IamA Person Who Was Deaf From Birth AMA!

Have you ever watched porn with the sound on really loud and not realized?

Yes, it was awkward as fuck, i was watching a porno without my hearing aid on, but just felt the vibration when it hit the 2 minute mark. Needless to say i freaked the fuck out...

When did you realise farts had a sound?

The rule is for me, DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES. I only learnt when i was 6 when i saw people stare at me disgusted..

What language did you think in when you couldn't hear things?

Well, obviously i had the hearing aid implanted when i was one year old, so i wasn't really capable of thinking and all but i only learned to talk via intense therapy.

Hello! It looks from your pictures that you have a cochlear implant, and you mention that you do not use sign language. Have you had any negative experiences with the deaf community as a result of this? My mother is a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, and it always would baffle me when she would mention babies not getting implants/surgeries to fix their hearing because of encouragement from the deaf community that being deaf is not a handicap.

Part Two: What superpower would you have if you fell into a vat of toxic waste?

Well, ive never met any adults in the deaf community, so it would be a bit hard to answer that.

The superpower i would have would be: Enhanced feel of vibrations

Do you hear things in your dreams?

I do, it's like when they said blind people can see in dreams.

What not-so-obvious advice do you have for hearing people to do or not do when communicating with deaf people?

Try and articulate your words, i find it really it hard to understand people if they don't talk normal speed and not crameverysinglewordintoonesentence.

How do you think not bring able to hear has affected you as a person? Personality, tendencies, etc?

I think it's made me a bit awkward, like thinking over the same thing to try and be less, I have conversations with my self sometimes, so i guess that is from being deaf. I tend to over think a bit sometimes.

Good question.

Have you ever wanted to learn sign language? I grew up in a deaf house hold, father is Deaf (big D not little d) and my mother is an ASL interpreter. I've know deaf kids and adults that did not learn sign language and they felt like they didn't fit in with the deaf crowd or the hearing crowd. Do you ever feel this way?

I didnt get taught sign language, as i wore an implant and i really don't care if i don't fit in the hearing crowd because i hardly go up to meet with other deaf people.

Do accidental faux-pas offend or annoy you?

"Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays"

"It's just that [opinion], hear what I'm sayin?"

Yes, like /u/annoyedguy44 said, its not the words, just when they apologise.

What's the best way you "milked" you deafness to your benefit?

Edit: your

It's usually like getting them to repeat stuff, but the best time was when someone used a hearing microphone and i overheard we're going to get a surprise test, lets just say, it wasn't too surprising for me...

Ninja edit: Page five is the type of thing they used .

Hi, thank you for doing this AMA. My younger sister is also deaf, I have a couple of questions for you.

1. Are you 100% deaf in both ears, or can you hear a little bit with out the hearing aids?

2. Is your hearing impairment familial or was it a one off case?

3. Did the doctors give you any cause of why you are deaf?

Thanks you and i hope your sister is faring well.

1. Yes, i can't hear even the slightest of noises

2. It eventually happened in the family, with my fathers father eventually becoming deaf

3. The doctor said it was something with two genes that where in both parents with resulted me becoming deaf.

My sister is only 80% deaf, she went to speech therapy and can speak super clear. Her condition is apparently familial but there haven't been any cases of it in my family.

I also have another question.

Growing up did you find doing simple things difficult? Like walking and communicating?

I grew up walking fine, communicating on the other hand, i always had difficulty pronouncing words clearly and choking on words ect.

How exactly does a hearing aid work for someone who doesn't naturally have the ability to hear?

Well, il try not to go into too much detail but basically it transmits signals from the implant to the part of the brain where hearing is registered and is amplified.

My daughter is 13 and has the same CI that you do! She was implanted at the age of 2. Would you have any advice for her as she gets ready for high school?

Hmm, Well tell her that as soon as someone makes fun of her, tell you. It is horrible to be bullied for something one couldn't have control over.

Also, sit in the front of the class, its way more noisier than a regular classroom imo.

Do you wish sometimes, that you were not deaf?

Well, i most certainly think my life would be different, but if i had a choice, i'd decline because it makes me different and unique. Sometimes when things go horrible for me, i sometimes think what would happen if i wasn't deaf.

If you had had to choose between being deaf and being blind, which one would you have chosen?

Well, No offense to blind people and all, id rather be a deaf because just the though of not being able to see all the amazing kittens and monuments makes me shudder a bit. It gives me a stronger feeling of helplessness than what being deaf already gives me.

Does that help you when you're trying to get laid?

I would say so, but i guess the ladies don't know that wink wink

HOW. OFTEN. DO. PEOPLE. MAKE. THEMSELVES. LOOK. LIKE. IDIOTS. TRYING. TO. MAKE. SURE. YOU. UNDERSTAND. THEM?

And have you ever let anyone just carry on with it for an extended period until someone else comes over and talks to you normally?

Less than usual, and when they do, i just carry on with it.

My parents and my sister are deaf, along with my niece and nephew.

Have you ever been called dumb? If so, how did it make you feel?

Do you find that people shun you socially?

Well, ive never been called dumb, but people do shun me socially, and i found it hard trying to make friends.

ok so i'm not quite sure how old you are and whether this is applicable but here goes.....

i was watching the movie babel which features a deaf girl, and in one of the scenes she goes to a club. if you have a really good sound system you hear really intense bass and not much else. so my question is, have you ever gone to a club and just "felt" the music? if yes, what is that experience like?

Yes i have, its quite fun just letting the bass blow you away!

No questions... I used to have 25%ish hearing as a child, somehow my hearing improved A LOT and I have normal hearing today, but I'm extra sensitive to certain sounds, and sometimes people talk to me and their words seem like gibberish. It might be that I have some kind of neurological condition. I'm also LOUD WHEN I SPEAK!!

I love Avicii as well, and recently I've been getting into the "vocal trance" genre...

Cheers!

Its always to good to see people turn out well, and some words sound gibberish to me as well don't worry. ;)

What kind of therapy did you have to learn to talk? I'm just really curious because of what you said earlier about having an aid implanted. Also, do you also use methods like signing and lip reading alongside your hearing aid?

This is such an interesting AMA and I'm really glad you're able to do things like enjoy music and do well at school :) Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for your encouragement!

I did learn how to lip read but it was essentially a bonus from hearing as i could sort of "hear" in a sense. I didn't really learn sign langauge because my ear drum, in laymans terms, didnt mature fully, so i could have a full cochlear implanted in my head.

My therapy was probably the most interesting part, i had was put in a sound proof room and i wore a headset and was transmitted low frequency waves and i had to tap a pencil to indicate if i heard it or not, this was to see if my hearing was weakening and if it was, force the eardrum muscle to work out.

Good questions and thank you for your kind words!

I didn't see this in the comments so far, but forgive me if it's been asked.

You do not use sign language, but perhaps this still finds a way to your heart, but, how do you feel about that show "Switched at Birth" assuming you've seen it?

I really enjoy the show a lot, but I wonder if those who are really in the deaf community feel like it's a good/decent/bad pop culture representation.

Thanks so much

I have seen it, but i know that its all good, i don't really care. However i think its a good representation because it shows people thinking normally and ect

Have you ever remove or switch off your hearing aid secretly when you know you're in for a nagging session?

YES, i pretend to scratch my head.

I dont get it, deaf since birth, but you don't know sign? I'm sure the question has been asked, but...why?

It was because i had a hearing aid implanted when i was one year old, so i just learnt to talk normally.

CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!?

You would not BELIEVE how many times i hear that when i take my Hearing aid off...

So zero times? I kid, I kid. What's the most difficult thing about being deaf?

Probably staying the fuck away from water.

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I have fairly long hair, so my ci is not really visible, when i go on a first date, i don't tell them until after the date to see if they actually like me ect.

What's one thing you could teach or educate people about deaf people that would help make it easier for the deaf?

Like to make sure we're clearly moving our mouths to aid in lip reading, or etc? What can we do?

Its already mentioned earlier.

When you want to communicate with people, do you talk, or does someone translate it for you? And if you do talk, how does the other person respond? Are you good at reading lips?

I talk, and the other person usually talks normally, and i am fairly good at reading lips.