Hard night...

[Bebonang]

Hey Candy,

While understanding that you have just lost your hearing, and having to deal with Family that just don't understand. Hang in there because that is just the start of it, while family will learn and realize what is happening and how it affects you and themselves, there is the world out there that you will have to face day to day.

I have lived all my life with a cloud hanging over my head in my associations out in the world of the hearing.

Just remember that People fear what they don't understand. Its the ones that stand there and try to understand that makes a difference, as you can see from these boards. The hearies are here to try to understand. Some with family members that are HoH or Deaf or Deaf/Blind, and some that just want to understand cause they like us!

Being as I am the only Deaf person where I live, and being that I do know sign, I still am in a Hearing world which is dominant in oral speech so I have to accomodate them with oral speaking. I do wish sometimes that everyone knew sign because it certainly would make things easier for me!

But because I live where sign is virtually non existent (sp?) I have to rely on speech reading, and there are days where I get fustrated because with the lack of understanding, comes me being isolated and left out of the loop.

Always in the face of that do I keep moving forward. One step at a time.

Keep your head up.
Stay as you are.
Stand and put your foot down, be firm and never back down.

You did a lot better to explain to Candybrowneyes than what we tried to explain. Life as a Deaf person in a hearing world is not easy and hearing people need to understand why we need special accommodations like ASL, ASL interpreters and notetaking plus close captioned for the Deaf. We also need other devices for the Deaf to know where the sounds come from like someone approaches at the door and use the button to let us know by looking at the door light signaler. I like what you are thinking.