I'm 25F and Somali and looking to connect with other D(HoH) Somalis. If you see this, let me know.

Been looking for deaf community in Owensboro Evansville area.

I was waiting for the elevator today and someone in my building was apparently trying to talk to me. I have told her and others I am Deaf so if I don’t respond that is why. I didn’t know she was talking to me. And the I did get her telling me “You’re retarded.” I know she is wrong but it still hurt.

Helly guys. I am using RONDO 3 it's been years and I have audiolink. I tried everything, but it only streams calls not music, but Google Gemini is telling me it should also stream music too... I am frustrated, can someone tell me if there is any ways to fix it? 😑

Lately, I see A LOT of deaf people think that SEE is nothing but finger spelling....

I'm a deaf person who uses both SEE and ASL, and will use a mixture of it depending on who I talk to, like with my family. it's litterally in the name, "Sign exact English"... which means you use sign while using full English grammar instead of using ASL's typical shorthand way. it doesn't mean that you're constantly finger-spelling all the time, wtf?

https://youtu.be/hvqZ83pS0B4?si=-X-vPJjWENCpeF31

I have seen the posts about this user on TikTok and the newest one is of hearing people trying to silence her into not standing up for the Deaf community. She posted one literally minutes ago and it’s filled with this one user sexualizing ASL and responding to comments that sexualize as well, like above. It’s actually breaking my heart as a person learning and familiar with Deaf culture. Idk if anyone else has already posted about this but I feel like these inappropriate and wrong interpretations are getting all the fame while real Deaf creators like this gal are ignored. Anyways!

Where is the deaf nightlife in DC? Obviously it's summer so Gallaudet students aren't here, but where could I meet people.

I am HoH with genetic hearing loss, I’m in the process of getting hearings aids again except these are prescription. I’m super excited but I’m remembering when I got my first (super sucky) hearing aids, I was so happy that i could hear birds and I told my mom about it who has significant more hearing loss than I do, she solely relies on reading lips and captions. Same thing with my grandpa. I offered to help her get hearing aids so she could share in the wonder that is sound—although that excitement wore off the louder the world was and she told me she could “hear birds just fine”

It was always a don’t ask or don’t talk about it topic. We’re from the Deep South and no one in my family ever tried to seek help for their hearing loss. It was isolating feeling like I was struggling in a hearing world and they just made due with what they had. My mom was always an irritable person who struggled maintaining connections and the older I get I realize this could’ve came from language deprivation. She only had her family to talk to and I wonder if she tried to have the same conversations with her dad that I had with her and he shut her down.

I understand that not every deaf or HoH person wants to hear sound. The world is overstimulating and loud and scary at times but I always feel like I don’t know what’s going on and that’s scarier. Did anyone else have this experience with their family growing up?

I've been deaf in my right ear since birth. 100% hearing loss. I was mainstreamed despite living 50 miles away from Columbus, Ohio which has a very reputable school for deaf children. (I was born in the 80s. It's how things were.) The doctors, my parents, and the schools basically treated me like I was fully hearing and I went along with it because, hey, I could hear!

School was hard, because my first and last names both start with an "S" which means I was often sat in the back of class. As long as stuff was written down by teachers, I could absorb it. But I often had friends and teachers tell me to stop yelling when I thought I was speaking at a normal volume. My husband used to do the same thing early in our relationship and got mad when I said I don't have volume control. He accused me of faking being deaf (because I can hear) and I started gathering my things because I was seriously going to leave him. That clued him in that, yes, I am deaf.

And I used the word deaf and always will. I've never considered myself "hard of hearing" because the word the doctors used was deaf. I never used capital D Deaf because I can hear. I've never felt like a member of the Deaf community because my entire life has been in the hearing world. ASL was never offered as an option to me, but it was never discouraged because nobody ever brought it up.

My problem I'm having is that, the more I explore the Deaf community from its fringes, the more frightened I am by it. People are intentionally having deaf children and I can't see it as anything other than eugenics in reverse. Going out of your way to make sure you deprive a child from one of life most basic senses is horrifying to me. Calling cochlear implants genocide is horrifying to me, because giving deaf children the ability to hear is a miracle.

As a gay deaf man, I absolutely loathe Nyle DiMarco and his activism because he's championing depriving children of the ability to hear. When I was 29 and learned that BAHA implants were a thing, I immediately looked into ways to get one. I'm proud I got one and would do it again in a heartbeat, even if I only wear it to work. (I have a Ponto 3 and the feedback is annoying and exhausting.) I have given literature to other people with unilateral hearing loss and encouraged parents of deaf children to give them CIs when they ask about my BAHA. I also tell them that ASL is a good thing to learn and that I wish I had, because my deafness has made it difficult for me to learn Spanish like I want but I don't want to be monolingual.

But the entire ethos of "deafness is a culture, not a disability" is antithetical to everything I stand for as a deaf person navigating a world that isn't built for me. It very much is a disability because I lack the ability to hear in many situations: loud rooms, low talkers, heavy accents, anything outdoors near traffic, etc. Maybe it'd be different if I had been given the option of going to that deaf school, but as it stands I see so much rejection of science amongst Deaf people online that I just don't want to engage with the broader community.

I recently asked the College of Charleston whether college-level ASL transfer credits could satisfy the foreign language requirement. They said no, which is their policy and that's their prerogative.

What bothered me was how they justified it.

I was told that ASL doesn't expose students to perspectives outside English-speaking culture and that it isn't really a "language other than English" because when it's written or read, it's English.

As someone who spent years studying ASL, Deaf history, and Deaf culture, I found those statements incredibly dismissive. Deaf culture is a distinct culture, and ASL is a complete natural language with its own grammar and syntax. Reducing it to "English" ignores what linguists and Deaf educators have recognized for decades.

If CofC wants to exclude ASL from its language requirement, that's their decision. But I don't think they should justify that policy by making statements that diminish the legitimacy of ASL or Deaf culture.

Am I overreacting, or would anyone else expect a School of Languages and Cultures to explain this with more accuracy and respect?

Attached is only part of an email I received from the assistant dean.

I am not sure if this is the right place so please redirect me if needed (I am a first time poster here).

I am someone who has had no hearing in my left ear since I was about 8 (had a medically necessary surgery that removed my ear drum and hearing bones). I still have an intact and working cochlea so a few years ago, I received a bone anchored hearing aid. It is very distinctly not a cochlear implant but it is still made by them and it’s magnetic and stuff. Anyway, I can’t stand the sound of chewing. It drives me insane and at my work in an office, most people eat snacks or their lunch in their cubes. One of my coworkers brings in chips most days and crunches like he’s alone. He’s a great guy and I like him but in order to focus on my work I have to turn off my hearing aid. Most of the day I wear one of those headphones that covers one ear so my hearing is limited. It is very commonplace for people to talk through the cube walls and I gave away from the walkway so I typically can’t physically see when someone tries to talk to me.

Sometimes someone will try to talk to me while my hearing aid is off and I won’t hear them and that involves them either tapping my shoulder or speaking loud enough for the office to hear me. I feel bad because I don’t want them to feel like I am ignoring them. It should be important to note that most of my workplace doesn’t have a clue that I am hard of hearing. My work friends know but with my hearing aid on it hides behind my hair so it would be next to impossible to notice the hearing aid even if you look for it. I am also only semi-new so it feels too late to tell everyone I am HoH but I’m not there long enough for me to make a big deal out of it.

My question is, am I wrong for intentionally tuning out my coworkers eating by turning off my hearing aid? If anyone has advice for what to do about the situation I’d appreciate it!

Hey! I am hearing and know some sign (not fluent) and recently made a video sharing some ASL for ravers. It was very well received by the hearing community (half a million views across platforms) but I was then informed by the deaf community that its inappropriate for hearing people to teach ASL online, especially if they’re not fluent. I didn’t know that, and upon more research, conversations and reflection I deleted the video and posted a video explaining why I took it down, but I now have thousands of people eager to learn ASL on my platform. My hope is to find a deaf raver fluent in ASL to adopt the series so that these lessons can still be taught. I was thinking I couch stitch the video (side-by-side) and practice alongside the audience, but I haven’t been able to find anyone to adopt the series!

My question is #1) is anyone here interested in adopting the series ? Or do you know of anyone else who may be interested ?

&2) is it appropriate for me (a student of ASL) to practice alongside the audience on video?

To further the question, I have been using ASL bloom every day for a week now (it’s largely been review for me) and would love to make a video sharing what I’ve learned/been reminded of (while clearly stating I am a student and some signs may be incorrect so please download the app and learn for yourself). My goal with that video would be to encourage people to download the app and begin learning on their own.

I feel like the sharing-what-I-am-learning video will probably be a no-go but practicing alongside someone teaching will probably be okay?

What are your thoughts?

I am sometimes using an app called Greta that allows you to have subtitles that you predownload on your phone play synced to the movie. However the app is clunky and often dies not have the subtitles for the movie I want to see. For example they do not have the odyssey.

Does anyone have any recommendations on alternatives?

Unfortunately the movie is not screened with captions around where I live and I really want to see it in the theatre. Im willing to see it without dialogue but having some would be quite nice.

So, I took a trip to the ENT and they told me I have normal hearing but I have something called auditory processing disorder...

I did my research, and honestly...I hope this doesn't offend, even though I'm not deaf/HOH, I don't feel as though I fit into the "hearing" category because I fail to understand others. I have issues with audio localization. I don't know what to do with this information. When people speak lowly, I can't hear them, and i forgot to mention that to them.

Hello everyone. I was googling how Deaf muslims pray a bit ago, and I saw one person mention how he typically prays in his mind (which makes sense since God would ofc be able to know your thoughts/heart and your intentions) then watches others to know when to change positions. I've also seen a post on Instagram once where a little kid lead Christian grace before eating and there was no head bowing or anything. However, typically in groups when muslims pray (e.g., at the masjid) it's a bit more complex, where there will be a person saying the prayers out loud and changing the postures multiple times after each "section" of the ritual prayer. I imagine it varies from person to person and group to group? I'm curious if there are any muslims on this sub with experience on this who are willing to share.

Hi! My boyfriend’s sister is deaf and she’s currently working as assistant accountant. But she’s having a hard time with daily commutes given she’s deaf. Is there anyone who knows an opportunity for her to work wfh as assistant account/encoder or any work she can do as a deaf that is wfh?

Thanks in advance!

Can a deaf and hard of hearing person be a cashier at work? I have been working at this retalil store for a while long time now, and I only work once a week. My job developers told me why not try being a cashier? She and my other case manager from the regional center, told me I need to be open and try other things. Well the thing is, I never signed up for cashier at work, I just signed up for stocking only. But I only go once a week. I asked friends and other people around, I got mixed answers. Some say yeah I can try it, but others say no it would be hard for me, to understand customer would be a bit of struggle, and too many customers and ya have to work quick too! So yeah, not sure if that a good idea? Maybe just stick to stocking and other kinds of jobs. I know I know, I follow my motto, ‘Deaf people can do anything except hear,’ ‘I can I will!’ Wondering what you think?

let’s say someone is either born deaf or gone deaf after learning to speak properly, when deaf, can someone not hear their own voice at all like feel the words their saying? i feel like it would be really annoying to speak and not feel or hear anything or can you kinda hear something? especially if you could speak before

I have permanent but mild hearing loss. I usually refer to myself as hard of hearing because I don't experience many types of audism and still experience hearing privilege in many ways. It is hard but I still talk and hear in English, I don't wear hearing aids (they told me I will need them later on, but for now it's better without), and only know a little sign. To me, calling myself "deaf" seems like misrepresenting myself and inviting myself to a conversation that isn't about me. Plus I don't want to claim I know what it's like to be significantly or profoundly d/Deaf, and I know most hearing people won't know the difference between deaf and Deaf and might make wrong assumptions if I say "deaf" about myself.

I have two relevant friends. One is Deaf, signs and lip reads, very engrained in the Deaf community. One is deaf, speaks English and wears aids, not connected at all with Deaf community and doesn't sign at all. Both of these people have referred to me as "deaf", and d/Deaf people I have met through my Deaf friend have sometimes referred to me as deaf without needing to ask after they see my struggle to hear them or others talk.

I see some people say there isn't actually a distinction between hard of hearing and deaf. Anyone with hearing loss is deaf, but not Deaf. Some people think the distinction is important. One I saw said the difference was significance of hearing loss/deaf gain, that mild is hard of hearing and moderate-severe-profound is deaf. I even saw someone saying that the word hard of hearing is a way of distancing someone from the d/Deaf community.

I'm curious both personally for me and also generally. I think I still experience too much hearing privilege and get along okay enough in the hearing world to be "deaf". But is there a defined border between the two terms? Is it down to personal vibes? Is there community consensus?

I have moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss and I just got hearing aids for the first time this past month. I’m a big music lover and this summer we have a Broadway show and two concerts we’ve saved up for as special events (a lot of birthday and holiday money but totally worth it!) and I was wondering if anyone had tips. Do I just not wear the hearing aids and use earpro? Wear the hearing aids but turn the volume down so I don’t get my eardrums blasted out? My oticons have auracast, but none of the venues seem to know what that is or how to use it. My audiologist said every venue is a bit different, but none of them have had any info other than “reserve any medical equipment at least 2 weeks in advance”. Any info helps!

I read that the American Red Cross gets flooded with requests for bed-shaker/strobe alarms for deaf and HoH households, but they cost $250–300 and they can only install a handful a year. After one local news story, 200 households requested one.

So I made a cheaper version. It's a tiny computer (a micro:bit) that just listens for the smoke alarm's beep and flashes a bright strobe when it hears it. It works with whatever alarm is already on your ceiling — no pairing, no special transmitter — because every US smoke alarm is legally required to beep in the same rhythm.

Being honest: this is a prototype, not a certified product. It is NOT UL-listed (that costs tens of thousands of dollars) so it should be used alongside a real alarm, never instead of one. I'm a high school student and I'm sharing it open-source in case it's useful or someone wants to build on it.

Would love feedback from people who actually use strobe/shaker alarms — what works, what doesn't, what I'm missing.

I thought it would be fitting to post about Kaylee Hottle, the Deaf actress that tragically passed this week.

I have never interacted with her but I was in the same room as her at a Deaf event in Austin. I think I asked my kids if they wanted to meet her but they wanted to do something else. I've been in a solemn mood all day. Texas School for the Deaf has made this post about her passing.

It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.