Annoying ignorant hearing people stories

Upon request, I called a co-worker over the VP using the VCO option. He answered, and I said:

"Hi Charlie, what can I do for you?"

(long pause)

"Is that you, Jim?"

"Yes, it is me. What's up?"

Hi, ummmmm..can you do that interpreter thingy so I can talk to you?"

"Charlie, I am using that "interpreter thingy" right now...."

"Oh, so there is an interpreter there right now?"

"Yes. What do you need?"

The interpreter looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh....

(Yes, I've explained and showed him how the VP works, but he just doesn't get it)....

VCO is one of my favorite features! much faster then captioning. Never seen that before though... "interpreter thingy" very interesting. I'm always amazed at how my generation (and even older generations) speak... and people say we Deaf have no understanding of english grammar... have you seen how some of the kids type? its appalling.
 
:roll:

Yeah, I've run into folks that thought deafness was a contagious disease. It is not just deafness....some parents refused to let their kids near my son when he was little for fear of contracting autism......

thats just horrible... you cannot contract autism, you cannot contract deafness... or any other "disability" from simply being in contact with someone who has it. How old is your son? I'm so sorry. I'm sure your son is a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent child! What is this world coming to? do people have no understanding of "love thy neighbor as thyself"?
 
Maybe I will write their corporate office. I don't know. I don't go to that store very often - maybe a few times a year, if that. (I buy one bottle of their ear care solution and mix it with something else to make my own formula to use.)

Your right, it's inexcusable. The girls were older teens, maybe college aged. But they should know better. (I'm a teen, too. If I know better, then they are capable of knowing better, too. I know that I'm deaf and they are not, so I do know more about being deaf than they do, obviously. But, that doesn't give them the right to be rude to me, their customer - which they were.)

As for pursuing a complaint, perhaps think of other people who may go to that store, who are Deaf or HOH, and need communication accommodation. If no one complains, these incompetent staff won't be taught proper behaviors with customers, and be able to continue to be rude. That can drive away business. And IMO? They are likely rude to a lot of people, not just in your case. They seriously need some re-training.

I agree, they do not have the right to be rude to you -- or to ANY customer coming in, who is being polite and trying to do business in that shop, for that matter. PERIOD. :mad: No excuse for their behavior! They represent the business they work for, and it sounds like they are doing a lousy job of it and not earning their paychecks. I think the owner needs to know. They could be driving business away by their immaturity and incompetence. Just saying... :ugh:

I am taking a beginning lip reading class. (I am HOH, losing hearing later in life, and so having to learn added skills like lip reading and ASL). Last night we discussed what the teacher termed, "self-advocacy." :cool: If we don't speak up for ourselves and our communication needs in our everyday life, who will? And who will educate the clueless, rude and just plain ignorant? Good questions that I am mulling over in my own mind, and thinking about times that I was left just shaking my head, and not knowing if I should speak up or not. :shock: I am getting more outspoken these days, but still sometimes I feel blindsided by rudeness and not sure what to do, either. Sometimes difficult to know how far to go, right?
 
True. But I wrote the note right in front of them. And honestly, I don't look scary or threatening at all. I couldn't beat up anyone if I tried :lol:

Let the owner know. I promise you, owners usually do want to know how their employees treat their customers.
 
Why don't you get one of them cochlear implant things?

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that...

I'm hearing and I do not believe in getting a CI. I feel that the Deaf should be proud of their deaf culture and community no matter if a dumb hearing person has a problem with it.
 
I'm hearing and I do not believe in getting a CI. I feel that the Deaf should be proud of their deaf culture and community no matter if a dumb hearing person has a problem with it.

:lol: ^^^^^^^^^^^

Annoying ignorant hearing person!!!!

What does your opinion matter on this subject??

Why would you even think you should have any input??
 
Greenfroggy: as a bilateral DEAF person since December 20, 2006 I do have a Cochlear Implant.I am still DEAF -right now. ( Battery being recharged)
Unlike your "observation" haven't met any "dumb hearing persons" suggesting I should consider one.
I started the process to determine if suitable to be Implanted- I was

I am well aware of the "split-re: Cultural vs oral".Deaf.

Echoes here in AllDeaf.com.
 
I had a substitute teacher one day for the ASL class at my school. She turned to one of the deaf students in the class (she, another friend of ours, and I go in for our lunch period) because she was having a conversation with another student and tells her, slowly and loudly (very ignorantly), "You can teach the class."


I wasn't in the room at the time so somebody told me this (actually it was more than one person that told me) and I say... -__- "Seriously? Was the sub really that stupid and ignorant?"
 
:laugh2: :laugh2:....The clerks were teens or very young....and when you wrote that you were Deaf...and wanted a "cleaning solution"....I assume they thought you needed something to clean out ur ears so you could "hear"!...:giggle:....and possible they thought you were pulling a "prank"??...People asss-uuu-mmm-ee a lot!

That was my thought too...that when you said ear cleaning solution it might have confused these gals. I teach high school and can see that being the thought process of some of my students. A lot of people, believe it or not, wouldn't make the jump from "ear cleaning solution" to "earring cleaning solution". Plus, I try to assume it is ignorance or naïveté rather than any malice or bad intent. Most people mean well, and just screw it up.

Writing to the company or store manager in a firm but kind way, without sounding irate, could alert them to a problem with their training and help them help others in the future! On the other hand, if a service worker is especially responsive, let that manager know too, they so seldom hear good news. A Deaf friend of mine went into the Apple store, showed the guy there a note saying she was deaf, and had a question about something, and he immediately flipped on a computer or iPad (I forget which) and had her type out her issue, and he responded typing to her, without hesitation, as if this was how he communicated wirh everyone. No fumbling, hesitating, looking for another employee to "handle" her, and never gave the impression that this was taking too much time, or that it was a hassle. She was really impressed.
 
Herb Larson, deaf advocate, once told a story about his stay at a hotel.

He asked them to wake him up at a certain time in the morning.

So what did they do?

They sent someone to his room to slip a note under the door that said "Wake up!"
 
I've been pretty lucky.

To date, my most annoying hearing people story is my boss seating me next to a loudmouth at work. Between her on one side and printers on each side of me.. what usable hearing I have left was useless. I would have been perfectly functional if they had put me with a wall on my left side so it wasn't getting muddied up with other noises. Instead, they constantly yelled at me for not paying enough attention and once asked me if I was "stupid or something". When I (again) explained to them that I am very HoH and I need.. (big human resources triggering word here).. reasonable accommodation, I was laughed at, the situation was blown off, and they sit me closer to the supervisors so they could keep an eye on me.

Other than that.. just the usual "Why don't you pay attention and listen to me????" as they are mumbling or talking to me from another room instead of looking at me and speaking clearly.
 
:roll: Being told to just "try" to listen to some audio files on the Net. Said immediately *after* I explained wearing two hearing aids, being HOH, and needing captioning for video or transcripts for audio. I asked if they would say the same thing if I was in a wheel chair and there was no elevator, that I should just "try" to use the stairs?! Some people are just too dense. :mad:
 
:roll: Being told to just "try" to listen to some audio files on the Net. Said immediately *after* I explained wearing two hearing aids, being HOH, and needing captioning for video or transcripts for audio. I asked if they would say the same thing if I was in a wheel chair and there was no elevator, that I should just "try" to use the stairs?! Some people are just too dense. :mad:

I know what you mean. Today, my brother tried to get me to watch some dumb Youtube video. He put his headphones on me and expected me to listen to a song. Of course, I couldn't. :roll: Some people just don't get it.
 
"Did you hear me" or "Did you hear what I just said?"... Well obviously if I didn't respond....

"God's gonna heal you", "Just pray and itll go away"... Yea right, its not like I have some life threatening disease that I WANT TO GET RID OF!!! Lol
 
A parent automatic assume that a person, who I am talking to over the telephone, dont understand me.

Also, would be hard to find a job because of the communications problems.
 
Not all "hearning" People are the same. Really its just like two seperate countries. LOTS of English speakers are the same with people of other languages or vise versa. It is just ignorance and a feeling for some people that will never change. It sucks but it's true.
 
Bob is a hearing person. He has never met a Deaf or deaf person. He is always around hearing people. When he meets a Deaf person for the first time, he is AFRAID. Really afraid. He does not want to be mean. He does not want to say something stupid. He does not want to offend anyone. This is when he will for sure say something REALLY STUPID. Because he is reacting more to the 'scared' than to his smarts.

I think "Deaf" can be replaced with any culture in the story about Bob. Asian, Arab, Jewish, Muslim, Black, White, etc. When people run into someone 'different,' they panic. Especially smart people. Smart people get the most scared of looking stupid.

At least, I think so. I don't think most people WANT to be insensitive.

BTW - The first and ONLY time I used "never mind" to my Deaf ASL teacher, I got DEATH GLARED at. I wasn't trying to be mean. I just felt dumb because I didn't know the ASL to explain. And I felt like she would get frustrated with my SLOW finger-spelling. <shrug>
 
Yeah, sometimes our stupidity to Bob is us trying TOO HARD to be sensitive and NOT be stupid.

I suppose the headphone/try to listen to these files things happens more to people who have and use some of their hearing, so we hearies don't know "just how deaf you are, anyhow". I have a student in class who lives a mostly oral life, but does have a terp in the class. She mostly doesn't watch the 'terp, getting a lot out of what she hears (and probably speech reads along with her hearing). I have to be sure to have captions or give her a transcript for our listening things...but I honestly have no idea if she gets anything from the listening things aurally or not. I've been meaning to ask her about that...

...but anyhow, if I was her friend or sibling, I'd be tempted to have her try to listen to this or that. She doesn't generally sign one-on-one, so they may forget she doesn't hear well, and since she DOES hear, they probably have no clue exactly how much or what she gets aurally and what she gets from other clues (like lipreading).
 
Back
Top