Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Weep about being D/deaf...What!?

Some deaf people feel stressed about having struggles in areas specific to their deafness in various ways. They forget a great compliment in their life and are not grateful even though they should be. With my great desire to show the light for them, I want to show them that they need to start taking action and vision great things involved in their entire life. Seeing what they already have is a great result. They’ll be happier and find it more resilient afterwards.

A haiku for you:

I'm so thrilled to know
Great things into my whole life
Visioning them now


Written by Deb Ann and this photo by Flickr

20 comments:

* said...

Awesome DebAnn!

I am so proud of who I am...my deafness is part of who I am, but not all I am...I am so much more.

But, I am proud of me. :-)

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Yay, Jelly. Me too! I was born deaf but am proud of me! Agreed!

LaRonda said...

Tender, touching post. Affirming the "compliment" of life. Love it.

~ LaRonda

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

aww, thank you, LaRonda! Yes, that's perfect...affirming the compliment of life. Love you, good luck on June the 27th! I'm looking forward to your videos of the conference!

Wave ILY ;)

mervynjames224 said...

Unbelievably uncaring was the only view I got. Unless you have lost something you are in no position to tell others it's OK and to move on. Religion won't cure deafness either...It's one thing to be innocently in ignorance, another to 'put people in their place' because they have issues with deafness... Move on ? so by the same token we tell you the same ? Different then ?

Perhaps you have never seen people destroyed by deafness...

Unknown said...

Hi Deb,

I have seen that you mentioned that struggle exists because of deafness. May I add to that it is because of the hostility and the rejection of ASL by certain people that also contribute to the struggles. It takes support to make one feel that it is okay being deaf and feel pride in it. I view that your poem is so caring that since you view the positiveness of being Deaf, I can see that it is what you want others to view by showing them the light. You are simply reaching out your hand to encourage them to visualize great things that can do to make it positive so this is an incredible passion!

Actually, there are people who have been destroyed by heariness.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

MM,

The way you mentioned isn't about deafness or anything but is about you, yourself. Don't let deafness control whether having CI or not. It does matter about how you control your life if you're hard of hearing or deaf . . . Who cares. The life is too precious to ignore. You should be proud of yourself as a whole person no matter if you’re deaf or implanted. If your upcoming comment is too bitter, I would probably not moderate into my blog.

* said...

You go DebAnn!

I say be proud of who you are no matter what.
Deaf, Hearing, HOH, gay whatever...life is to short to be so bitter and unhappy.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Oh, hello Barb!
I’m really appreciated that you came here and gave your support to me for my deepest passion for all the deaf people all over whether if they have or are planning on having CI or not . . .
Once again, I’m so grateful for your wholehearted support to my poetry. While I was with my children and granddaughter, I was thinking about him and thought that he might be unhappy since he rejects it.
Please give your mom hugs for me. I’m still thinking about her and her lovely husband.
Caring and hugs,
Deb Ann

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Love you, Barb. Many thanks!

*tears*

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

*giggles*

You're damn right! Life is too short to be bitter and unhappy! Let's be joy!

Thanks for your support.

kim said...

Hi Deb Ann,
I always say hearing loss is not about loss of hearing. It's about the loss of so many other things we grieve-- easy communication with those we're close to, hobbies that once required good hearing, friendships that have gone by the wayside, disrupted career. . .These are the things we grieve for.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Some people have the ability to adjust and some other people need more time to adjust. It won’t be easy for anybody who goes through many things. Grieving is a way to heal when facing a challenge in his or her life. It’s hard for older adults, but they need some supports from a spouse, family, and friends. Thank you for your heart and kindness to drop a good message in a different perspective and honesty. I'm learning from you. You have contributed so much to late-deafened people by making
posts to different issues in your blog like Sarah in her blog. That’s what it counts. I’m sure that a lot of people are blessed to have you and Sarah. Keep up with your work to make it happen (and make it positive) for everyone in a late-deafened community.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Hugs and love you, Kim.

kim said...

Thanks Deb Ann,
I try to be positive because I honestly think that's the best way to deal with any hardship. That is not to say people shouldn't grieve over a loss, but after a time you need to pick yourself up and start living again. It's much harder for those who have no support. And I guess that's why so many organizations have sprung up for the late-deafened like SWC, HLAA and ALDA, and also why I blog. You need to feel good inside before you get a CI (if that's what you choose) because the CI doesn't change who you are inside. The self-esteem diminishes so much when we can no longer communicate effectively. The late-deafened do not have the benefit of a second language-- ASL. And even less support for learning it. I think there should be a law that provides ASL help to people who are late-deafened adn their families. It would help us transition so much more smoothly.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

*hugs*
I'm with you that dealing with a hardship and having a focus on oneself before getting a CI. It would be my dream for all the laws to be passed in USA for providing ASL classes to help people who are late-deafened and their families. That would be so nice.

* said...

I agree, it would be wonderful if ASL classes were free.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Hi Kym,
I have done it in a few different towns some years ago. I should do it again. ;)

SpeakUp Librarian said...

Hi Deb Ann,
Thanks for the "shout out" in your comment. The word that stood out to me in your haiku is visioning. I have become so much more visually aware since I've accepted myself as a late deafened person. That is a gift. I agree with LaRonda that life is a compliment.

I'm also glad to read MM's comment because his blog MM Unleashed brings joy to me. I know Deb Ann that you didn't mean your comment to be "unbelievably uncaring". That's just not you, Deb Ann. You're a sweetheart! I'll go on record saying MM I care about you and your viewpoint is valid - deafness hurts. Deb Ann is just showing us the other side of the coin with her haiku.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

Hugs to you, Sarah! Thank you so much for your hearty support to my poetry!

Many thanks! It brought a joy :)

Keep up with blogging; it brings to light their world. It goes the same with Kim and Kym (Jelly)