Any Deaf/Hard of Hearing DU'ers?

Any interest in having their own board?

because I think this is a wonderful idea.

Stephanie

(there is a good joke in your thread title btw--- ;) )

My reading and writing skills far outweigh my hearing and are better understood than my voice or signing. Don't mean to burst your bubble, but I don't think a separate board (or even a group) would do anything more than isolate us even more than we already are.

Are the Catholic or Jewish groups isolating? Not at all. It's just a group of like-minded folks, exchanging ideas. And nobody has to join, if they don't want to. There are a lot of DU groups that provide some support, as well. While most deaf people don't regard this as a handicap, the exchange of ideas can only be a good thing, IMHO. :-)

Count me in, if you want me!

Rhiannon:hi:

A friend of my husband (USMC) has come home with marked hearing damage due to being too close to an IED. He was one of the lucky ones who did not sustain any other physical injuries.

He said that many of our troops who have been close to detonations are returning from Iraq with hearing loss.

Therefore, my suggestion is to - touch base with some veterans groups in order to find others who are dealing with the same challenges. Please let me know via PM if you are successful at finding a board so that I may pass that on to others whom I'm acquainted with?

I tried to join one when I first began my course, but they wouldn't accept my sn, said it was not a word to be used on their board. I e-mailed them, asking for an explanation, but never heard anything back, and this was last year. BTW, the sn I chose was "Rhiannon.":shrug:

What HawkeyeX is suggesting, I think, is a DU group for the deaf and hearing impaired. We have groups devoted to all kind of interests and I think that this is a great idea.:-)

on edit: BTW, love your avatar!:D

I thought it was a matter of affiliation.

I'm not familiar but will become more enlightened as we socialize again with my husband's buddy.

Thank you for clarifying this situation.

p.s. I love your avatar TOO! :P Great minds, aye? :hi:

But that's what I thought that he was proposing.:-)

And your husband's buddy might be interested in joining. My heart goes out to him and to all our guys who come back injured.;(

As for great minds, there are only a few of us, but I agree. Jimmy Carter is still my president, a great man and a great American.:patriot:

Rhiannon:hi:

edited for punctuation

Do you plan to do a number's count in this thread as the best way to go?

Just curious ;).

..and, from that experience, I believe you need a certain amount of interest, and then let Skinner know that interest in such a group exists.:thumbsup:

I'm just curious to find out if it's a possibility.

Having been in on the start of the Family History/Ancestry group, I know that all we need is numbers, and then present a mission statement to Skinner. I think that this one would be fairly straightforward. :-)

We need to think up a mission statement for this group :)

But you'd have a better idea than I do, since I'm not deaf. But I think that a part of it might be support for what deaf or hearing impaired people face in this country. The deaf community is pretty good, but there might be isolated folks out there who could use some support. And we liberals can always use any support that we can get, deaf or hearing...:D

Rhiannon:hi:

:evilgrin:

You realize, when I say "sounds", I mean it in the metaphorical sense ...

Only one of my ears work and not well at that. I'm all for it.

--p!

Practically everyone who was in the music business since the 60s and 70s is in the boat to some extent.

spelling.

AKA the DU grammar police.

I'm one of the lucky ones who has a mom for a English tutor, and she was very instrumental in helping understand where my grammar is supposed to go.

Hopefully we'll find a few wayward deafies.. I did find one the other day right here at DU!

and everything. It was a sad day @ DU.

It was very disturbing

I find that I really do well in real time chat, it's such an equalizer.

of like-minded people, like the rest of us here. But I think I understand. A girl who visited my ASL class is in college, majoring in deaf studies, with both deaf and hearing classmates. One of her best friends there is deaf, was raised using ASL, and she said that the transition is often difficult and that they frequently have real misunderstandings in communication.:-(

Yes!! I'm hearing impaired. Sensory-neural hearing loss that began when I was in my 20's. First it was one ear which they told me was no biggie. A month later the ringing (tinnitus) and muffled hearing began in the left ear. So now they tell ooops. You've got bi-lateral sensory neural hearing loss, it's progressive, nothing we can do... good luck.

It has progressed to the point that I can't hear certain sounds like, the phone, doorbells, police sirens, etc. And speech is extremely difficult on the phone. When people speak it sounds like I have cotton in my ears and I'm trying to understand what they say. Before CC tv I would turn off the sound and teach myself to read lips. That's great until something is narrated or the person speaking is off camera.

I gave up on TV for a few years until closed captioning became widely available on movies and most tv stations.

Not many people can understand how isolating and frustrating being hearing impaired can be. Communication is so vital to ones sanity and growth yet, I'm the butt of jokes by even well meaning friends.

If one is blind there is a lot more empathy and courtesy afford them than someone hearing impaired or deaf. Sometimes, I comment that Helen Keller was asked if she could have either her sight or her hearing which would she chose and she replied hearing. Having said that, I personally am glad that I have my sight but, I wonder if I were deaf and blind if I might not choose hearing.

I was told by shrinks (yes I was on th verge) when this first began that those who have had normal hearing and then lose it are the hardest to deal with - I don't know why. :shrug:

Maybe a group for deaf and hearing impaired would be a great place to learn ways to cope or maybe just vent. Anyway - I'm in!

My situation is just like that of Madmax.

It was great to read that post. Yes, yes it would be a good support group and some of us need as the help (and friends) we can get.

You can PM me anytime to vent or whatever. :hug:

When I started going out with my husband I didn't tell him I was hearing impaired. One day he asked me if I had a hearing problem. 'Why do you ask? Well, your phone keeps ringing and you never answer it.' :blush: So I confessed - this December we'll be married 25 years and he's my ears ;)

The thing that pisses me off the most is when people talk to me like a 2 year old. I'm not stupid - just hard of hearing.

I can cite numerous examples of patronization on the job. When I was working, that is. I used to be a well-paid freelance graphic artist, paying for my own health insurance, and able to get through interviews to obtain work. Now, due to the economy and other things, I've lost an account (local business journal shut down) and there's not much work here aside from small print shop jobs. I'm stuck in a Catch-22 where I need work to pay for new hearing aids (and health insurance), but I doubt I'd even get through an interview because I can't hear well enough with my broken-down equipment. Also, I can't deal with answering phones, which I most likely would be required to do in a steady job. My world is getting smaller and smaller as I shrink away from social situations.

"My world is getting smaller and smaller as I shrink away from social situations."

I can empathize for sure. I did the same thing and started to drink more at social occasions. With a buzz on I actually thought I could hear better :eyesroll:

It took a while but I found the only way to survive was to educate people, starting with friends and family. Now when I'm in a mixed group of friends who know and people who don't know - my friends usually tell them that they need to get my attention when they speak to me and look at me so I can read their lips.

For me a hearing aid is of no value. It only makes what I hear (garble gibberish speach) louder - not clearer. And that seems to be everyones reply when I tell them I'm hearing impaired. 'Why don't you get a hearing aid'. As if, I wouldn't if they would help. So I've come up with my stock reply which is: 'Hearing aids are to me what bi-focals are to a blind person.' Gives them something to ponder. Not every problem has a solution! And if I'm dealing with a real putz I tell them they would probably pull the chair out from under a blind person and think it hilarious.

I've come to accept that I'm in a nether world. Not completely deaf, can't sign and just deaf enough to cause me a lot of stress. Trying to hear is extemely exhausting! I know you know that.

Anyone here reading this know of any agency or whatever that may help kskiska with hearing aids??

Hang in there love. :hug:

I've had state-of-the-art digital aids and they worked fine, but things wear out, and financial situations change. I'm now using a combo of older models that barely work. I've found that unless you're in the market for new equipment, dispensers don't want to service old models they didn't originally sell. I've lived in several areas of the country and found it difficult to get repairs. Also, be careful in the brands you buy, because they're not always sold or serviced nationally.

I am deaf.

I am deaf and from the Sunshine State. :)

and hope you will stick around
we need all the help we can get - especially in that sunshine state~

I am deaf too

You are most welcome and we can use the numbers, LOL! And welcome to DU!:D

Rhiannon:hi:

I have been trying to get her interested in DU and I finally have her checking out the Lounge. When she gets home I will have her read this,it might get her interested.

Got hearing aids a year ago. (I wrote about it all here.)

But I don't know about the value of a board dedicated to the problem. Do you have more details in mind, or just the idea?

A few years ago, during the Presidental campaign, we had a Deaf Americans for Dean (I was a proud member!) so it was fun to be politically active and deaf.

What I'm thinking about this board is the following:

Great links to politically active deaf blogs (left or right)
Links to deaf activities (For Colorado, it's coloradodeaf.com)
Deaf news
Support for newly deafened or deaf in denial
ASL discussion (Or foreign SL education too)
Deaf connections from all over the US/world.
Deaf issues/rights
ADA
Poltical discussions affecting the deaf (Such as the Gallaudet controversy, part II)

I will notify Skinner tonight that we are gathering interest for such a DU group.

The mission statement should be something like this:

This group was solely created to help the Deaf/Hard of Hearing DU'ers to identify and communicate among each other, gather information, and have new friends among the deaf. Hearing people who knows ASL or sign language itself, or aspire to learn are more than welcome to join this discussion group.

If we need to modify the mission statement, we can.

Hawkeye-X

I have no idea the severity of my hearing loss.

Don't you have to get tested periodically? My mother has enough hearing loss that she was prescribed hearing aids, but she refuses to get them. I was relieved when she finally got tested, since I'd wished that she'd do something for years. It's so frustrating to try to speak to her, since she says "what?!" to most everything I say, numerous times, and comes up with the most outlandish misunderstandings. And the TV is loud enough to hear outside her house. I recently discovered that she was reading my lips. I think it's great that you're able to manage with hearing aids. You deserve a lot of credit.:-)

Rhiannon:hi:

He was born that way. I think it would be interesting to a have a board like that.

genetic problem of hard of hearing + too much loud noise=partial deafness bilateral, hearing aids bilateral, sleep decent at night without them (yeah!). Started losing ability to hear tweety birds mid 20's, environmental exposure around then also, gradually progressing to avoiding some situations, beginning to withdraw, annoying the heck out of family members. I do like my aids, was able to afford due to a decent audiologist passing on 2 yr old floor models at cost. Would be interested in a DU group.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

--even if I haven't had too much time lately except to peruse the "greatest" list. I'm hard of hearing, and would probably check in from time to time. People who use and/or are fluent in ASL are a language community, which is a different ball of wax compared to those of us who just holler WHAT?!?! a lot at family and friends.

rock 'n roll from blaring speakers. As for our own board, sure, I'd participate.

Jenn

The mumps claimed my left ear when I was 5; and childhood strep infections diminished the right. I've adapted, but not without some problems, which I've never shared with anyone, mainly because they see humor where I feel frustration.

Good morning all.. Just kicking to generate interest

:hi: ILY you guys. :)

Damn Avs. I think the MIghty Ducks are cheating.. Hmm..

that I'm planning a short trip this summer to do reconstruction work in the gulf coast - maybe a week or two in early July. I'm hoping to hook up with the Iraq Vets Against the War, who are making plans to be there, I think at the same camp. The ASL teacher at the school where I work is extending an invitation to a local School for the Deaf to come with us. I'm bringing teens from our school, where ASL is one of the most popular classes (a third of the students have taken it, I think).

So - my point. If any of you are interested in joining up with us, please send me a message. It would be a chance to help out people along the coast, and there will be a good mix of people that speak ASL fluently, that are trying to learn it, and that have no clue what in the heck you are saying at all. :)

It looks right now like we might have an interpreter coming with us as well.

For veterans that have lost some hearing (or not), it's also a good chance to meet and work alongside with some fellow veterans. They're all hearing, as far as I know.

(I'm not deaf, by the way, I just know enough ASL to make an ass of myself because I used to have a deaf friend/coworker.)

Apparently hearing loss is an all-too-common result of this terrible war.;(

This sounds like a marvelous program! Looking forward to hearing (well, reading... :-) ) more about it!:D

And I'm not fluent in ASL, either, but just took a course where I picked up enough to sometimes make an ass of myself, too!:D

Rhiannon:hi:

on edit: forgot link.:blush:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1120571&mesg_id=1120610

I'm not Deaf, deaf, or HoH, but my boyfriend is. I've completed the coursework at a local community college to earn a certificate in ASL/Deaf Studies and I've been accepted to a well known interpreter preparation program in the fall. I also work at a local university in a department that provides services to deaf and hard of hearing clients.

Definitely count me interested. I'm usually more of a lurker on DU, but I'd likely be much more active in a topic for deafness/hearing issues. I'm lucky this thread made it onto the "Greatest" page.

K&R

If anyone doubts the need, consider that during one or both of the last two presidential elections, the Republicans were propagating the idea that Democrats were making people with disabilities dependant on social programs, etc. They were trying to incorporate many traditional Democratic consituents into their fold by spreading untruths and perpetuating the lies that have been coming out of their "think" tanks for the past 30 years. I was appalled and infuriated at the shamelessness of rightwingers (so what else is new?).

My interest comes from that, plus being a former educational interpreter about 15 years ago. I had to give it up because the pay was too low, but I loved doing it and learning about Deaf culture.

If this board should materialize, you can count on me to at least be a lurker and occasional poster!

:hi: Completely deaf in one ear & wired for sound in the other. Makes for some interesting times. I deal with the public & have learned to be up front about my lack of audio-ability. Most people are pretty good about it. A few act like my deafness is a personal affront. Sorry folks, I'm not being rude, I just can't hear you. And please don't cover your mouth, or look the other way or mumble when you talk to me! Know what I mean? ;) So yes, I would be happy to be part of such a group of great people.

I'm deaf in one ear and can't hardly hear in the other.
I don't wear a hearing aid because then I'd have to listen to my wife all day

Darn 70's rock concerts..... Somebody get the phone!!!!!