*Don't be afraid to ask anything, even if you think that it might be offensive! I'm just here to help you understand deafness better and what we our experiences might look like.* *I don't feel offended by these questions, so don't overreact or report these scratchers* Hi! I just had an idea. I don't usually post this stuff but I did it anyways. So... My idea is a project that all hearing(and deaf, too!) people can ask me questions about my deafness, but other questions are allowed, too. But, of course, there must be rules. ~No mean comments ~No questions about my personal informations ~No advertising ~Have fun
~Q/As~ (If you don't want to be mentioned, please inform me and I'll remove your username) @presmi10: The teacher said that if its a male hand signs are on forehead/for female its chin/ for gender-neutral its the middle of the face. But what about a person who identify themself as both genders? A: Well, sign names can be anywhere in your upper body, like in the air, hands, arms, chest, or your head. But I notice that most sign names are on the head, like mine, which is on my cheek. So, basically, the people who identify themselves as both genders, they can use their arms, hands, etc for their sign name's location. (I hope this is clear enough) @dawnshadow9: Why do you like being deaf? A: Because... It don't really change anything. We can do anything hearing people do. We only can't hear. But I am not fully deaf though. I can actually hear specific sounds! @presmi10: If you were to get hearing aids what color would you get? A: Well, I did have hearing aids before, but I hated them, it felt wrong for me. But, the first hearing aid I got was pink, while later on, I got a new pair, which was green and blue. But if I need to get them now, I'll chose light blue or white or both. @HeartPartPoems: What does it feel like to wear hearing aids? What do they do for you? A: That was long time ago! I don't really remember much. But it just felt like there's something in your ears and they help me hear stuff. But they can be annoying though. : What was the first thing you heard when you started wearing hearing aids? A: Hmm, I don't really remember, but I think it is the car engine. : What if you can't use subtitles? A: I don't watch the show then, lol. I deserve to enjoy movies, TV shows, et cetera. But if there's no captions, they don't deserve my view. : Is lip reading real? A: Yes, lip reading is real. But most deaf people, like myself, prefer not to learn how to do it because it is a difficult job. Others, however, did learn lip reading and oral program. The reason depends on the situation. But most deaf people learned to lip read because of their hearing parents, which is sad. As a deaf person, I believe in our culture and I felt like the deaf people should learn sign language because it is their first language, besides it is more suitable for us. : What is it like being deaf? A: I grew up being deaf and for me, I love being deaf. There is so much exciting challenges for me to overcome in this hearing world. Yes, I do feel dejected and lonely when I'm around hearing people and I'm the only one who's deaf. Still, I love being deaf because the silence in my world is pretty comforting (most of the time anyway). I can hear some specific noises, especially the loud ones. It is like the world is silent, with a bit of noises slipping in and out. : Can you hear your own thoughts? A: For me, I don't hear sounds. It is like soundless words are spoken in my head. It is kind of like writing in English in your own head but in a spoken way. But since I don't know how to pronounce things, the words become soundless but I can still understand. (Maybe a bit like in dreams) For others, though, they might see people signing in sign language or different languages. People think in different ways. Hopefully this is clear enough. : Is there anything you can still hear? How do you read without hearing yourself voice say the words? A: Yes! I can hear quiet a bit. I can only hear really loud noises but mostly they don't sound like anything. Just noises. Also I read visually. It is like looking at a banana and think 'Oh, that's a banana.' You don't need hear to tell that it is a banana. But I do try to voice words occasionally for fun, without knowing whether I said them right or not. (I have been in a speech therapy before but it didn't really work out for me) I read every night, so that really boosted my reading skills. : Do you use a hearing aid? A: I don't use them anymore. Even if I use them, I still don't understand anything. They're just noises, I just hear them better. But I did use them when I was younger, when I tried to learn how to speak. : How often do you feel like you get accurate representation in things like media or shows, etc? :) A: If it was a deaf person, yes. But as for hearing people... They often represent us wrong. For instance, there's this popular trend a few months ago about people yawning on plane and deaf people misinterpreting it as a scream. That's NOT true. We can tell the difference between yawning and screaming. But there are some hearing people that asked deaf people for advice and stuff like that. I like that better. Check before doing it. : How do you talk to you friends? Do they use sign language? A: Yes! I go to a deaf school. They sign with me. But if I have hearing friends, I will just use gestures with them. Or use phones for communication.
