Hard-Of-Hearing Calling Themselves Deaf?

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DeafCapricorn

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I'm hard-of-hearing, due to the fact that I wear a hearing aid.

However, I am completely deaf since without my hearing I can only sense vibrations, unless there is a very high volume level of sound, but even then I can only make out so much of what is said, and the source is hard to pinpoint.

So, I was wondering, is it offensive or wrong that I consider myself deaf?
 
DEAFdotDORK said:
I'm hard-of-hearing, due to the fact that I wear a hearing aid.

However, I am completely deaf since without my hearing I can only sense vibrations, unless there is a very high volume level of sound, but even then I can only make out so much of what is said, and the source is hard to pinpoint.

So, I was wondering, is it offensive or wrong that I consider myself deaf?
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No, it wouldn't be offensive. If someone find it offensive, just tell that person to shove it.
 
Banjo said:
No, it wouldn't be offensive. If someone find it offensive, just tell that person to shove it.
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LOL...

Telling that to my family wouldn't be a good thing...

But I have the worst hearing (hearing loss/hearing impairment is hereditary, but none of my family sign)... my hearing loss was due to meningitis when i was 3 yrs. old. the stupid audiologist told my fam that sign language was unnecessary... WHAT AN IDIOT SHE WAS! Stupid A.G. Bell!

I was mainstreamed and graduated with a 3.45 gpa, top 25 of my class... and will be going to a public-hearing college. But that doesn't bother me... I'm happy with the ability to hear and sign.
 
Many of HOH consides themselves Deaf, too. It is up to them.

I am not brag about myself because I went to public school all of my life and finished there. I am DEAF period.
 
I think it simipfly (sp?) things when a HOH calls himself deaf. According to the dictionary HOH and deaf are the one and the same.

Personally, I wouldn't take any offence in a HOH calling themselve deaf.

So, go and have fun calling yourself deaf. ;)
 
Hey there...I grew up mainstreamed and oral. I called myself hearing impaired growing up but once I learned ASL and got involved with the Deaf community, I consider myself Deaf.

Nothing wrong with calling yourself deaf or Deaf...many of my friends have mild hearing losses but call themselves Deaf. They feel that it is much easier that way.

If your family has a hard time accepting it that means that they are probably in denial about your deafness.
 
I have a moderately severe loss, and I idenitify strongly as both deaf and hard of hearing.
 
Hoh and deaf both means same thing is deafness. I consider hoh still part of deaf world anyway. I am hoh but I was born fully deaf so to me both hoh and deaf are the same. :)
 
I am very hard of hearing, to me it means the same thing.
 
Years ago, my mother referred to me as deaf, so that's what I consider myself, although my asl skills suck. I found the deaf club here, shel, but they meet on Thursday nights and I can't go because I have a class that night spring semester. :(
 
I do believe you meant to say, Hearing, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf. We are discussing cultural identity, not medical diagnosis.
 
jillio said:
I do believe you meant to say, Hearing, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf. We are discussing cultural identity, not medical diagnosis.
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Okay...

I am not Hearing...
I am not Hard of Hearing...
I am not Deaf...

I am ME!
 
I'm HOH and I consider myself Deaf. It is how you identify yourself.
 
I think we, for cultural purposes, need to get away from the "d" and "D" distinctions. It's just that the medical model is standing in the way of this....if that could somehow be shoved aside, then from within the cultural model, the two distinctions should be torn asunder.
 
Tousi said:
I think we, for cultural purposes, need to get away from the "d" and "D" distinctions. It's just that the medical model is standing in the way of this....if that could somehow be shoved aside, then from within the cultural model, the two distinctions should be torn asunder.
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I agree with you there, Tousi. Unfortunately, as long as the medical profession is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of deafness, there will be a medical model out there.
 
jillio said:
I agree with you there, Tousi. Unfortunately, as long as the medical profession is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of deafness, there will be a medical model out there.
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Yes, the medical model will be out there forever with maybe a scant few doctors knowing a wee bit about the cultural component. I got this NFL play-off game to watch now---be back with more later...:giggle:
 
DEAFdotDORK said:
I'm hard-of-hearing, due to the fact that I wear a hearing aid.

However, I am completely deaf since without my hearing I can only sense vibrations, unless there is a very high volume level of sound, but even then I can only make out so much of what is said, and the source is hard to pinpoint.

So, I was wondering, is it offensive or wrong that I consider myself deaf?
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U say that you cant hear without your hearing aides? If so, then you are definitely deaf, not hard of hearing. I have a bilateral hearing loss of 120 dB in both ears but with my hearing aides I can hear sounds pretty well. However, without my HAs, I cant hear anything no matter how loud the sounds are so that puts me (medically) in the deaf range.
 
Yeah, but the definition of hoh is that they can hear sounds in speech range with HAs.
I consider myself deaf b/c while I can hear speech even without lipreading, it's usually with someone who's a good speaker.
Also I can't hear some male voices even with HAs. I also can't hear thunder unless its directly overhead with aids.
 
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