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From: Vixen@f11.n203.z1.fidonet.org (Vixen)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: DEAF AND/OR HEARING IMPAIRED
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Date: 28 Feb 91 16:09:52 GMT
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[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Hi Annie,

As for me, I personally prefer deaf or hearing impaired. Not that
it is really of any great import in the grand scheme of things, But
yes, I much prefer to be called "hearing impaired" over hard of
hearing."

My explaination: Where and when I was growing up, people who were
refered to as "hard of heraring" often brought the image of old
people with ear horns saying, "eh, what was that again, eh?" Having
been born a hearing child, I still quite remember this little
pantomine being carried out many times between us kids from
elementary level school age to high school ages.  Further, so many
many many television situation comedies had someone play a "hard of
hearing"  relative or friend whose hearing loss was meant to be a
source of laughter for the viewing audience as the actors around
the "hard of hearing" character displayed (almost always) their
annoyance, impatience and even devaluation of the hard of hearing
persons existance in their midst. Sad to say, much of this attitude
still shows and is alive and well and the image is still being
perpetuated. In fact, it is not strange to find hearing people
making crass jokes and that same little pantomine about being "hard
of hearing."

For me, the label "hard of hearing" has an extremely negative
connotation. Those deaf who feel that hearing people think that
they are ignorant or stupid and uneducated simply because of their
deafness, should also know those of us who are so called "hard of
hearing" quite often deal with that same mess of problems!

People seem to want "hard of hearing" or hearing impaired to "hear"
the way they do and I have, these last few years become acutely
aware of just how "angry" people become when we cannot understand
them. Especially if we can understand them one moment and then not
the next! Speaking for myself, I have been insulted, mocked and
walked away from quite a number of times. I think that normally
hearing people retain those earlier mentioned images of "Hard of
Hearing" people and they want us to be "normally" hearing even more
than they want those who they know are deaf, to be hearing. This
the moreso if the H.I. person wears hearing aids or other devices
which some people seem to think must give the H.I. person normal
hearing in all situations. And, as I have  experienced  myself,
some people also find the devices we use an excuse to make fun or
ridicule.

Of course, I don't really go into a fit if someone refers to me as
"Hard of Hearing" but I do strongly prefer hearing impaired as I
think it has a less negative image to hearing people.

This is all subjective, but I just wanted to share my feelings.

Keepin' the faith!

.                           Vixen

..."What place is this?"

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