GE0013@SIUCVMB.BITNET (Roy Miller) (07/07/90)
Index Number: 9050
Hi Gary,
I want to welcome you to the echo. I am sure that in the long
haul you will make many friends, pick up a little worthwhile advice,
get some catharsis from "getting things off your chest," and
enjoy the free and unlimited social support that the other
members of the echo are generally quite willing to give.
You indicated that you became profoundly hard of hearing due to
Meniere's Disease some 7 years ago when you were 36 years old.
And then you go on to ask basically two important questions. (1)
"How do you deal with it? and (2) "Would anybody out there lead
me towards help, aid, and understanding of my problem?
Well, partner, meet another late-deafened adult. I lost my
hearing three years ago at the age of 47 due to the surgical
removal of bilateral acoustic neuromas (tumors on the hearing
nerves). Unlike you though, I do not have "some hearing" left; I
am totally deaf. And please believe me when I say, like several
others have already done, indeed there is life after deafness!!!!
I am a college professor and am now back teaching again. I go
whitewater rafting, canoeing, SCUBA diving, rock climbing, caving
and a lot of other things some people think you shouldn't do
because you are deaf (BULL FEATHERS!!!). I know how it feels to
be a "fish out of water." You no longer feel comfortable in the
hearing world in which you grew up because of the tremendous
communication problems you have with hearing people. Nor do you
fit in with the born deaf who sign in a language that you have no
understanding of (ASL) at the rate of 90 miles per hour. As you
indicated, your "so called friends" start disappearing, and the
social, familial, and personal problems that ensue seem to be
insurmountable -- BUT THEY ARE NOT!!!
(1) How do you deal with it? Nearly all the problems flow from
communication difficulties, so you must tackle that very basic
area of difficulty first. (a) You can take a crash course in
speechreading; you can use "How to" books, and/or you can develop
skills via the use of videotapes. Unfortunately, speechreading
is not something which everyone can do, and is something which
only a few people do very well (but almost everyone can develop a
skill level such that they get some benefit from that
communications aid). However, there certainly are several
structural barriers to the total effectiveness of speechreading
(full Lincoln beards, darkness, cigars, distance, etc) so most
people can never rely exclusively on speechreading as a mode of
communications. (b) You can develop signing skills (especially
receptive) and make use of signing interpreters for the deaf.
Under various situations, the use of interpreters is your legal
right under sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If
you are not aware of the provisions of that Act just let me know
your snail mail address and I will be glad to mail you a copy of
the Act. (c) If you have a significant other and want to develop
some communication skills in a lot less time than is normally
required to develop a signing competence, you can learn the
basics of "cued speech." Gallaudet University gives a one-week
intensive training workshop in cued speech every summer, and
there are competent instructors of the system scattered all over
the U.S. Again, if you know nothing about cued speech, just give
a yell and people on this echo will be glad to provide you with
more information. (d) When all else fails, you can always revert
to the "bottom line" for a late-deafened adult -- textual aids.
Your first language (and perhaps only language at this point in
your life) is English. You already know both the grammar and
syntax of the language, and have a large vocabulary. Therefore,
you can always "read" things just about as fast as hearing people
can "hear" things. So carry a laptop computer (like I do at
times), or use a notebook computer, or carry a pencil and pad of
paper -- and don't be embarrassed to use them! Remember,
"communication" is the name of the game, not "hearing" -- and
even though you may not be able to "hear" much at all anymore,
you can still "communicate" in any number of ways!!!
(2) Could anybody out there lead me towards help, aid, and
understanding of my problem? Most certainly. You should get in
touch with the Association of Late-Deafened Adults as soon as you
can. The president of ALDA is Bill Graham whose address is
2445 West Cuyler, Chicago, IL 60618 (phone 312--604-4192). Get
in touch with Bill, and I am sure your contact will be fruitful.
In the meantime, let me know your mailing address and I will see
that you are added to the ALDA mailing list to receive their
newsletter. The national meeting of ALDA will be held in Chicago
in October, and you may want to consider attending to network
with a bunch of ALDANs (like yourself) and get a lot of good
information.
Well, I have gone on long enough for now. As I said, "welcome to
the echo," and believe me, indeed there is "life after deafness."
(But you have to do more than your share to "make" it happen.
Just "wishing things were different" won't get the job done!)
ROY E. MILLER
THE PROFESSOR WHO NEVER LISTENS,
BUT WHOSE EYES HEAR A LOT
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