Hello Everyone! (coming to terms)

elizabeth29

elizabeth29

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Hello,
I guess I should formally introduce myself, my name is Elizabeth. I am 29 years old and have been hearing and visually impaired since birth. I have had three surgeries on my eyes, and thus have adequate eyesight. I suffer from nerve deafness in my left ear at 85% loss. I hear sounds but I can't understand what is being said. In my right ear I only have 10% hearing loss, but as I get older it is more difficult to carry on a conversation with someone unless I am a private setting.
I have relied heavily on the ability to read lips most of my life, I was taught ASL as a child, but because my parents wanted me to live as "normally" as possible it was not used in our home often. Because of this I have forgotten most of it.
I have spent a good portion of my life as a creative writer, but about a year ago I decided I wanted something more. I am currently in college for a bachelors in communication, and journalism.
:roll: So, now.. on to why I am here..... Though I communicate well with the outside world, it is a challenge. Sometimes I feel isolated, and alone. A few nights ago I was privately telling a good friend of my feelings. He smiled, and encouraged me to actively seek people who would relate to me. His feeling was that maybe if I could communicate with others in my own " language" I wouldn't feel so alone.
So I took his advise, enrolled in a ASL course through my college, and signed up for a few online communities, such as this one.
For me, this is the beginning of a journey. In a way, I am discovering me.
Thanks for reading my rant...
God Bless
Elizabeth :giggle:
For those of you who use FB, I would love to add you! Elizabeth.bratton@yahoo.com
 
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Welcome to AllDeaf! :wave: Thanks for sharing your story. :ty:
 
Any chance you could transfer to Gally or ntid? seriously i think you'd love it......you'd rediscover Asl and meet other dhh kids....
 
I wish I could! However I am in my second year of a bachelors, so transferring out now would only put me behind. :deaf:
 
Hi Elizabeth,

I am new to interacting via online community so hopefully I'm doing this right :lol:

I am new to learning ASL as a second language. While I struggle with the sentence structure, I love the learning the language.

I just wanted to say hello..... I really liked your post! You are going to make a great journalist because you can express yourself very well.

Have a blessed day!
Monica
 
Hello Monica!
Thank you for your kind words!
I am glad you have chosen to seek ASL as a second language! It truly is a noble pursuit to be understood by all! If I may ask, what made you decided on ASL? :)
 
Hello caz12,
I'm sorry you had difficulty finding me on FB. My screen is Sarah Elizabeth Kenney Bratton, perhaps you will have better luck with that. :wave:
 
Hi Elizabeth,

I always thought sign language was nice but became serious about studying it as a second language after I served a deaf customer his coffee & a strawberry Crepe at a cafe I owned for a short time.

When he came into the shop, he signed something to a friend that walked in with him then looked at the menu board and wrote his order down on paper for me.

While fixing his food, I became acutely aware of the silence in the room (not common in a coffee shop) It was a peaceful silence and I didn't want to interupt it with some made up gestures in an attempt to communicate to a customer...
That moment made me realize that I would like to really learn ASL as a second language so instead of having to write me a note, a deaf or HH person could be free to use their language and we could communicate together : )
 
Hello everyone!
I would like to say thank you, to all the people who have already made me feel welcome!
This has been a wonderfully rewarding experience!
I work part time at a grocery store; (to help pay for college expenses) and I have begun to utilize ASL to converse with the deaf/hearing impaired who shop at our store. I have found that even though I am a bit rusty, the people are excepting and willing to help me along with the learning process.
I find it perplexing, the world can be very judgmental of a person who is not what they consider normal. Yet, the deaf community ( I hope that terminology is not offensive) is very loving.
My mother once told me that God had blessed me with a unique perspective, despite my disabilities, though, she would never dare utter the word, she preferred words like: special, unique, Gods perfect design etc. When I asked her what blessing could there possibly be, she responded with, " God has gifted you with spiritual sight, an understanding of words and the wisdom of silence." As with most of the in depth conversations that my mother and I had as I was growing up, she ended by saying, " God has plans for you Elizabeth, pray and he will show you his perfect plan."
I think I am beginning to understand what she may have meant. :)
- Elizabeth
 
Hi! What part of Va are you in? I'm from just outside of DC, went to college in Roanoke and lived in Charlottesville for a few years after college (the first time. I just started back again to become a nurse). I'm all the way on the other side of the country now though :)

I too have had a slew of eye surgeries. I was born cross eyed and had several surgeries on the muscles in my eyes as I grew up. I also have some malformation of the optic nerve in my right eye and non-progressive mild cataracts. All that sounds worse than it is. I can see well enough t drive with contacts, but I have trouble with vertical depth perception (like stairs or the height of things) and have nystagmus that gets worse when I'm tired. I realize this is a Deaf forum, but I find eye stuff interesting. :)
 
Hi...! When I turned 29 I also realized I wanted more for myself and I recently went back to school. As an adult going back to school can be really challenging. It's very hard to juggle it all! I'm also taking an ASL course right now and we are required to attend deaf events (which is terrifying at first) but, the deaf community has been really friendly. I'd encourage you google events in your area and its possible that your school has a club for the deaf. I'm proud of you and best of luck ;)
 
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