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What Would You Do?

I don't know whether to be livid or just dumbfounded that a postal worker would risk their job to park in a HC spot. This is the spot I park in at work. I took the picture and wrote down truck numberas waited for the mail carrier to come back to her truck. When she did, I said to her in a duh-fashion "you are in a hc space ! " since I'm total deaf I have no idea her response but her body .language and gesstures conveyed frustration, or maybe annoyance that I called her on it. I was going to report this but h ave since cooled down, think will let it pass and see if happens again, not likely. I really wouldn't want someone losing their job over it. Still, that takes nerve for a fed employee (postal workers are fed employees ?) . What would you do ?

Top 10 Responses to "I'm Deaf" or "I'm HOH" from hearing people

-- contributed by Chris Littlewood (Please comment or add your own best responses)

So we have all been in a situation with one or more hearing person that we have just met where it becomes necessary to explain that we are deaf/hoh. Some of these responses will never cease to amaze me. I keep a sense of humor about it, but these are the top ten responses I think I have had to telling someone I am deaf or hoh:

1. “Me too! I know I hear less out of my right ear than my left.” Or sometimes just “Me too” (and then they go on and on and on, and you’re smiling and thinking where’s the exit?).
2. “Oh really, my brother’s, cousin’s, sister’s, best friend’s, roommate’s accountant is hard of hearing.”
3. “I’m sorry, what?” (Sometimes they are trying to be funny, sometimes they’re not and sometimes they are funny and sometimes they’re NOT.).
4. “Arghh, Nevermind!” (You are now invisible, the person that said this will talk to the people around you, near you, and sometimes through you, but may never again talk to you. Hey, it is that person’s loss.)
5. “SO CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME NOW !!?”
6. “Ha ha, no your not!” (This is not Seinfeld!)
7. “Well why don’t you wear (or turn up) your hearing aid?”
8. “Well just look at me and read my lips then!” (Said the guy with the bushy mustache and goatee)
9. “I’ll say it one more time!!”
10. “Oh, that’s O.K”…….(“Geee thanks!” Is what your thinking and you were not apologizing).
    

Welcome Matthew Howard Thorton Baxter

It' s so hot don't feel much like doing anything. But have a houseful of boxes that need unpacked, have to crawl out of bed 6:15 am most days, meals to cook, menus to plan. blah blah blah, who cares!

So what' s new ? My baby brother welcomed his first child into the world – born on the 4th of July! Thought so cool to be born on such a festive day. It's my favorite holiday with no stress inducing demands like gift buying (which I do enjoy). just lax around, maybe bbq or cook up a nice summer dinner than go watch fireworks if inclined. This year we went to Coachman park, and personally, was impressed. Love the view of Clearwater harbor right there and the FW were as good as they come. It was packed with families and people milling about the vendors, watching the concert on stage (nice to watch but makes me miss hearing). But sweet silence soon filled the air when the FW started and it was like hearing perfectly again as can feel each BOOM as anyone. Now back to the new baby. I went up Natures Food Patch in the morning on the 4th to get last minute munchies and a few baby gifts, a card for the new mom. As I was walking out Hulk Hogan walked! We’ve seen him there before so wasn’t exactly star struck. But this time a light bulb flicked on, as walked to my car – eureka! My sis-in-law Danielle is a huge wrestling fan, whether she likes HH or not I could not let this opportunity pass. With card in hand I ventured back into the store, I located him sitting in the café and apologetically approached as blabbled out something like “sis new baby, one hour ago, loves wrestling, sign for her pls?”. He pleasantly smiled and signed a nice congrats on the card I just bought. How cool is that? few pics below. One is 20 seconds old and while I think beautiful maybe not for everyone.

Happy Easter!

Well it's Easter morning, a beautiful day! Just got done preparing a boneless New Zealand leg of lamb and its roasting nice0ly in oven. Was fun preparing. Pureed in the vitamix bunch of rosemary, thyme, marjoram, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of maple syrup. Will be off to spend the day with family, that is with those who show up :0) I try not to miss family gatherings say even if have an injured knee, busy with 'other things', etc. It will be a fun day.

A Word from your President

My fellow Americans ...

Let me just say that to do what we have to do is the honorable thing and the honorable thing to do is always right.

I bought new underwear. It was the right thing to do. Men understand that, women understand that. It's a universal constant. When a prince from Saudi Arabia was asked 35 years ago what he wore under his robe, he replied "BVD's", a popular brand of underwear at the time.

How's this relate to deafness? You may recall that many hearing folk think that sign language is universal - like undies. It's not. We use ASL as do the Canadians outside Quebec, the British use BSL, Germans use DGS, French and Swiss use LSF, Norwegians - NTS.

The world is rich in sign language diversity. There are over 100 different signed languages used throughout the world today and 60 of them have their own written component, as evidenced here:
http://www.signbank.org/signpuddle/

What's this mean for us? More fun! Here's a great page to look at:
Cat in the Hat video
It includes a sign video in ASL of the last few paragraphs of The Cat in the Hat, an English translation, and SignWriting.

You can check out a few of the other languages and read their signs. Some only have a few as of yet, others, like the German site, have many.

Enjoy! :-)

Bill

Was Helen Keller right?

As a deaf person I don't think so. I'm referring to Helen Keller's well known quote about how with blindness you lose things, with deafness you lose people. I wouldn't dare negate her views - a woman who accomplished so much. But I'd debate that quote. Imagine going to the grocery store totally blind, you would need someone with you EVERY TIME to tell you whats on the shelves. Or never seeing a sunset, a pretty tree, the ocean. Imagine having a toddler to keep track of.

Sure blind people have equipment to help like the deaf do, but still , every time this debate is brought up as was mentioned at last nights ALDA meeting, I can't help but think deafness pales compared to the limitations blindness woul d bring. what do you think?

Here's a HK quote I like

Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

and here's some more of her quotes http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Helen_Keller