The deaf community exists because its the one place where deaf folks dont have to meet hearing expectations. We communicate on our own terms. Lipreading is a useful supplement, but you know its no substitute for relaxed, free-flowing conversation. At a certain point, the benefits you get from struggling to understand hearing folks is outweighed by the drawbacks - being left out of important conversations, feeling forever isolated, feeling intensely and painfully alone among everyone chatting at the dinner table. If you have some sense that socializing in the deaf community is slumming, you are missing out in a big way. Its a very rich community with interesting people, a fair amount of drama, some admirable leaders, long-running institutions and a fascinating history. Adopting a deaf identity or just being active in the deaf community doesnt make you anti-hearing. It just makes you practical. Youve got a life to live. You can live it among people you can understand and who understand you, because many of us have walked your path.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 16:07:52 +0000
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