0n (23 Oct 05) George Pope wrote to Cindy Haglund...

>> CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MESSAGE <<


 GP> My main reason for defining deafness as a "disability" is as above,
 GP> the otic system's ability to recognize auditory warnings of danger.

 GP> (Why else did hearing ever evolve, in so many creatures?)


some critters have hearing organs without the flap/outer air apparatus
so maybe those evolved seperately... maybe you can have the ear flap /
hearing apparatus but not the receptors... hmmm.. Hearing
loss/deafness can result from injury/disease OR physical structural
differences which are genetically passed on. Who knows. People are
born deaf and survive so thus the gene gets passed on.


 GP> Nowadays it may not be as critical to life as it once was, but it's
 GP> still going to take time for society as a whole to evolve to accept
 GP> such a change/difference from the "norm"(known comfort
zone) -- and we
 GP> are,

  Remember what you said in anothe rmessage? I have to find it..
'disorder' meaning 'out of order'... I ask WHOSE order? :) I mean out
of order of the 'fashion police' as it were; those social party
anumals who insist if you're not a party animal you're not normal?


Or out of order as to being able to function day to day, do the things
we need to do to take care of ourselves and surive.
...........
           

 GP> that's why we have "Hearing Aid Dogs", hearing aids, the written
 GP> word(paper, and computer), text-to-voice technology so you(et al) can
 GP> communicate with people who are illiterate.

 The dogs simply do what they do naturally, respond to sound only
they're trained to make sure the deaf person KNOWS about it.
...........
           

 CH> This info needs to be known by the general public. So when they meet a
 CH> latent deaf/deaf or HOH (hard of hearing) person they might THINK
 CH> before
 CH> brightly well intentionally bringing the subject up. ((Especially to a
 CH> born deaf ("DEAF" ) person. You may as well stick your
hand into hot
 CH> fire...
 CH> Do us all us hearing impaired persons a favor. Don't. We already KNOW.

 GP> Not all do -- there are mobility-challenged people in our society who
 GP> are unaware that there are wheelchairs/scooters, and these are FAR
 GP> more well-known than C.I.s!

 You're kidding? They don't know about wheelchairs? Or they simply
don't want to have to use one. It is as you know a hard thing to
adjust to. :(  CI's are not that commonly known but when hearing
pepole get wind of them they get all wow wee about it and want to
"HELP".... Good intentions but they don't research it enough and
therefore their 'good intentions' often go unappreciated.


 GP> I think there's a dual responsibility:

 As most things are yeah. :)

 GP> 1) on the part of the caring hearing person making sure the born-deaf
 GP> knows about all options available, to STFU quickly if the other's
 GP> response is anything but open!

  Yes.. exactly . You'll want to know though that Deaf (born deeaf
pepole call themselves "Deaf" with a capital D, us lower lifes are
with the small case d...

I've read soeveral accounts how Deaf People Do not Consider themsevles
disabled at all and feel hearing people are pushing their ways on
them. Unlike latent deaf perons, you can't 'miss' what you have never
experienced. So it's not a problem; not a 'defect that needs
correcting'- for you. I got this jolt of reality from Deafnotes.com
online... I don't go on there anymore. It's mostly for DEAF people,
not deaf / hoh people who are looked upon as fifth class "not reallyd
eaf'... people by the (militant) Deaf. I can't believe this... these
people don't even WANT haring people to larn ASL because it's "taking
away THEIR identity!!?!? Never mind Communication is the aim.

..................
         
 GP> 2) on the part of the born-deaf confronted by a well-meaning person,
 GP> to politely/civilly acknowledge their intent to be helpful. . .

 Some people do not want halp and would rather bite your head off ..
mostly because too many have offered ... Politeness wears thin.

 GP> For myself, I can only use 1 hand/arm, so some things are more
 GP> difficult.

 GP> In a restaurant, I appreciate if the server ASKS me if I'd like some
 GP> help with whatever(eg. carrying tray, opening packets, etc.) but I do
 GP> find it annoying when they just ASSUME I'm incompetent and start DOING
 GP> it FOR me! (opening my ketchups, cutting my meat(usually all wrong!)

   :) yeah that's good... when you really need the help... no shame in
accepting. It's foolish to refuse help in such cases say if you can't
open a heavy door and someone opens it for you. Sometimes we have to
accept help because it's to our Immediate advantage to.
 ...................

 GP> Nobody OWES me anything in this world (unless we've agreed to a
 GP> transaction and I've fulfilled my part but they haven't yet)

 I like that... Some people feel like you owe the if they help you..
ya know what I mean? I hate that. Some cultures promotethis idea..
where if you are helped, you are forever in that person's debt ; to
pay them back...

When I offer help I dont't expect anything back at all.. I think
that's how it ought to be. It should be NATURAL to offer help rather
than something to make headlines in the paper by or for a particular
religion to lay claim to as being soley THEIR characteristic... etc.

A lot of pepole will help you , out of the goodness of their hearts
and nothing more.... heck if you saw a mother struggling with a
triplet stroller up a curb.. hehe..
.................
                 

 GP> I know people in wheelchairs who DEMAND to be allowed to go first
 GP> (elevators, lineups, bus lineups, etc.) but I don't -- I know that
 GP> it's the social convention that I be allowed priority use of
 GP> elevators, but I recognize that they're public facilities, and if I'm
 GP> not first in line, then I may well have to wait my turn!


 Nod.. You remember that woman who wrote to Ms Manners about a co
worker making rude remarks to her about her wheelchair driving? He
kept suggesting she might run someone over one of these days.. (though
she was always very careful..) Ms Manners suggested she conftonthim
(in the company of his cohorts)... get up close and say, 'you know not
that I wuold ever do it, but you have put it into my head so often...
let me apologize ahead of time.... and then run into him.. lol! Words
to that effect! :) I can see her do it to! Bravo!

...................

 CH> I'm working on a witty comeback for next time. Any suggestions?
 CH> George?
 CH> you're my best bet with witty comebacks! :)

 CH> How about...(someone Innocently asks : "have you heard of Cochlear
 CH> implants.....  "Why yes and  have you heard of frontal lobe
implants?"
 CH> 7Oh something like that...


 GP> I think that'd be inappropriate and definitely overkill and wouldn't

 Well depends on who the person I was speaking to is, but yeah okay I
agree it would be kinda overkill (hey but what's wrong with that ..
with some types)...
                   

 GP> go any distance towards improving relations/communication between
 GP> hearing & non-hearing.  I consider myself a bit of an ambassador for
 GP> all people in wheelchairs -- if I act like an ahole, people will
 GP> naturally have an

 Okay so what would you say then. (remember you are Exxasperated).

........................
 GP> -- which is why they supply free gloves to all drives who want them!)
 GP> as she had told me, but she told the supervisor that "personal
 GP> hygiene"(ie "smell") was the problem -- so I
directly asked the
 GP> supervisor, "Do you smell ANYTHING on me?  I don't leave the house


 This reminds me of a HS classmate who never washed her hair or
bathe/ use deodrant. Kids would pick on her even put bottles of
shamppoo/deodarnat in her desk. I wish I had asked her if maybe she had
an allergy to soap.. some people do and don't know about
alternatives... I didn't know about that though bck then just figured
she had bad hygeine habits.
........


--- PPoint 3.01