Actually, a Deaf person cannot define how their needs are to be administered since they must be considered reasonable accommodations under the ADA.
and just WHO decided what is reasonable accomodation? and how effective this is extremely debatable, this is raised alot in disabilty studies and i am inclined to their scholarly treatments of perceiving these matters. I KNOW what ADA is there for, and understand what form it takes, also I am aware of the man who was responisible for establishing ADA, he was hearing first, gone deaf, and survived (and still endures some) the mind-blowing tinnitus dredge (i have almost the same as he did, I'm not exaggerating here). To me, (and many other academics, whom i have read)Discrimination is one thing, but eradicating the kinked settings of how society tries hard to conceals their wishes to continue to ignore 'other people' that are forced to 'put up with'm but what's interesting is, WE have to Put up with THEM too !!, their lack of openess, and warmth to us merely as human beings is sadly not going to go away anytime soon. Turning the cheek doesnt cut it for me, i refused to be ruled, I wish to make my own life, and experience all the good things in what life has to offer, of course there are limits but NOT THE LIMITS THEY THINK FITS ME< I'd say Bullshit, thats not me.
As long as you continue to focus on the differences you have with hearing people, you only have yourself to blame for the distance that exists between you and hearing society.
I DONT Have myself to blame for how society treats me differently, that is a bullshit psychological perspective, I dont believe in 'praising or blaming the individuals for their plight, id rather look to the outside social forces that sets us up , so it's contrary, blame or praise how society sets the rules.
That is a cop-out, giving in to the authority of abled-people's cosy denial-based configuration that is a one way of organising around the one-type of people.
Aside from that, deaf people aren't the only ones who are excluded. Many others are as well including African-Americans, gays/lesbians and those with non-Christian beliefs.
Dont focus on what the others are doing, but we can learn from their experiences, but OUR experiences is NOT the same. They got better 'deals' because they speak and hear the same languages since the modes of thoughts are on the same 'levels' so they have their concerns heard. But for d/Deaf people its the way of life, way of being we can't alter ourselves (only to a point but you still remain as a d/Deaf person , now the hypocrisy to say i want to hear again but also want to be accepted in the deaf community is kinda inappropriate but let get pass this, the main reason why this sort of 'I need to have freinds there too' is simply a reflection of truth that we CAN NOT and EVER will be a hearing Person. But go back to beliefs, they entirety of being a Christian or whatever can be Left home and hence ACT professionally, but with a disability or deafness we can not. We have to be what we are being, that's what we are, regardless of how other people in society acts or conform to certain expectations of work-role, or community-involvement-role....
Deaf people are certainly not alone in their struggles. I don't mean to bring myself into this, but try being deafblind for a week. Then come back and tell me how it feels to not only be unable to communicate with others, but how it feels to have no (or very little) connection or awareness of your environment.
I know that, we all know that. I am aware of it. I do already have a lifetime of some taste, i cant play sports as i do have a siginifant loss of sight in one, also suffering for the worse kind of tinnitus this itself is far worse than being deaf, I am bearing an isolation that puts me in an untold hours of misery that I'm getting old too young and really missing out. I absolutely hate it but theres sweet piss all i can do about it. With this experience, I may have as anywhere as 'bad' as you but I do know, i do know. Im like i have experienced being deaf all my life(oral, uses HA) then get my life swallowed up by the fricking unreal tinnitus, it changed my life forever, in a way it is similar to be 'late deafened' but there another horrible element added, i was never hearing in first place, and Never culturally Deaf either, so its like No-one has anything in common or nor want much to do with me. Im not stranger to this isolation of being deaf/blind, but im not deaf/bline but experience-wise i think i got a fair idea, and it arent fucking fun at all. sorry for my french but just emphasis.
Take a good look outside of yourself. You may be surprised at what you see.
I do , all the time and i do look out side too, I may not look 'deep' by the ways i write in here in AD, but i am a serious sort of thinker at times. and i can get utterly frustrated at being unable to pull out my ideas/thoughts and often they are provocative thoughts, even 'misplaced' in the age brackets , as i am forever trying to 'fill in' those wasted years....in vain hope that i would somehow become a "full person' now so i would move on. but its so elusive that solidarity but I guess that's 'we all have that' but i beg to differ because we all have different expectations and differeiny degrees of how far is 'this' clarity must we have, for oneself. I dabbled Krisnamurti, Taoism, Buddism, Judism, Paganism, and the whole lot of other alternatives philosohies, and also 'taking a good look' at yourself is, from experience just another way to punish myself. I refuse to do that now, i have tried, and no im not going to let other people judge me by their standards, as my life is unlike anyones elses' as does for everyone elses too. Sorry i might tallk in riddles but im not.
It is getting easier, while living with the tinnitus is not, weird I guess for myself my whole life is fixated in a form of taoist 'automated balance of perspectives, experiences, and this continues to evolves as they both keep renewing and re-shaping how things and myself are seem from my own mind's eye.
Thats all for now.
Cheers
sorry I 
blah 
typed last night but cheers for that