Hello from Western NY

RisinDragon

RisinDragon

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Interesting forums. I found this by chance. Got some interesting information to read up on. Always nice to see there are others in the same situation as myself.

My name is David. I was born hearing, at 18 months old I had Spinal Meningitis with a fever of 106. Doctors back in the old days didn't think I'd survive, but I beat the odds. After I got well, doctors realized I lost my hearing. I've been Hard of hearing since I was 18 months old. Miss those old analog hearing aids. haha But I am glad to have Digitals.

I have Severe to Profound Hearing Lost. Around 97% loss in my left ear, and 84% loss in my right. My hearing has never change since I was a baby. I wear 2x Phonak PowerMAXX 411. Works extremely well for me. Only issue I got is the darn tubes for the ear modes always gets a hole in it. Dries out an then breaks. I'm constantly going to my audiologist every 4 months to get them replaced.

I spent most of my life listening and being vocal. Went to a hearing schools my entire school years. Only knew of 1 other Hard of Hearing girl my age, Jenn. I hated school because I was always teased because of how I spoke or miss a letter that I couldn't hear when I spoke. Saying 'school' ended up coming out as 'cool'. There are many other words that gave me the same struggle. Middle School sucks, when the 'popular' kids used to make me lip-read from across the classroom. Looks like they were saying 'I love you', when I found out from a girl that respected me they were actually saying 'I love juice'. But I spent most of my school years to myself and ignored everyone. I did graduate with my diploma, regardless of my hearing hardship.

I worked for 2 years before I decided to give college a chance. I decided to check out RIT. I had a passion for computers, I've built and network computers in my sleep. Figured I'd go to a technical college. I got accepted and went to RIT from 1999 to 2001.

Little did I know they had a college within RIT called NTID. I was placed in NTID Classes, and my what a shocker that was. It was the first time I ever seen so many deaf people. I was completely lost among the deafs. Everyone in sign language and maybe 1 or 2 people actually spoke.

I grew up listening and speaking. I only knew the alphabet in sign language, the ABCs. Figured the teachers would know both sign and speak. I could learn and hear while studying. Until I got a class where the teacher didn't know how to speak and I didn't know how to read sign language. That was an interesting class. lol

I had to take a sign language class to actually learn ASL. So I can use it for my classes later in the day. Which is fine, but everyone was signing so fast I couldn't even keep up. I didn't want to make fellow deafs/HOHs to have to slow down to prolong the class. So I studied by just reading my books and doing things via trial and error. But I did get an A+ in ASL at the end of the semester.

I never did finish my college degree at RIT. In my second year I got burnt out and had to drop from school.

Didn't stop me tho. After going back home, I took a classes in downtown Buffalo and got my A+ and Net+. Shortly after that I went to ITT Tech. Graduated in 2005 with an A.S in Computer Network Systems.

Was hard trying to get a job when the only position they could offer me was tech support via phone. I can't do phones well. I can hear some people, because I know their voices. But to get some stranger I never heard or someone with a strong accent. I couldn't do it.

Was able to land a job working in the Niagara Falls School District as Tech Support. After 2 years, I realized working in a school is not for me. There is a certain professionalism that is required when working around kids. Me watching kids bang on a keyboard makes me want to 'slap them upside the head'. But I would never actually do that. So I put in my 2 years and left on good terms.

I went back to my old profession, which was cooking. Been in the restaurant business since I was 13. Worked my way up the line to be a line cook. I'm a hell of a cook and I enjoy cooking for people.

After reading some of the thread within these forums. I can really relate to how fellow HoH people feels. Being left out of conversations. Hell, even among my so called friends. I can't follow along. Just sitting there watching and reading their body language. Try to catch what they say and before that person is done talking, another will start talking before I am looking at them. I get lost among people and tend to sit alone in some corner with a drink.

I just accept the fact I can't do what hearing people do. One thing I learned when I went to NTID is a lot of deafs who went to deaf schools thinks those of us who speaks and don't sign but are deaf are ignorant. And many at NTID made that pretty clear to me. Sucks being stuck in the middle between the hearing world and the deaf world. I just accept the fact, I am who I am. Living in my own little world.

Never thought about it until now, maybe I should look for people who are in the same situation as myself. Making new friends who are HoH.

David
 
Welcome! Yeah, I know what you mean at RIT ;)

RIT is wonderful college for both Deaf and hearing, especially HOH
 
Welcome!

What kind of foods do you love to cook? I love making my own variety of homemade vegetable and chicken soups, and homemade pasta alla vodka or marinara.
 
Welcome raisin dragon. There are lots of deaf here like you. Suck at asl but manage to get along. When are we going to see you on hells kitchen ?
 
Wow, what an accomplished life so far. You are really a hero.
 
Hey, I'm in same boat like you. I became deaf from meningitis as a baby. I'm glad I learned ASL back then.
 
Wow - I was pretty much the same way in NTID like your story. Which svp were you? '88 here.
 
Stargazer Lilies said:
What kind of foods do you love to cook? I love making my own variety of homemade vegetable and chicken soups, and homemade pasta alla vodka or marinara.
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I specialized in steaks and seafoods. But love a good BBQ and messing around with Marinades. I worked mostly in Bars. But I had worked in a Senior Citizen Homes for a few years as a cook/manager.

deafbirk said:
raisin dragon
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It's Rising Dragon, but I shortened it to RisinDragon. Old Nickname I had for 30+ years. Long story behind how I got that name. I am not a Raisin. :P

radioman said:
Wow - I was pretty much the same way in NTID like your story. Which svp were you? '88 here.
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Forgive me, I am not so good with Acronyms. What is svp?

Thanks everyone for the welcome.

David
 
Stargazer Lilies said:
David,

SVP is summer vestibule program. Many NTID students went to SVP first before enter NTID/RIT as freshmen.

There are some deaf students like me who didnt went to one.
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Ahh, then that answer is a no. I never went to one. I was 23years old when I started RIT/NTID. Living on the 21 and older floor, which was part of Tower A.

I had issues with my roommate, who was stealing my stuff. I was able to get a dorm room to myself since I have lived on my own since I was 18. They gave me some grief about it. I told them 'tough shit' and ended up getting what I asked for. They moved me to a dorm room in Tower A.

I loved the living on my own part, but I was annoyed by the fact Tower A had a fire alarm every other day because someone 'burnt their popcorn' in the middle of the night.
 
RisinDragon said:
Ahh, then that answer is a no. I never went to one. I was 23years old when I started RIT/NTID. Living on the 21 and older floor, which was part of Tower A.

I had issues with my roommate, who was stealing my stuff. I was able to get a dorm room to myself since I have lived on my own since I was 18. They gave me some grief about it. I told them 'tough shit' and ended up getting what I asked for. They moved me to a dorm room in Tower A.

I loved the living on my own part, but I was annoyed by the fact Tower A had a fire alarm every other day because someone 'burnt their popcorn' in the middle of the night.
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I did also live on 21 and older floor--10th floor in TA.

Oh, god..."burnt their popcorn" in the middle of the night! I didn't forget those! It is so incessant! Sometimes two or three time in one night!

I hate stand outside in the middle of frigid weather and trying to seek into other buildings to wait it out. It is hard anyway because they instituted new safety--doors are locked unless your issued key allows you into that particular building or someone else let you in.

Never mind walking all the way down 10 floors with injured knee after going to ski resort for first time. Eventually I able to move into single room on ground level in other building (Tower B).
 
Hi, RisinDragon - I take it that you did not grow up socializing with Deaf people especially the aluminis from St. Mary school for the Deaf in Buffalo. That's probably good in some ways =X. I was former Buffaloian for 8 years and happily moved out there. It's so depressing city to live in. Ack.
 
No I never met anyone from St Mary's School for the Deaf. Or interacted with them. The only HoH person I knew, was 1 girl who was the same age as me who went to my school.

My mother didn't want to send me to St Mary's School for the Deaf because in the late 70s and early 80s, they where behind in education. I didn't realized how far behind they were until I went to RIT/NTID. My first Semester English class, we were told to read "A Tales of Two Cities". I was like what the hell??!?!?! I told my Professor, what are we doing reading books I read in Middle School. She told me that they never read these books in Deaf Education. I couldn't believe it. And because of that, I was able to keep straight As my first year in NTID without even trying. Why? because I've done it all in Middle School and HS. But I wasn't put in special education classes, I took honor classes in mainstream schools. My bad grades where caused by the bullying I dealt with.

My grandmother worked for the big wigs of the buffalo school district and was able to pull strings to get me all the support I need to help me through mainstream schools. I've took speech classes from the time I was 2/3 years old until I started school at 6 years old.

When I started mainstream school, I went to a resource room with a teacher who specialty is working with deaf students. It's wasn't until Middle School that she retired, then I started to struggle more and my mother tried to get a 'note taker' for me. She was told 'just take a tape recorder and replay the message when he gets home'. Oh that pissed my mother off, she called my grandmother and again my grandmother pulled strings. That person who's response was 'use a tape recorder' was fired right on the spot and I had a note taker the very next day in every classes until I graduated from HS.

My mother and my grandmother were 2 no bullshit women who did what's best for me. Then my whole world fell apart when my grandmother died 2 months after I got my HS Diploma.

And you are right about one thing, Buffalo is a very depressing city. I am just waiting a few more years until me daughter is old enough to fly alone, so I can pack my stuff and move elsewhere. Where I have no idea yet. I want to start over and start on a clean slate. Just can't for the time being. *shrugs*
 
RisinDragon said:
No I never met anyone from St Mary's School for the Deaf. Or interacted with them. The only HoH person I knew, was 1 girl who was the same age as me who went to my school.

My mother didn't want to send me to St Mary's School for the Deaf because in the late 70s and early 80s, they where behind in education. I didn't realized how far behind they were until I went to RIT/NTID. My first Semester English class, we were told to read "A Tales of Two Cities". I was like what the hell??!?!?! I told my Professor, what are we doing reading books I read in Middle School. She told me that they never read these books in Deaf Education. I couldn't believe it. And because of that, I was able to keep straight As my first year in NTID without even trying. Why? because I've done it all in Middle School and HS.

My grandmother worked for the big wigs of the buffalo school district and was able to pull strings to get me all the support I need to help me through mainstream schools. I've took speech classes from the time I was 2/3 years old until I started school at 6 years old.

When I started mainstream school, I went to a resource room with a teacher who specialty is working with deaf students. It's wasn't until Middle School that she retired, then I started to struggle more and my mother tried to get a 'note taker' for me. She was told 'just take a tape recorder and replay the message when he gets home'. Oh that pissed my mother off, she called my grandmother and again my grandmother pulled strings. That person who's response was 'use a tape recorder' was fired right on the spot and I had a note taker the very next day in every classes until I graduated from HS.

My mother and my grandmother were 2 no bullshit women who did what's best for me. Then my whole world fell apart when my grandmother died less than a week after I got my HS Diploma.

And you are right about one thing, Buffalo is a very depressing city. I am just waiting a few more years until me daughter is old enough to fly alone, so I can pack my stuff and move elsewhere. Where I have no idea yet. I want to start over and start on a clean slate. Just can't for the time being.
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Red in the bold, it's actually true. Pretty sad, isn't it? That goes the same to the class of 90s. Not of all but most of them. Not many of them are that intelligent. I cannot explain more in here, I do not mean to offend their feelings. I love talking about books we've read and to discuss but with the certain Deaf groups in Buffalo/NF, they seem not interested to follow up with me. I wonder why DVTV (DeafVIDEO.TV | ) have all variety of topics to make a vlog about except the book subject to discuss. Sigh....I feel that kind of big missing right there.
 
I forgot to add, about RIT it was my second choice to attend after completing my Associates from my 2-year community college but as for the RIT application I had filed and mailed back in 2002. Few weeks later, one night RIT had called my father regarding my application and guess what they told my dad? They said that the policy for Deaf student enrolling at RIT is to go to NTID first to take courses to complete after a year then enroll at RIT. WTF? NTID is 2 years college with Associates which I've already had Associates degree, why should I take repeat the same courses including English course all over again? "Because it is a policy for Deaf individual to complete prior enrolling RIT..............."

So I had to omit my choice against RIT and instead got enrolled into SUNY Buffalo.
 
I hear you.

That's crazy I went to RIT/NTID from 1999 to 2001. But I quit my second year because I had enough. Plus I was getting burnt out from all the work I had to redo since I've already done it. I wanted to skip so many classes, because I wasn't really learning anything.
 
Besides the depressing city we spoke of, what's your favorite spot to hang out and chill? The Spot is awesome place to chill.
 
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