Deaf and Hard of Hearing Frequently Asked Questions:
There are a lot of questions I get sometimes online and in real life; some of them may sound silly others may be offensive to some D/deaf and Hard of hearing people. Personally, I believe people are just naturally curious and that's what we are here for: to educate!
Q. Do you read lip/speech read?
A. A lot of Deaf and Hard of hearing people can read lips depending on their English skills. Even best lipreader/speechreader only get about 20 to 40 percents of the words. A lot of words look alike on the lips so it is hard and alot of times, it is guessing game. Try standing in front of a mirror and try many of same words and you will see that they do look alot alike on the lips. :)
Q. Do Deaf and Hard of Hearing people drive?
A. Yes, they do drive! How else are they going to get to their jobs or where ever they needed to go? :) Some D/deaf and hard of hearing people cannot drive due to vision problems.
Q. How do a person who is deaf or hard of hearing wake up?
A. Someone asked me this some time ago. It is a very good question. Well many of us use special alarm clocks which can be plugged into the lamp to flash the light to let us know it is time to wake up or use vibrating alarm clock to shake the bed to wake us up. Pretty cool huh? :)
Q Do you use Sign Language?
A. I was asked this one many years ago. At the time, I did not know alot of sign language until I relearned Sign Language in college and I only know the basics. I would like to learn more for easier communitcation and I can follow conversations more easily. Sign Language is one of the most beautiful language on Earth. Some schools let you take it for foreign language requirment fulfillment.
Q. What is TTY/TDD? -See definition if you do not know what TTY/TDD stand for on Deaf page.
A. TTY/TDD is a device that deaf/hard of heariing people use to communicate over phone line. It shows what you have type and another person on the other end of the line who have/has a TTY would type back. If hearing person does not have a TTY/TDD, they can call deaf/hard people via relay center where an operators (they are called communication assistants) would listen to hearing ppl and type things to deaf/hard of hearing person who is using TTY/TDD. :) Pretty neat huh? If deaf/hard of hearing person want to call someone (usually hearing) who do not have a TTY/TDD, they can call hearing people and businesses through the relay. Communication assistants would voice what a TTY/TDD user type to hearing person on the other end. It takes much longer to type on a TTY/TDD than regular voice conversation or sign language. Would it be neat to have video phone? :) I should note; nowadays in the United State alot of D/deaf and hard of hearing people do have video phone they get from Sorenson. The best next thing (I have not used this option since I don't have it) is to use web camera via computer over the Internet. :) Everything that you say through relay is confidential and information is destroyed when callers hang up from the computer.
Q. Do you use the microphone/Fm system?
A. I have used the FM system (a device which a deaf/hard of hearing person wears a receiver and someone would wear a microphone) when I was in high school and college. It does help at times except when my ear acts up. Also helps with lip/speechreading too. Not all D/deaf people benefits from using FM system or loop but it is very helpful for some for lipreading and speechreading etc.
Q. What it is like not to be able to hear very well?
A. This is actually a very good question to ask. Since I never been hearing, I have no way of comparing hearing and deafness. It is very difficult to describe what it is like; I have read that some deaf/hard of hearing people have described it like being cut off from the world and people talking. It is like sounds are just far away or else not loud enough. Also it sounds like at times being under water which sounds are muted. D/deaf/Hard of hearing people who wears hearing aid for them and myself it just sounds different and we do not hear sounds as normally as hearing people would hear normally. Please realize that anyone who wears a hearing aid or cochlear implant (CI) will never actually hear naturally no matter what.
I had to remove that poem as I found out who wrote the poem and the link to the poem DEAF is here and it explains what it is like not being able to hear.
ANNOYING STUFF WE GET FROM HEARING PEOPLE:
1. Turn up your hearing aid/s. VOLUME does not help! Hearing aids only amplifies sound and alot of times it just make things worse when poeple shout or if there is extremely loud noise.
2. You are not listening! I HATE it when people say that to me just because I don't hear well doesn't mean I can hear every word alot of time every other sentence I go what or huh so much that those two itty bitty words are part of my vocabulary. Hearing aids are not like eye glasses you do not get 20/20 hearing.
3. When some hearing people goes never mind when you wanted to know what's going on. It is very annoying especially when you want to know what going on and stuff. Some hearing people won't give any tidbits or important details or gossip or communicate with you.
4. When someone emails you the email you have written previously and that person would email it back w/corrected English grammar. You do not correct deaf/hard of hearing people English or their grammar when they write. I am not in English class. If I want someone to edit MY emails, I write to people online friends or friends from college days or my family, I would ask someone to proofread them! Although for most deaf/hard of hearing people; they see English as foreign language as language we can't hear or hear very well yet writing is tricky. For some D/Deaf people English may not be their first language; ASL is their first language. Although I know English but I have been told when I write or talk I leave out little words well I think mostly it is because I started out learning sign language as a kid so it kinda stick with me and the fact I do not hear those little words. One more thing; do not ever insult other deaf/hard of hearing people's English skills. It is very embarrassing and for some it make them less likely attempt to improve their English when dealing with a person telling them that his/her English is better than theirs (deaf/hard of hearing person). English is a very complex language and much much harder for a D/deaf and hard of hearing person to get through it.
5. About Cochlear implants (CI): I have nothing against Cochlear Implants in adults since it is their decisions. It just the thought if a person decide to go through getting CI, they would have to go through auditory rehab and listening therapy all over again especially if they were deaf/hard of hearing all of their lives. About CI on children, I just cannot endorse it on children as the surgery seems invasive to me and it is elective surgery etc. Just try the hearing aids especially digital ones since techology advancing very rapidly and hearing aids will get better over time. Also I feel that some parents do not accept their child/children who are deaf as they are and they decide to get CI for their children. To me it is like some parents cannot accept their child who is deaf etc not to mention when their children/child first diagnosed as being deaf/hard of hearing there is grieving process that one goes through similar to losing a loved one.
6. Another aggravating thing that I get from some hearing people - luckily very rare - is to be told to change hearing aid battery in my hearing aid when I didn't hear or understand what person had said especially when you (me) just had changed the battery few days before! Do not ever ever say that to a D/deaf and hard of hearing person regarding their hearing aid as hearing aid can only do so much it does NOT make speech any clearer even if you were to change a hearing aid battery (unless it is going dead). In a very very powerful hearing aid, battery life (depends on the brand/model/make) can last anywhere from 1 week and half to 2 or 3 week. In my case, mine last about two and half week and yes my hearing aid (analog) is very powerful. Some hearing aids (not powerful ones) can last anywhere from a month or two. I may be wrong about less powerful hearing aid regarding battery. Now for Cochlear Implant (CI) battery (I do not have CI) it can last anywhere from 1 to 3 days as they use rechargable batteries.
Page was created on September 6, 2000. Edited/revised on August 4, 2008..