(raising hand)
I've been HOH since birth. Nerve damage but my guess was when Mom was 6 mos along, I decided to be impatient and wanted out LOL! I was roughly a pound and 34 oz (or something like that). Back in those days, they rarely ever dealt with premies like we do today. So they stuck me in O2 enclosed bassinet and it may have damaged my hearing as well as my eyesight which I had to have some magnifying glasses. I was and still is the ONLY deaf person in my family in both sides.
Growing up was hard but I would not have it any other way in how I was educated. Primarily in regular schools or how the deaf community would say, "oral" schools. I refused to be in deaf schools, one, I didnt want to be away from my family and two I was comfortable with my co-existance with the hearing and deaf people which I know it was an extra benefit for me as a person I am. I didn't know sign language until I was ten years old when my best friend taught me the ABC in finger spelling then using hand signs, the ESL (English sign language) with a few ASL thrown for a good measure if I do not know how to sign a certain word. I do not understand ASL too well, too many words have been omitted and throws me off with my good English skills, one of the best students they had for English and I can get "wordy" LOL! Sure I faced discrimination often and still to this day but not as bad it used to be "deaf are dumb" type of sterotypes. Now you rarely hear that because the higher percentage of people are HOH.
Socially, I do not mingle with the deaf community in my town. I am more polite to them and will talk to them if I am in the mood. I lip read and speak very well (with an accent LOL). My hubby is hearing and nothing wrong with my dd except for being "selectively hearing" mode.
Since my TDD was broken (dd poured water on it a few years back and it didnt work anymore), I depend on hubby or my mother to do phone calls but I will do everything possible for online messages or email companies or questions to the utliity companies. And pay a few bills on there too!
I depend on my TV to provide CC all the time. My father is now HOH and he would only use the CC for noisy crowds.
Yes I do wear hearing aids but they suck when you only can have certain type or limited $$$$$$ on an aid that the insurance wants you to have instead what you know it is best for me. GRRRRRR! I am very very dependent on it.
Deafs are facing discrimination constantly and you just don't see them too often unless they are assigned to a mental handicap friendly place of employments, mostly resturants. I had a good job, was an insurance claims adjustor/processor but when I got terminated, I went out seeking another job thru hospitals, temp services and doctor's offices which I had nearly 10 years experience in this type of job. Every ONE of them turned me down politely......they would need to hire or pull someone else to do my phone job if they hire me and therefore, it would cost them more money or lose work for the other person that is doing MY job. I know they know of Relay but it takes them too long to communicate in threesomes.....caller--------->relay person-------------->receiver, then receiver ----------->relay person------------>caller. A simple phone call would take roughly ten minutes to get some data and their SSN to enter the information in what they are requesting while it would take 20-30 minutes to get the same amount of information being asked and the waiting time. Employers are losing money on the relay calls.
I haven't found the perfect cell phone nor we have one now.
I've been HOH since birth. Nerve damage but my guess was when Mom was 6 mos along, I decided to be impatient and wanted out LOL! I was roughly a pound and 34 oz (or something like that). Back in those days, they rarely ever dealt with premies like we do today. So they stuck me in O2 enclosed bassinet and it may have damaged my hearing as well as my eyesight which I had to have some magnifying glasses. I was and still is the ONLY deaf person in my family in both sides.
Growing up was hard but I would not have it any other way in how I was educated. Primarily in regular schools or how the deaf community would say, "oral" schools. I refused to be in deaf schools, one, I didnt want to be away from my family and two I was comfortable with my co-existance with the hearing and deaf people which I know it was an extra benefit for me as a person I am. I didn't know sign language until I was ten years old when my best friend taught me the ABC in finger spelling then using hand signs, the ESL (English sign language) with a few ASL thrown for a good measure if I do not know how to sign a certain word. I do not understand ASL too well, too many words have been omitted and throws me off with my good English skills, one of the best students they had for English and I can get "wordy" LOL! Sure I faced discrimination often and still to this day but not as bad it used to be "deaf are dumb" type of sterotypes. Now you rarely hear that because the higher percentage of people are HOH.
Socially, I do not mingle with the deaf community in my town. I am more polite to them and will talk to them if I am in the mood. I lip read and speak very well (with an accent LOL). My hubby is hearing and nothing wrong with my dd except for being "selectively hearing" mode.
Since my TDD was broken (dd poured water on it a few years back and it didnt work anymore), I depend on hubby or my mother to do phone calls but I will do everything possible for online messages or email companies or questions to the utliity companies. And pay a few bills on there too!
I depend on my TV to provide CC all the time. My father is now HOH and he would only use the CC for noisy crowds.
Yes I do wear hearing aids but they suck when you only can have certain type or limited $$$$$$ on an aid that the insurance wants you to have instead what you know it is best for me. GRRRRRR! I am very very dependent on it.
Deafs are facing discrimination constantly and you just don't see them too often unless they are assigned to a mental handicap friendly place of employments, mostly resturants. I had a good job, was an insurance claims adjustor/processor but when I got terminated, I went out seeking another job thru hospitals, temp services and doctor's offices which I had nearly 10 years experience in this type of job. Every ONE of them turned me down politely......they would need to hire or pull someone else to do my phone job if they hire me and therefore, it would cost them more money or lose work for the other person that is doing MY job. I know they know of Relay but it takes them too long to communicate in threesomes.....caller--------->relay person-------------->receiver, then receiver ----------->relay person------------>caller. A simple phone call would take roughly ten minutes to get some data and their SSN to enter the information in what they are requesting while it would take 20-30 minutes to get the same amount of information being asked and the waiting time. Employers are losing money on the relay calls.
I haven't found the perfect cell phone nor we have one now.
