Mocking Hearing Inpaired

[ShockMe]

To be quite shocked that after a member of the public had posted that they had found a hearing aid and hoped to re-unite it with it's owner.. Our local school's SEN teacher commented 'Pardon?'

NeedAnotherGlass

I think you are missing something here. You are missing the fact that Deaf people are also deaf.

I'll ask you again

What term would you like to assign to people who self define as Deaf, use sign language(s) and are part of the Deaf community? And also cannot hear

Candy it's of course a massive issue for you. You've been really let down by your local audiology because you do meet the NICE criteria. I can understand you not having the energy for this battle. I'd love to help if you were near me.

You are missing the fact that Deaf people are also deaf.
Except when they are not, and they are hearing BSL users.
No one who is not actually deaf should ever refer to themselves as deaf, regardless of capital letters. If they are deaf BSL users, then they should refer to themselves as such.

What term would you like to assign to people who self define as Deaf, use sign language(s) and are part of the Deaf community? And also cannot hear
I absolutely reject the notion that anyone can "self-define" as deaf unless they are actually deaf.
BSL users never had the right to take the term Deaf as their own, and thus exclude deaf, non-BSL users from what should be the all welcoming deaf community.

A person can be:
deaf, hearing impaired or hearing
and
BSL user or non-BSL user

Thank you Toduk.

Anyone else think MN should have a deaf section for anyone who has hearing problems?

Except when they are not, and they are hearing BSL users.

But only a teeny number of hearing people (usually hearing children of deaf parents, working in a particular field) actually identify as Deaf (not deaf).

When they do this, they're not trying to imply that they're audiologically deaf, just that they're a member of a linguistic minority.

I don't know anyone, deaf or hearing, who really takes their claim seriously.

99.99% of people who identify as Deaf are audiologically deaf 1st language BSL users.

No-one on this thread that I've seen has tried to claim that hearing people calling themselves Deaf or deaf is okay. It isn't.

Most of the people who are "Deaf" are actually deaf but some are hearing.
Most people who are actually deaf are not "Deaf".
BSL user (deaf or hearing) would be a FAR more helpful and accurate description of that group of people.
I feel a venn diagram coming on

Most of the people who are "Deaf" are actually deaf but some are hearing.

A miniscule number of hearing people claim to be Deaf.

NOBODY takes them seriously. The definition of Deaf as it is used in the D/deaf community does not include people who are not audiologically deaf.

Most people who are deaf are not "Deaf"

Absolutely. The number is tiny.

The proportions clearly aren't accurate but this is how I see it.
The BSL users in yellow define themselves as Deaf.
That is incredibly dismissive of the rest of deaf people.
Whether the ones who are actually hearing are actually valid or not, I don't know, but that has been implied.

So what do you want to do about it?

Seriously, you can create venn diagrams to argue the toss on here with someone who agrees with you that a hearing person calling themselves D/deaf is absurd.

Deaf = 1st language BSL user, deaf = audiologically deaf. These definitions are long established in D/deaf communities and organisations, discourse, and Deaf politics.

If you don't agree with the definitions, you're free to challenge them through the appropriate channels. But I can't see them changing any time soon.

Out of interest who on this thread is deaf and Deaf?

No suggestions of sources of support or even of when I should have follow up hearing tests.

Have you manage to source support/information now?

Francis that things have been so poorly handled.
I'm guessing that you had an MRI to check for NF2 (I've cut and pasted an explanation below).
I'd try calling the audiology dept where you were tested and see if they offer lip reading courses. It might boost your confidence and let you meet other people.

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2): also known as Bilateral Acoustic NF (BAN), is much rarer occurring in 1:25,000 births. NF2 is characterized by multiple tumors on the cranial and spinal nerves, and by other lesions of the brain and spinal cord. Tumors affecting both of the auditory nerves are the hallmark. Hearing loss beginning in the teens or early twenties is generally the first symptom.

I was born "a bit deaf" but my hearing got a lot worse when I was pregnant as I got a severe infection.

I felt very overwhelmed as my hearing loss is considered to be genetic and there was a period of time when I was being tested to see if my hearing was actually going completely. And of course we had to consider the fact that my DD might be born deaf too. I was terrified.

Easy to say I know, but the best way I found to think about is it's shit, but it's just deafness. I'm the same intellectually or not as I was, other than crap ears I'm physically the same. I think Francis that maybe your hearing loss has been the "cherry on the cake" of shitness as you clearly have had a rough time. But regardless you are still the same person, you deserve and have a right to support, but don't let your hearing loss define you.

I have enough confidence to not make any excuses for being deaf. If I can't hear you because you are mumbling, facing away from me or over enunciating your words like you think I'm stupid, it's not my problem, it's yours. And I'll make sure you know it.

Bitchy I wasn't arguing with you. It was a general point, but particularly in response to sashh

Frances You are going through a very tough time. I'm so sorry &

And I even spelled your name wrong! Apologies Francis

NeedAnotherGlass
But I am both hearing and a BSL user. I do not need an interpreter at job interviews or subtitles on TV.

BSL users never had the right to take the term Deaf as their own, and thus exclude deaf, non-BSL users from what should be the all welcoming deaf community.

So what tern cab they use? How do you identify deaf - hearing loss no sign language, and hearing loss and sign language user?

And it is not BSL users, the terms are used by ASL users, even though the signs for 'D' and 'd' are British.

So what tern cab they use? How do you identify deaf - hearing loss no sign language, and hearing loss and sign language user?

Hearing loss with no sign language = deaf
Hearing loss with sign language = deaf bsl user

You are a hearing bsl user

Why is that even complicated?

ASL as in American Sign Language? But that's different to BSL isn't it?

It's a bit like:
Visually impaired or blind
Visually impaired or blind cane user
Visually impaired or blind guide dog user

Guide dog users didn't decide to define themselves as Blind

As it was asked up thread, I am hearing impaired/deaf. I have virtually no hearing on my left side and can get very easily confused. I also lipread, something I didn't know I did until my vision started going too.

I lost hearing as a preschooler when I had meningitis. I then lost more hearing in my twenties. I had MRIs to check for acoustic neuroma but have been diagnosed with one sided menieres. I have had constant tinnitus for over 10 years. I have a hearing aid.

I learned what little BSL I know when I was at primary school. My school had an exchange programme with the local deaf school and the pupils had regular visits to each others schools and events, the idea was to get the hearing kids signing and the d/Deaf kids to feel confident integrating with hearing children.

Francis, for you x

Francis I feel your pain and u don't say that lightly. I had my baby, 12 wks later my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and my disability picked this time to deteriorate drastically in terms of my sight. I also found a wonderful GP who supports me and I now are medication for anxiety which helps massively.
My personal experience, even with audiology and consultants , is that you have to arm yourself with knowledge, you'll probably end up k owing more than them ;)
I found social media groups very useful (Facebook groups are informative) and I had my local council perform a care assessmentb which all people with sensory impairments can have. I've found the more people and contacts you have in the field, the better.

need you are so right. I am deafblind. I was registered blind for 10yrs before I used a cane, and 11yrs befire I git a guide dog. I still dnt know Braille but I'll get there.
I didn't go from blind to Blind :)
Yes.
deaf BSL user and dad non BSL user sums it up perfectly. Capital only at the start of s sentence.
I am a deafblind non BSL assistance dog user.

I do find it interesting that deafness is so political, in terms of which classification people are meant to fit into. Has it always been this way?

I think it's about language. Blind people use Braille for example but can also communicate with the spoken word. A profoundly deaf person who can not process the sound of speech well is affected both orally and aurally. Therefore there is an almost exclusive language. This isn't necessarily the case for other disabilities.
Whereas a severely visually impaired person and a fully blind person are still able to communicate, a deaf BSL user and a deaf non BSL user can't necessarily.
However, deafness is isolating regardless of BSL.