What matters deafness of the ears, when the mind hears?

I think I will take the trouble and expense to buy this book online (let me check if it’s available from Amazon).

I think I am going to cry.

That 12-year-old kid - it’s me!!

In every part about the struggle to hear, to understand, the pretence, the failure to hear and understand, all that matters.

There was this one kid, about twelve years old, who stood out entirely. The topic of our discussion was how we, as deaf and hard of hearing individuals, handled large family events. More specifically, what do we do when totally lost in a room full of chattering, hearing relatives?

“I say hello,” this kid said. “And then run!”

I asked him what he meant by “run.” He explained that he would approach his relatives on a one-by-one basis, engage in some superficial conversation, and then make a hasty retreat before the conversation evolved beyond “How are you,” “How’s the family,” and “How’s school.” Unbeknownst to virtually everyone, this kid was manipulating each and every conversation!

He was an expert at lip-reading superficial conversation because he knew what to look for. But he also knew that if anyone changed the subject, he would have been like a deer frozen in the headlights. So he took control, mastered the art of how-do-ya-do, and moved on as quickly as possible.

“Isn’t that exhausting?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he admitted, with several other hard of hearing kids nodding affirmatively. “Sometimes I sneak out and go to my room to play Nintendo for a while.”

Read on…

Gerard, a friend of mine, is undergoing a CI operation tomorrow.

Here’s wishing him success and Godspeed!

I await his (lab rat) progress reports as well. :)

Banjo, who I have featured and linked before, has an articulate, clear-headed take on his Deaf identity and why he sticks to it despite ‘common sense’.

I don’t expect everybody to understand why some of us choose to remain deaf. We are given choices, and we made them. I’ve already adapted to being a deaf person, and I don’t plan on changing that. If there’s a pill that cures deafness, I would be hesitant to take it because I’ve already been deaf my whole life. To think of not being deaf is just hard for me to imagine. It is a life-changing experience and it may radically change my personality and my identity.

There is a movie that makes a good example of what I’m saying here, it’s called ‘At First Sight’ starring Val Klimer. He portrays a blind man who is operated on to have his eyesight restored. Later into the movie, he begins to resent his ability to see and went back to being blind as a comfort. Mainly, because blindness is what he identifies with. Just like I identify myself with deafness.

Read on…

P/s: Do read the comments following his blog post too. Interesting discussion going on.

Turmoil, protests, arrests in America’s (and the world’s) only deaf university. Another historical moment a la the "1988 Deaf President Now" revolution?

From afar, I can only watch and hope for the best.

On May 1, 2006, Celia May Baldwin, the chairperson of Board of Trustees announced the 9th president of Gallaudet University to be Dr. Jane Fernandes. During the announcement, an uproar erupted from the audience protesting the selection.

For several days, students established Tent City on the Gallaudet grounds protesting the selection. However when the school came to an end, the students had to close down the Tent City.

Read on…