There are issues in deaf-hearing relationships/friendships that both parties need to address:
1. Communication - Without this you have nothing. Pick a form of communication that will allow clear exchange of thoughts between the two of you. Most of the time this will involve the hearing partner learning sign language. If that person is unwilling to learn to sign, the odds of success decrease rapidly. And even if that person does learn, you must actually use it! If you are bored or upset, let the other know. Lack of communication is just as destructive as miscommunication.
2. Culture - Deaf-hearing relationships are intercultural.
The hearing partner must be educated by the deaf partner on Deaf culture, the customs, the values, the history. The hearing partner should be willing to be immersed in Deaf culture, maybe at a Deaf Club meeting or something similar. They need to experience the language and culture in full force. And if that hearing person can't keep up with the conversations, then they will understand how their partner feels when out with multiple hearing people. In addition, the hearing partner will have to teach their friends and family about Deaf culture, so that their deaf partner feels welcome and important in those settings. I
The deaf partner must also be willing to learn about hearing culture. The hearing have developed many habits that assume speech and hearing ability. Both partners will have to be patient with each other as they develop their own "mixed" culture.
3. Consistency - The HoH, the oral deaf, and those who lip read have more complex issues. Those people who fit into any of those three categories AND use sign language tend make things harder by being inconsistent with their form of communication. Lip reading isn't an exact science. Your speech could be misinterpreted by your hearing partner. Or you may not have heard what you thought you heard (or anything at all). Stick to what works best and leads to the least amount of miscommunication (assuming both parties are fluent). Consider what you might encounter if you have children (hearing or deaf). Also consider that you will eventually grow tired of lip reading, or that your hearing loss may worsen. You know deaf cannot become hearing, but hearing can live Deaf.
Ultimately, both parties must be willing sacrifice and be patient. Some deaf people's overbearing Deaf pride will not allow them to have a happy relationship with a hearing person. Others may simply be so doubtful of deaf-hearing relationships that they don't put their all into it. Similarly, the hearing must be willing to do a lot of work on learning a new language and culture. It's helpful to simply inject oneself into the local Deaf community. Hearing people have their hearing friendships tested when trying to "integrate" a deaf friend/partner into their social life. Try introducing hearing friends 1 at a time. Family is another story, the hardest trial, especially if you and your partner are so certain of your love that you want to marry.
It's not impossible, but it's no walk in the park (at first). Just remember that sometimes relationships fail because two people's personalities/values/interests just don't fit together. And that can happen deaf-deaf, deaf-hearing, hearing-hearing, alien-human.
Grayvi