Personal Narrative: The Deaf

Yes, it started late November. I had been in a daze for exactly one year, five months, and twenty-five days. It was the most fascinating vision ever: he was there with me and we got lost in our own world. Each day we added more to our illustration of the future which ultimately became the least of our worries since we were sure we would remain together. Then it all suddenly began to deteriorate. The colors were fading, the sounds, the smells, the sights; I became aware that it was too good to be true. As a result of this gradually growing inability to see it through as reality, on my last day I had become blind, deaf, and unable to taste or smell; I could only feel. What I felt during my last moments was a reassuring embrace from him and

Louise was informed by doctors and Friends not to use gestures or sign to Lynn but to only talk to her and treat her as a normal child so that she someday may become oral and learn to speak.

My first recollection of meeting my first deaf person was in elementary school in Sandpoint, Idaho. She was a fellow classmate of mine in fifth grade. I remember clearly, the first time I met her. Unfortunately I did not leave a great first impression due to my curiosity and overzealousness to create fast friends. She sat two seats away for me. I decided on the second day of class that I wanted her to be my friend despite any apparent interest on her end.

I was interested in immersing myself with this group because they are a community of people that I’ve often wondered about. I’ve always wondered about the way they communicate with others and was it hard being deaf or hearing impaired in some ways. As myself, I learned that most people feel uncomfortable when meeting a Deaf person for the first time and this is very normal. When we communicate with people, we generally don’t have to think about the process. When faced with a Deaf person, we are uncertain which rules apply. We don’t know where to look, or how fast or loud to speak. When the Deaf person gives us a look of confusion, we don’t know how to correct the problem. Accept the fact that your initial

Misophonia Was Its NameIt felt like my ears were being clawed at by sharp nails, and as if it could not get any worse, it seemed as if the wounds that remained had poisons rubbed into them to even further set me into a state of agony. Everyday I was alive I couldn't help but bawl and beg for some sort of mercy, to make the pain stop, but because no one understood why I was in such pain, they did not know how to stop hurting me. The strangest thing of all though, was that even I did not know why I was hurting so horribly! Why was this happening, and did this daily tragedy have meaning behind it, perhaps?It seemed that these pains always happened when I was around other people-people making noises and sounds I didn't enjoy. When I went to school, I consistently heard hands wiping against papers, pencils being

The one of the first Deaf event this semester happened last Friday, March 16th, and frankly I didn’t want to go. I detest talking to people without reason, thus, the fact I had to have conversation as a part of the assignment was torture to prepare for. Even on the drive to Starbucks I was giving myself reasons not to go, but if I didn’t go to this event it would just be more stressful to go to the next event. I arrived at Starbucks and started to look for where I needed to be and the moment I saw them huddled in a group it increased apprehension and I decided to focus on getting a drink first. Conquer one issue at a time. I met saw my classmates, Karin and Lauren, and we plotted on how to integrate into the circle we slowly started signing

I am planted by strangers, in a field that never ends. I was found in Central America, where I was domesticated 5,ooo years ago. They decided to call me sweet potato, but to scientist I am called Ipomoea batatas a name I can’t even pronounce. I also am a pain to take care of. I need lots of water in a day, need sunlight, and the temperature needs to be 65 to 70F. I am harvested every year around summer time. Lots of people buy, my friends and I at the market for calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. My friends and I are jostled around in carts getting bruises and cuts. Finally the person places me down with some of my friends, in front of the cash register. The beep noise goes right into my ear and for a second I think I’m deaf.

My daughter Shelby Wall was first diagnosed with hearing loss at the tender age of six. Her hearing loss continued to diminish throughout grade school. Her hearing loss made socializing with family and friends almost impossible at times. When she entered high school last year, she would come home complaining everyday that she was missing the instructions given by her teachers. Shelby is an honors student who has continuously received straight A’s and the see her struggle was heart breaking. After many doctor’s appointments, MRI scans, and dozens of tests, they are still unaware of the cause of her hearing loss, but were able to determine that she had no hearing in her left ear and severe hearing loss in her right. We were informed that she

Benjamin Franklin Once said “You can do anything you set your mind to.” Only now have I realized how true this is. I always thought that Deaf people couldn’t do what hearing people could do. and that they had all these things that they couldn’t do, when in reality I was being naive . Deaf people can do anything they want to, except hear. I was also naive for not thinking about how Deaf people have their own culture. And now that I think about it, it's obvious that they have their own culture. All languages have their own culture. Part of their culture is that many of them, if they had the choice, would choose to stay deaf than be able to hear. And to me this is just weird, but that’s just part of my culture. It’s scary for me to imagine a life

not want to see better. (If it seems impossible to imagine a person who does not

If I were a hearing parent of a deaf child, would I give a CI to my child?

I was in a restaurant and a mother came in with her around five years old boy. The boy was a loud voice for breakfast and he caught my attention due to his loud voice. He told his mother he wanted pancakes, when the mother said okay on the pancake, he shouted “Yeah!” Then, he asked his mom if he could play with his toy. The mother said yes and again, another loud “Yeah!”

I loathed the men who viewed me as a sexual object before a human being. A 16 year old child. Awarding me lustful stares that I do not return, licking their already moist pink lips while walking forcefully towards me. Never forgetting to aggressively shout in my face on how sexy I looked as they passed me by. A 16 year old child. I shared this story with my friends, they contemplated it and asked carelessly "well, what were you wearing?"

The morning was normal, my dad greeted me with a hug and kiss then a bowl of cereal, but I could not shake the feeling that something was lost or missing. Throughout the day I had just sat on my couch wrapped in blankets and the warm embrace of my dad’s arms while we just sat there watching Chowder laughing so hard that we snort, but his laugh was quieter. His phone then starts to ring and he gets up to leave the room so I do not here what he has to say, but I heard him say, “Yeah, Karen’s mom, Ruth, died this morning. By this point my heart dropped and I started shaking. One of the biggest influences in my life gone and I did not want to believe it so i squinted my eyes and shut off my ears to the world. “This isn’t real AJ. I promise you this isn’t real,” I kept telling myself knowing the truth however. The day, however, would only get worse.

I hear several loud bangs while I sleep. I soon realize my mom is knocking on my bedroom door. Confused, I get up to unlock and open my door. I immediately notice that my mom is crying. My mom says, “We have to go, grandpa is dying.” She can barely get the last three words out. My heart drops. I initially think I’m dreaming but I soon realize this is very real. I instantly get dressed, when I walk out to the kitchen my mom is waiting. We leave for the hospital.