[misc.handicap] Greetings To "New On The Net"

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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