Do I Understand?

jillio

jillio

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Inthe thread, District Files Appeal Against Deaf Student, post # 1401, it was said that I do not seek to understand the deaf community at all. I replied that I would leave that question to the deaf members of AD to answer.

So here's the question....do I, as a hearing person, attempt to gain an understanding of deafness from the deaf perspective?

Honest answers, please, as I consider this a learning experience.

:ty:
 
From what I've seen of your posts, you do seek to understand where the deaf come from even though I don't always agree with everything you say. Too bad I can't say the same for many hearing people.
 
Jillio,

You know, I think you are a very intelligent lady and want to understand everything. But, being deaf/hoh is for someone else, not you, to understand.

You see, each of us who are deaf/hoh were created by God for His reason. We don't know the why's or the how's of it, we just are. Most of us accept it. Most of us want to make the most of it and be productive members of society and pursue the American Dream (for those in the USA).

But . . . you are a hearing person. You may think you have the tiger by the tail, but you don't know all of the story. You see and read our stories as a third party, never the first party. Someday, when we have more deaf/hoh people in places of authority in government and education and the like, you will learn that we will not take things sitting on our hands.
 
pek1 said:
Jillio,

You know, I think you are a very intelligent lady and want to understand everything. But, being deaf/hoh is for someone else, not you, to understand.

You see, each of us who are deaf/hoh were created by God for His reason. We don't know the why's or the how's of it, we just are. Most of us accept it. Most of us want to make the most of it and be productive members of society and pursue the American Dream (for those in the USA).

But . . . you are a hearing person. You may think you have the tiger by the tail, but you don't know all of the story. You see and read our stories as a third party, never the first party. Someday, when we have more deaf/hoh people in places of authority in government and education and the like, you will learn that we will not take things sitting on our hands.
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And that is exactly the claim I have made all along, pek. That I can never know what it is to be a deaf person. But only by listening to what deaf tell me about their experience and giving that credibility can I seek to understand what it is to be deaf. If I listen to the hearing tell me what it is to be deaf, rather than the dea themselves, I haven't learned anything, now have I?

And the question was "Do I try to understand the deaf viewpoint?" That is quite different than, "Do I know what it is to be deaf?" The answer to the second is, "Of course I don't." That is exactly why I listen to the people who do know--the deaf.
 
You know, I think you are a very intelligent lady and want to understand everything. But, being deaf/hoh is for someone else, not you, to understand.
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?? I find that statement almost insulting..
 
Umm, I think understanding and experience it is two different thing. People might be empathic with deaf people and understand it from their point of view, but will they ever get to feel what deaf people truly went through, then no.

Can you truly say the pain of deaf person is the same pain that hearing person felt? Pain of deaf son is not the same pain of hearing mother. But that doesn't mean that the pain of hearing mother is less important or better, it's just different. That's all.

Dunno. I just always assumed that no matter how close person may have followed into deaf person's life, he will still never understand that person. But it doesn't mean they can't feel something for them, whether it is; love, compassion, hope, etc. That's what make human being (good souls) so interesting...some of them would try to jump in other person's shoes.

Hope I make some sense?

I think the brave person is one who would make this type of attempts. Not many people would dare take this type of risks.
 
jillio said:
So here's the question....do I, as a hearing person, attempt to gain an understanding of deafness from the deaf perspective?
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sure you do. given that -- unlike that self-hatred person -- you have been actively participating in deaf world and its culture, i believe you do gain what you're seeking for.

needlessly to say, i'm deaf who grew up in a mainstream school. I also actively attend the hearing university.
 
pek1 said:
But . . . you are a hearing person. You may think you have the tiger by the tail, but you don't know all of the story. You see and read our stories as a third party, never the first party. Someday, when we have more deaf/hoh people in places of authority in government and education and the like, you will learn that we will not take things sitting on our hands.
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i'm not questioning your opinion but i have to wonder -- we, deaf people, are not allowed to understand the hearing politics, entertainment and dramas too? or we just "cannot" understand them either?
 
jillio said:
And that is exactly the claim I have made all along, pek. That I can never know what it is to be a deaf person. But only by listening to what deaf tell me about their experience and giving that credibility can I seek to understand what it is to be deaf. If I listen to the hearing tell me what it is to be deaf, rather than the dea themselves, I haven't learned anything, now have I?

And the question was "Do I try to understand the deaf viewpoint?" That is quite different than, "Do I know what it is to be deaf?" The answer to the second is, "Of course I don't." That is exactly why I listen to the people who do know--the deaf.
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I understand, jillio, but can we all just get along and have our differences of opinions? Please?
 
pek1 said:
I understand, jillio, but can we all just get along and have our differences of opinions? Please?
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Sure. This hasn't got anything to do with a difference of opinion, really. It is the deaf community that I work for, in effect, and if I am perceived as not making an attempt to understand their point of view, then I need feedback on that in order to improve.
 
personally, I've read a lot of Jillio's posts, and From my point of view, she's a hearing person trying to help the deaf. She's trying to understand Deaf culture, but she knows that she can't understand what it's like to be deaf.

Really, from what i've seen, every person who could hear that has joined this forum is trying to understand how Deaf culture works, and why we are the way we are. They don't pretend to understand what it's like to live in our world, but they try to understand that we do not need to be changed; merely accepted for who we are.
 
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Care to elaborate on precisely what you mean by this statement:

..But, being deaf/hoh is for someone else, not you, to understand.
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Just hopefully, I do hope you had worded this wrong.......






~RR
 
jillio said:
Sure. This hasn't got anything to do with a difference of opinion, really. It is the deaf community that I work for, in effect, and if I am perceived as not making an attempt to understand their point of view, then I need feedback on that in order to improve.
Click to expand...

But, at the same time, jillio, there's no one concensus (sp?) in the deaf/hoh communities. For example, I've got a severe hearing loss and know a little asl. I also am very oral, but yet, the deaf people in my community (note I didn't say "deaf community"?) don't want to have anything to do with me or my hearing dog. The reason is because I'm too oral. Well, excuse me, but from what I've been told by a friend here in town that lives in D.C., (she's also hoh), she has to order her deaf friends' food when they go out to eat. I told her not to, as did her own mother.
 
pek1 said:
But, at the same time, jillio, there's no one concensus (sp?) in the deaf/hoh communities. For example, I've got a severe hearing loss and know a little asl. I also am very oral, but yet, the deaf people in my community (note I didn't say "deaf community"?) don't want to have anything to do with me or my hearing dog. The reason is because I'm too oral. Well, excuse me, but from what I've been told by a friend here in town that lives in D.C., (she's also hoh), she has to order her deaf friends' food when they go out to eat. I told her not to, as did her own mother.
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Of course not, pek. I'm not asking for consensus.
 
Roadrunner said:
Care to elaborate on precisely what you mean by this statement:

Just hopefully, I do hope you had worded this wrong.......






~RR
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Sorry I didn't see your question, Roady. Let me explain. When a person is deaf/hoh and someone else is hearing but wants to be deaf/hoh, they can't. Even when they work with people who are deaf/hoh, they can't experience it.
 
pek1 said:
Sorry I didn't see your question, Roady. Let me explain. When a person is deaf/hoh and someone else is hearing but wants to be deaf/hoh, they can't. Even when they work with people who are deaf/hoh, they can't experience it.
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Wants to be deaf/HOH? That requires a little explanation, as well.
 
jillio said:
Of course not, pek. I'm not asking for consensus.
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Okay . . . so, since you and jackie are both educated, as well as shel, perhaps there needs to be a consensus to agree to disagree and leave it as that? Research may show that both ways of educating work. Can this be a possibility?
 
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