0n (10 Jun 08) Roger Nelson wrote to Cindy Haglund...

CH> Hi. Is it true that hearing people are surprised or as in extreme
CH> cases xenophobic when  they  are told I'm deaf but I can talk quite
CH> well???? This um surprises them???? Someone told me this and Im kinda
CH> shook up about it. YOu mean they don't realize oh she must she latent
CH> deaf and learned speech first...

CH> No? I'd have to EXPLAIN IT????

CH> wow.  being disabled is really a lot of work!

 RN> If you're just now noticing this, then that should prove to you the
 RN> ignorance of normal people and that you're a slow learner.  I mean


 Normal? What is normal Roger? The biggest disability of all is between
THEIR ears. It is not that I'm a slow learner Roger, it's just that I
have always taken for granted just as 'normal' people do: my ability
to speak. It may well be bone conduction that allows me to hear my own
voice now. Maybe. I did some research online and can't find specific
info yet. Sigh.

OH. I did find one forum wrt this q but the answers were obviously
about /referring to the born deaf. Not ""acquired"" Gee
ya GET deaf?
.....

 RN> that in the nicest possible way.   Their lives are so hurried, they
 RN> don't have the time to learn about everything under the Sun.  Those
 RN> that make it their business, find the time to do it.  I used to watch

 Roger? I know you mean well. But I don't buy the TOO BUSY excuse at
all. People do pretty much what they WANT to do. IF this were not true
people would have no time to watch tv and chat on their cell phones...

Fact is. People either want to communicate with those who require
accommodation or they don't. NO matter how busy they are. Those who do,
MAKE time and take the effort. Those who don't simply don't want to...
Nothing you can do about them.

I did find a ALDA site online. I'm thinking about joining it but you
have to make a donation and we're on a budget at the present
time... you know the house story.

..........

 RN> a TV show with Mark Harmon and Marlee Matlin. She played a deaf ADA
 RN> and Harmon was her investigator police officer who could sign.  He can
 RN> still do it and I've seen him use it in other roles.  The name of the
 RN> show was Reasonable Doubts.

Uh huh. I know in the 90's ASL became a fad<=== note 'fad" , on TV.
And people were oh wow look this is cool let's try it. But the fad
like all fads died.

If you try to get """Nomral"""""
people to realize ASL is just (this
will get me in hot water with some folks)- variation of and
incorporates body language you might ease their xenophobial.

Problem is those who DO use ASL get really up on knots if you make
references to what they consider MERE body language.

And don't even me started with some of the "born Deaf". They
 can't stand HOH's and LAte deaf (small D!!) people and won't accept
us into their community... They're just as xenophobic as the hearing
people who won't accept us either.

sigh. Sometimes I feel like just giving up. Why bother.

Bleah.

Cind

... Time flies. Fruit flies like pears.

--- PPoint 3.01