Reclaiming the term "hearing impaired"

[green427]

This politically correct labeling as gotten way out of hand.

The wackiest term I've heard someone say was "Pigmentally Challenged"....to describe a black person. Took me a sec, then a few minutes to stop laughing.

If a man is bald, does that mean he is 'folically challenged'?

If a woman is short, is she 'vertically challenged'?

You get the point.

 

[naisho]

For me, I say what I am based on the person(s).

It is like when people ask me what [race/ethincity/nationality] am I.
If a Caucasian, African-American, or Hispanic person asked me, I'd say I was Asian or Asian-American.
If an Asain-American person asked me, I'd say I was from So. Cal.
If an Asian person from overseas asked me, depending on which type of Asian, I'd specify my nationality [ex. Japan/China/Korea/Taiwan] and/or which locality from that location if necessary [ex. Kobe/Shanghai/Bucheon/Zuoying District]

Sometimes it can be mixed. Some people can get interested or know a thing or two, like a Caucasian person might have more knowledge about Asian cities so I'd go in depth with them. It really all is the person to me.

It's pretty similar for when people ask about my deafness. I never try to say "I am disabled" or "I am [hearing] impaired", instead I try to say "can't hear very well" or "have difficulty hearing/understanding you". It leaves them to make the impression of what they see from my hearing aids and how I process the conversation. When they want the specifics, then I tell them how I am deafened, but most people rarely ask me about that. For deaf folks, I just say I'm deaf with oral/hoh background, and everyone is satisfied.

In federal and legal conditions, I clarify it as a hearing disability, as that is the only way the law will recognize it.

 

[ambrosia]

I am who I am, ...Deaf. My Deafness is my strength in my daily life. My Deafness allows me to hear with my eyes. It allows me to view a sea of brilliant colors, hear dancing falling leaves, the voice on a childs face . My Deafness allows me to hear the wrinkles on the hands of an old grandma, i can hear a bird fly, yep, I am Deaf people. I AM ABLE. I will not be called impaired. For I can do and hear more than any hearing person with my Deaf ears any day! For I am so proudly Deaf.

uh No, no you absolutely don't.

Last week when I was up visiting my family I told my sister I don't need my ears when I'm giving a massage, that I use my hands to listen to someone's body is telling me. For the most part this is true, but I can't delude myself, there is a fairly good chance I could give an even better massage if I could talk to the person on the table better. This is more true with a more medical massage and releasing trigger points. I would be more effective and waste less time if they could talk to me about the level of pain they feel and whether or not it had lessened, or been eliminated. Some people are cool with just relaxing and letting me do my thing, and prefer me over other therapists. In fact...it's the slow time of year, no tourists, but I was fully booked today with 7 hours of massages all requested therapist (that means they asked for me) every other therapst on had 2 or 3 appoints.

a) cuz I'm awesome I will find anything and everything and get it out
b) I won't yap their ear off.

But I certainly don't hear more with my hands or my eyes for the matter than a hearing person hears with their ears. I'm sure it bolsters your pride to say/think so, but mostly it's a bunch of bluster. You may pay more attention to what you're seeing than a hearing person, but no that absolutely does not translate into you hearing more than a hearing person. Like a blind person hears more than a hearing person, but that little bit more sound than they're paying attention to that a hearing person wouldn't doesn't mean they see more than a person with sight.

no I'm not bullying with you, I'm disagreeing with you.

 

[AlleyCat]

I get deafgam's point, though. My honey (who is hearing) and I can be at a park, and he'll say, "Honey, the birds are chirping in the trees" and I nod, acknowledging it. In that same timeframe, I've seen the birds he referred to, the cool bumps on some tree leaves (I think they're mold! LOL or something along those lines), the half-eaten acorn, and so on. I'll point all these things out to him and he's amazed at all that he missed while he was listening. It works both ways - I missed what he heard, but he missed what I "heard" -- the bird's flapping, the squirrel that was there and left the acorn behind, the leaf that already rustled and is now silent, you know? It's all perspective.

 

[ambrosia]

I get deafgam's point, though. My honey (who is hearing) and I can be at a park, and he'll say, "Honey, the birds are chirping in the trees" and I nod, acknowledging it. In that same timeframe, I've seen the birds he referred to, the cool bumps on some tree leaves (I think they're mold! LOL or something along those lines), the half-eaten acorn, and so on. I'll point all these things out to him and he's amazed at all that he missed while he was listening. It works both ways - I missed what he heard, but he missed what I "heard" -- the bird's flapping, the squirrel that was there and left the acorn behind, the leaf that already rustled and is now silent, you know? It's all perspective.

He missed what you saw, even though he probably saw the same thing, he just wasn't paying as much attention to it. He didn't "note" it. I see what she's trying to say too, I just have problems with the "more" part of it. Obviously we use our sight to compensate for the lack of sound, to be more aware of our surroundings, using our other senses is certainly different but far from the same forget about more.

 

[shel90]

I get deafgam's point, though. My honey (who is hearing) and I can be at a park, and he'll say, "Honey, the birds are chirping in the trees" and I nod, acknowledging it. In that same timeframe, I've seen the birds he referred to, the cool bumps on some tree leaves (I think they're mold! LOL or something along those lines), the half-eaten acorn, and so on. I'll point all these things out to him and he's amazed at all that he missed while he was listening. It works both ways - I missed what he heard, but he missed what I "heard" -- the bird's flapping, the squirrel that was there and left the acorn behind, the leaf that already rustled and is now silent, you know? It's all perspective.

Yea, I know what you mean.

 

[deafdyke]

I get deafgam's point, though. My honey (who is hearing) and I can be at a park, and he'll say, "Honey, the birds are chirping in the trees" and I nod, acknowledging it. In that same timeframe, I've seen the birds he referred to, the cool bumps on some tree leaves (I think they're mold! LOL or something along those lines), the half-eaten acorn, and so on. I'll point all these things out to him and he's amazed at all that he missed while he was listening. It works both ways - I missed what he heard, but he missed what I "heard" -- the bird's flapping, the squirrel that was there and left the acorn behind, the leaf that already rustled and is now silent, you know? It's all perspective.

You got it!!!!! It's not about MISSING hearing, but rather being Sighted.

 

[KarissaMann05]

People talk about not classifying yourself, but when talking with hearing people there are practical reasons for letting them know I can't hear. With Deaf people I meet, usually as soon as they see my hearing aids, they ask if I'm Deaf. So that doesn't really work. I've really run into a functional conundrum here, and "Hearing Impaired" is the best I can do in certain circumstances.

See, if I say, "I'm Deaf,"
Accuracy: I feel like a poser, or like one of those WannaBes folks were talking about. Culturally, I was raised Hearing, my school was Hearing, so was my family and so were my friends. Now I sign. I have Deaf friends that I hang out with (Oral, Voice Off, and everything in-between) and enjoy attending Deaf events. Still, my ASL is not fluent and I don't live in that world, so I can't, in good conscience, identify as "Deaf."
Practically, though, saying this gets them to look at me when they talk and not assume I heard things that were behind me.
PC-Wise: Deaf is an acceptable term

If I say, "I'm deaf,"
Accuracy: Well, I'm not profoundly deaf, so that isn't really accurate. Also, they can't tell that I didn't capitalize it, so the same problems as above.
Practically: That word evokes the response that I need.
PC-Wise: deaf is an acceptable term

If I say "I'm Hard of Hearing,"
Accuracy: I am HOH.
Practically: Not practical. I absolutely get the yell-louder-for-grandpa treatment. In the DHH community, HOH has a very clear meaning, but in the general population, the real meaning of HOH isn't really understood, and thus isn't an explanation of my circumstances or needs. If I want this to work, I have to give a 10 minute monolouge of my hearing capabilities, what that means functionally, and Deaf culture to explain my use of the term.
PC-Wise: HOH is an acceptable term

If I say "I'm hearing impaired,"
Accuracy: Typical functionality of hearing involves certain ranges at certain decibels- since the time I had Scarlet Fever, my ears do not meet those typical levels, so my hearing is impaired. It is accurate, and I'm not over-claming like I would be with "Deaf."
Practically: I am more likely to get a person to look at me and speak at a reasonable pace than when I say "HOH,"
PC-Wise: "Hearing Impaired" is not an acceptable term

So, what to do, what to do? I switch around alllllll the time.
With new Deaf people or at Deaf events, I call myself HOH.
With just Deaf friends, I call myself Deaf, because that is what they all call me, despite my introducing myself as HOH.
With hearing people like ASL students at Deaf events or who I don't know very well, I identify as HOH, but with those that I meet through Deaf friends, I identify as Deaf, because that is how I am introduced to them.
With hearing people with whom I am going to spend a great deal of time, like family, close friends, etc, I identify as HOH, but I include the monologue about what that means for me and why it is the appropriate term for me.
With new hearing people that aren't particularly close to me, I use Hearing Impaired for most functional purposes, like someone giving a seminar and I'm asking where they like to stand, so I can plan my seating.
With new hearing people that aren't particularly close to me, I use Deaf for most social purposes, like, "I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I'm pretty Deaf over here, so I have to see your mouth to understand you."

So, while I recognize that Deaf is a better term for those who are, in fact, Deaf, Hearing Impaired is sometimes an option that an in-between-worlds person like me is best off using. *ducks and covers*

Yeah, sometimes, I do that...