

Thanks for the post, I applause you.......downing
 
downing said:
This is the most amazing post that I have read in a while. I am deaf myself, I grew up in hearing world with so little education in the deaf culture. I was mainstreamed in public schools all the way through college where deaf program was very small. I was fully exposured to the deaf culture when I attended RIT with very little knowledge of NTID. I was in awe of shock that I never saw a great number of deaf people/culture there. I ended up being roommate with someone who came from strong generation of deafness in her family.

It was very difficult at first because she was so strong in ASL and very proud of her deaf culture and me being total communication (Excat English and Oral), we were able to break down barriers between us. We still remain good friends today, I can feel the excat thing what you feel when you are approached by deaf people. They did not accept you being hearing person with knowledge of sign language, I felt the excat same thing when I tried to approach deaf people who had strong deaf culture background. They did not accept me at all even I am profound deaf person myself. Deaf people gave me a sign that I couldn't figure for 6 months until my roommate finally confessed to me what it meant. I was signing the sign over my forehead in circle telling people that I am trying to become a hearing person.

I was in shock and hurt, I realized there is so many barriers that needs to be broken down, nothing can be done as you mentioned Ingorance and fear which is so quite true. I agree this is quite an learning experience for each person in different approach that they face every day.

You mentioned, "I made this post to see what u guys thought about hearing people and the relationships between hearing and deaf", I am proud of what you are doing right here.

I am still in my hearing world and trying to conquer deaf world at same time. I am married to a wonderful deaf guy (He grew up oral, never knowing sign language until his college yrs) that we both bore two wonderful hearing boys even there is no deafness in both of our families. I have to divide and balance my time share between both worlds. Having this challenge to go through both worlds is worth all my time trying to learn.

Thanks for the post, I applause you.......downing
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...sweet.... :mrgreen:
 
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