Do deaf folks consider themselves disabled?

[DeafCaroline]

Congratulation! I am proud of you. But please understand most of us don't have money to start with.

Neither did I. I started up my business with just a computer and a printer.

 

[CrazyPaul]

Neither did I. I started up my business with just a computer and a printer.

Oh, you mean you run a business through internet?

 

[DeafCaroline]

Deaf owners naturally hire deaf people because they are united. Use your common sense. I know one deaf guy who owns a catering business and he hires deaf people to work with him so why the fuck not? He uses VRS to take orders.
But I am talking about any restaurant like Red Lobster. Would they hire a deaf person as a waiter? Fucking no! Be realistic! Oralists or hard-of hearing people are not actually deaf.

I grew up oral, and I am actually deaf. like stone cold deaf.

and my first job was serving customers at a movie theatre. when I didn't understand them, I would just ask them to point to what they wanted, I placed different size cups and bags on the counter and ask them to point to whatever size they wanted and to point to what drink they want and to point to which candy they wanted. It IS possible, one just has to be willing to be adaptive.

You're right, restaurants like Red Lobster would unlikely hire deaf waiters and that's an unfortunate reality.

 

[CrazyPaul]

I grew up oral, and I am actually deaf. like stone cold deaf.

and my first job was serving customers at a movie theatre. when I didn't understand them, I would just ask them to point to what they wanted, I placed different size cups and bags on the counter and ask them to point to whatever size they wanted and to point to what drink they want and to point to which candy they wanted. It IS possible, one just has to be willing to be adaptive.

You're right, restaurants like Red Lobster would unlikely hire deaf waiters and that's an unfortunate reality.

Oralists read lips or wear a hearing aid to listen and they can talk verbally. That make a big difference between deafies and oralists. I know because I have friends who are oralists. I have to communciate to hearing people by writing and oralists don't need to write. In other words, I am 100% deaf. Those friends of mine, oralists wear a hearing aid and some of them are able to use a phone and understand what are being said, therefore I call them oralists or HOH, not deaf. Did you know that on DVDs there are subtitles for deaf and HOH which is called SDH?

 

[DeafCaroline]

Oralists read lips or wear a hearing aid to listen and they can talk verbally. That make a big difference between deafies and oralists. I know because I have friends who are oralists. I have to communciate to hearing people by writing and oralists don't need to write. In other words, I am 100% deaf. Those friends of mine, oralists wear a hearing aid and they are able to use a phone and understand what are being said, therefore I call them oralists or HOH, not deaf. Did you know that on DVDs there are subtitles for deaf and HOH which is called SDH?

I can't understand a word on telephones. And I thought deaf people who sign also learn to lipread. And by the way, even oralists can't lipread everything - only about 30% of the spoken english language is speechread-able. so it's not like I understand everything and life is so easy. i was unemployed for years and this was very difficult for me as a single mother of two young children and an asshole ex who consistently failed to pay child support. And I have had to get people, even my own boyfriends to write things down on paper.

Anyway...you're right, it is hard for deaf people who don't speak to get hired. but it's difficult even for oralists to get jobs too. That's why, again, I'm a firm believer the deaf, whether they sign or speak, need to learn trades in order to start up their own businesses and be their own boss so they would never be in a position where they are completely dependent on being hired in order to earn an income.

Those people in Thailand, they have even less government resources, if any at all. It was out of sheer need that they learned trades to start up their own businesses. that's why I said, where there's a will, there's a way.

 

[DeafCaroline]

Oh, you mean you run a business through internet?

No, I freelanced as a graphic designer. but I communicated with my clients via email or through msn messenger. It was rare I ever saw them in person.

 

[CrazyPaul]

No, I freelanced as a graphic designer. but I communicated with my clients via email or through msn messenger. It was rare I ever saw them in person.

How did your customers know you in the first place?

 

[DeafCaroline]

How did your customers know you in the first place?

Through connections and word of mouth. I first started working in films because my ex was a production designer then for a while I did work for a company as a website designer then got laid off when they were having financial troubles - I was the first to be laid off. Then really struggled for a while to find another job before deciding to start up my own company. I went back to working for films then a chance encounter with someone I knew from university, we bumped into each other at a coffee shop, she asked if I would be willing to work with the company she worked for - a very big international apparel company and this company was located in a huge building where many other apparel companies were situated so word of mouth spread through the building and before I knew it, I was working with more clients.

Word of mouth and connections go a long way.

 

[CrazyPaul]

Through connections and word of mouth. I first started working in films because my ex was a production designer then for a while I did work for a company as a website designer then got laid off when they were having financial troubles - I was the first to be laid off. Then really struggled for a while to find another job before deciding to start up my own company. I went back to working for films then a chance encounter with someone I knew from university, we bumped into each other at a coffee shop, she asked if I would be willing to work with the company she worked for - a very big international apparel company and this company was located in a huge building where many other apparel companies were situated so word of mouth spread through the building and before I knew it, I was working with more clients.

Word of mouth and connections go a long way.

OK, I understand. Originally you suggested that jobless deaf people could learn trades to start a new business and be our own boss. But running or owning a business is risky, isn't it? So maybe that's why many of them are afraid to try.

 

[katz4life]

The reason I bring this up is because I see many people who boast about the fact that being deaf doesn't make someone disabled BUT they collect ssdi checks every month.

So what's the answer? Thoughts?

I am Deaf since birth and no I do not see myself as a disabled. I do not have a job (I have been looking for one and applied over 1,000 different jobs within 10 years and no one hired me). No use of SSD, no SSDI, no unemployment checks, none of any assistandce is needed or wanted. What would happen to me? Living on the street. Is that what you would want to expect of me? So you HEARIES give me and Deafies no other choice who is in my shoes..but SSD or SSDI is only thing we are depending to survive. If you assume me being lazy and potato couch as where in reality of myself holding a Bachelor's Degree and have had applied tons of jobs with no success of being hired then FUCK YOU!

 

[katz4life]

I don't consider myself disabled and I don't collect SSI.

Many Deaf people have a hard time finding jobs. Hearing employers are often afraid to hire them.. The cost of interpreters, how to communicate, and much more scare the daylights out of them. So how do they survive? SSI checks, of course.

And I'd also like to point out that it isn't just the Deaf taking free money. Millions of people are taking advantage of unemployment wages... and well, the list goes on. The line of thinking is: you'd have to be stupid to turn down free money.

I am sure that a LOT of hearing people have no clue who was the first deaf President of U.S. It is no surprise that they hearies do not realize themselves having a lower IQ.

 

[katz4life]

Some of you have no idea what is like to be deaf. Dont judge unless you legally deaf.

Get this, as of today, men dont have to pay child support if collect SSI and SSDI.

I can go knock up a stripper and dont have to pay anything.

That is result of skyrocketing of abortions. Sure.

 

[Krissy]

Hmm..I don't class myself as disabled but I class myself as having a disability

 

[audiodef]

I respect that response very much.

The reason I brought it up was because of another thread where it was polling people on how much their ssi/ssdi checks are and some of what I read indicated that some deaf people are in fact capable of working but choose not to. I don't think that's fair. And those are the same people who talk crap about how they are treated by society and hearing people. I think it makes deaf people look bad when certain people take advantage of the ssdi system but complain about how they are the same as everybody else.

I don't think deafness is a disability either and I agree it is more of an inconvenience or annoyance when trying to live life with as much ease as possible. CC is definitely a big topic and I support making sure it is accessible in all areas, tv/movies, public transportation, etc. Deaf people need to be able to know what's going on at all times just like everybody else and also enjoy things like movies and entertainment just like everybody else.

I hope I don't meet anyone who, for example, was actually offered decent jobs with decent salaries and turned them down because they could get SSDI and not work. That kind of behavior pisses me off because I tried for a long time after I lost my last job to find another one and because of blatant discrimination, I couldn't. I see products, web sites, and all kinds of things that are examples of shitty work. Employers want the cheapest damn thing they can get away with while making the most money, and deaf people are a financial drain to them - especially intelligent deaf people who might demand a decent salary and reasonable accommodations.

So I decided that employers everywhere could go fuck themselves. I do collect SSDI. It wasn't my first option. It's not my plan to depend on it forever, and I hope to someday be able to not have to depend on a system that feels like it's going to go tits up soon anyway.

I definitely do not consider myself disabled in any profound sense. It's everyone without any kind of physical disability who pushes the rest of us around that are the truly disabled.

 

[audiodef]

If someone said to me "I am not capable of working for you" then I would have to take them at their word. If someone who I might have pre-judged and determined to be incapable said to me "Even though you think I can't do this job I can assure you that I can do it AND do it better than you expect" then I would be impressed and inclined to hire that person. I think that's why my mom has maintained her job for so long because she is very good at it and she is the only deaf person that works there.

I can't say I agree with the deaf community being the most oppressed group on the planet so I'm at a loss for how to respond to that statement.

I think it's fine for those who genuinely cannot work because they have an issue that doesn't allow them to get employment or maintain employment to get assistance. I don't think it's fair for individuals who CAN work but choose not to.

Shit, are you hiring? Because that's the attitude more employers need to take in order for me to consider this a rational society.

As far as oppression goes, that does sound a bit melodramatic, but I often think that deafness is the most socially isolating disability, considering that human society's communication is based on sound.

 

[audiodef]

no, its happening NOW, right now, nothings have changed much, except maybe a few more millionaire deafs but by large that doesnt hide the thousands. millions deafs are actually worse off..media are very clever at reframing this , just to delude the public into thinking theres progress (sic)

I agree. Things are pretty damn bad and getting worse, not better.

For example, have you noticed that there are fewer closed captions now? True, there's this SDH that is sometimes good and sometimes just subtitles, but often those are in a font that's hard to read against the movie. What irritates me is that movies are increasingly not bothering to caption the lyrics of the film's soundtrack - as if the implication is that those little deaf people won't care about stupid music anyway. Seriously, filmmakers? You know better than that. Words to the film's soundtrack often provide some of the film's ambience. Plus, not all people who require captions are completely deaf, and it's irritating to hear singing and not be able to follow it.

A minor example, but indicative, nonetheless.

 

[Beach girl]

Shit, are you hiring? Because that's the attitude more employers need to take in order for me to consider this a rational society.

As far as oppression goes, that does sound a bit melodramatic, but I often think that deafness is the most socially isolating disability, considering that human society's communication is based on sound.

True, and no question deafness can be isolating, but I think the worst disabilities are those that confine a person physically. I mentioned my husband' s cousin who slipped on the ice last year and now is almost completely paralyzed. He cannot do a thing for himself, not even to comb his hair, brush his teeth, use the bathroom. Compared to that, I'd take hearing loss any day.

 

[audiodef]

...only that the employers aren't coming right out and saying it. Just simply not calling the deaf people back for interviews. If it was a few, then I would believe it was due to lack of qualifications but that many?

This is exactly why I was not able to get another job after I lost my last one. I had tons of inquiries about my resume. Hiring managers and recruiters were drooling all over me. But wait! He's deaf? Nevermind. :rl::asshole:

 

[Grummer]

True, and no question deafness can be isolating, but I think the worst disabilities are those that confine a person physically. I mentioned my husband' s cousin who slipped on the ice last year and now is almost completely paralyzed. He cannot do a thing for himself, not even to comb his hair, brush his teeth, use the bathroom. Compared to that, I'd take hearing loss any day.

i wouldnt call it hearing loss, UNLESS you consider yourself as a hearing person (a hearie) then it is a hearing loss...

 

[Banjo]

I agree. Things are pretty damn bad and getting worse, not better.

For example, have you noticed that there are fewer closed captions now? True, there's this SDH that is sometimes good and sometimes just subtitles, but often those are in a font that's hard to read against the movie. What irritates me is that movies are increasingly not bothering to caption the lyrics of the film's soundtrack - as if the implication is that those little deaf people won't care about stupid music anyway. Seriously, filmmakers? You know better than that. Words to the film's soundtrack often provide some of the film's ambience. Plus, not all people who require captions are completely deaf, and it's irritating to hear singing and not be able to follow it.

A minor example, but indicative, nonetheless.

I agree, the missing lyrics is a big issue with the SDH tracks.