Is deafness a "handicap?"

jillio said:
Deafness in and of itself is not a handicap. However, the obstacles put in place for the deaf person by hearing society create a handicapping condition around deafness. Deafness does not handicap. The way the deaf are treated is what handicaps.
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you are right!
 
jillio said:
Deafness in and of itself is not a handicap. However, the obstacles put in place for the deaf person by hearing society create a handicapping condition around deafness. Deafness does not handicap. The way the deaf are treated is what handicaps.
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Yep. I've always said that my biggest handicap is other people's attiude toward my deafness.
 
Here's a related question....

I am a "born again" Christian and I am constantly be told that God will heal me of my HOH. I am 55 and I am still HOH. Did God make me this way and must I stay this way?

I don't regret being HOH. I just hate having to deal with the hearing community! I feel like I am in a bubble and sometimes I prefer it that way.

By the way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :wave:
 
brubeckbach said:
I am a "born again" Christian and I am constantly be told that God will heal me of my HOH. I am 55 and I am still HOH. Did God make me this way and must I stay this way?

I don't regret being HOH. I just hate having to deal with the hearing community! I feel like I am in a bubble and sometimes I prefer it that way.

By the way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :wave:
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When my son was about 7, a woman in Walmart saw us signing and told him if he prayed hard enough, God would heal him. He signed to her, "I'm not sick."

Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well.
 
brubeckbach said:
I am 55 and I am still HOH. Did God make me this way and must I stay this way?
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We all ask that question. I've been wondering why I am the only deaf guy in the family, and why my son is the only autistic kid in the entire family.

There is a reason the way we are, we just can't see it or comprehend it.

Just live your life every day as if it is your last day. People will always remember you by how you made them feel.
 
jillio said:
When my son was about 7, a woman in Walmart saw us signing and told him if he prayed hard enough, God would heal him. He signed to her, "I'm not sick."

Happy Thanksgiving to you, as well.
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Smart kid. :)

On a sad note, I do know of someone who committed suicide because she was brought up that she was deaf because she didn't believe in God enough...thus she wasn't a true believer, etc. The family and their church were really hard on her. They even called her a devil lover, because if she really prayed and really believed, she would become hearing. Just thinking about this makes me so mad.
 
deafbajagal said:
Smart kid. :)

On a sad note, I do know of someone who committed suicide because she was brought up that she was deaf because she didn't believe in God enough...thus she wasn't a true believer, etc. The family and their church were really hard on her. They even called her a devil lover, because if she really prayed and really believed, she would become hearing. Just thinking about this makes me so mad.
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That's terribly sad! Her church and family have a lot to answer for as they used emotional and spiritual form of abuse on her.
 
Wirelessly posted

Well it look like some of these people's prayers are answered. Now I seen people describe CI as a miracle technology that make deaf hear.

And I'll keep praying for acceptance
 
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deafbajagal said:
Smart kid. :)

On a sad note, I do know of someone who committed suicide because she was brought up that she was deaf because she didn't believe in God enough...thus she wasn't a true believer, etc. The family and their church were really hard on her. They even called her a devil lover, because if she really prayed and really believed, she would become hearing. Just thinking about this makes me so mad.
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That is very awful and it is very cruel of them to do this to her. How many times there are comments, quotes etc saying God treat everyone equal.
 
is deaf a handicapp?

hello dear friend :)

i myself am not deaf.. im 17 years old and have had a love for sign language and the deaf scince i was little. when i got into high school i took my first ASL class and LOVED it. i made some deaf friends and as i got to now them and as they began to explain there way of life, i realized that being deaf is neither a handicapp nor disabilty. it is a culture! a way of life! we speak with our voice.. u speak with your hands! so what? is a spanish person or a german person handicapp or diabled because they can't speak english? or are the americans because we don't speak other languages? NO! of corse not! we are ALL different! and like every culture we have different lives... if i were you, id ignore your "friend" with thos rude comments... it seems like he only does it to annoy.. Take heart special one! you are unique and set appart! <3 being :deaf: is cool! :)
 
jillio said:
Deafness in and of itself is not a handicap. However, the obstacles put in place for the deaf person by hearing society create a handicapping condition around deafness. Deafness does not handicap. The way the deaf are treated is what handicaps.
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Exactly! I don't like the "fences" they have attempted to put up around me.
 
lanapoo said:
I have a friend who keeps saying that I'm handicapped and I constantly correct him that I feel it's a derogatory term. I'm not handicapped to require a blue parking permit. At the best, I'd call myself disabled because I'm simply not able to hear although I still don't quite like the term. I feel that there's a huge difference between "handicap" and "disability" and no one uses handicapped anymore nowadays.

I've been trying to educate him that deafness is a minor disability, that I can still do whatever I want, it's just a bit harder. He's the type who asks really stupid questions like "Do you get a headache? How do you drive? Does your ears ring? etc" I feel that he asks these same questions every other 3 months so it gets really annoying trying to make him understand. We've been best friends for two years now, but I'm now at the point where I can't take it anymore with him. He should have known all the answers by now. I swear he has the IQ of a snail. He's still very set on calling me handicapped and I find it to be offensive.

What do you consider your deafness to be? A handicap? A disability? What? :hmm:
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I think it depends on who you ask? Some are offended by it and some are not. I also think it's wrong to associate the parking plaqards with all forms of handicap because it's really not. The people that get to park close to the entrances of businesses are able to do so because of a mobility handicap. IE. problems walking, are in a wheelchair etc. It's funny becase over time lables have changed in what I think is an attempt to be "politically correct" however, the truth is you will never please everyone. For me, I would respect the wishes of the person in question. In other words I would treat it subjectivly and honor whatever the person I am dealing with prefers.
 
rockin'robin said:
It might be in some ways....I've been labeled "handicapped"..."disabled"..."hearing impaired"....."deaf".....and the other day as "special"....."Labels" constantly change over time. So do people's way of thinking. Today, I'm feeling sort of "special"....(haha)....
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I've never considered myself disabled, challenged, impaired or handicapped. To me, we're unique and we see the world in a very unique way that others do not.
 
I'm a born-again Christian also, and have had hearing people from church tell me I must have sinned, because I'm deaf. Or, they tell me I'm sinning because I'm deaf and don't have enough faith to believe for my healing, so therefore, I live in doubt, and disbelief! HA!!

You know what I've started to do? I quote Genesis 4:11 to them, and add that the Lord puts His glory into earthern vessels, and that God CAN use the Deaf just as much as He can the hearing...in fact, more so, because His glory shows up more inpeople who hearing peole/society/the world don't think much of.

I've had hearing people tell me I can't do much because I'm deaf, they are amazed that I can speak, or I get people-total strangers, mind you!- walking up to me and asking me "Are you a retard???" *shudders!!*

But...in my church, people are FINALLY starting to look at me with a bit of respect, bse I interpret for the Deaf-there are only 2 there, but I'm the only one who can sign AND be able to talk in voice, so I'm the bridge between the hearing world and the Deaf world. I'm trying to educate the hearing in Deaf culture, and the Deaf in hearing culture.

AuslanGirl :)
 
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