I'm glad that you mention about trying to get your family to learn ASL as I've been struggle with that. I love my family so much. I was born deaf but didn't find out till I was 2 years old. My parents was forced by doctor to teach me to be oral my whole life as he scared the crap out of them to force them two choices as sending me to state school for the deaf and have no communication and relationship with them or force to find speech therapist to teach me to speak oral. My whole life I felt lost as I didn't know what is my identity. So I've been working on improving my ASL as I've joined Deaf Social club in my community and took classes taught by deaf teachers. My ASL have improving so much as I made decision of who I am last May. I am proud deaf woman! It was hard for my family to accept it but they know it was my choices and tell me that they love me but won't learn ASL even basic. I want to thank you for your encouragement!
Omg, just a finished watching your video and I felt like you were telling MY story but by bit. Mine is a little different story because I'm from Mexico and as I began losing my hearing I guess the natural patch would've been for me to learn Mexican Sign Language but I didn't. My speaking English since I was little gave me access to a lot of movies and information from other countries and the first time I saw Marlee Matkin sign I knew that was something I wanted to learn. Over the past 20 years or so, I slowly started learning ASL to a point where I can communicate and understand other signers. I know a lot about Deaf community and Deaf awareness. But, it's a community I would never be invoked with unless I moved to the states. I tried learning Mexican Sign Language but I haven't gotten to too far because of the lack if resources. Funny thing, last Sunday while at church (a place I love but usually get really bored at) I noticed an interpreter with a groom of Deaf people. My husband (hearing) apprehend them to see if next Sunday I could sit close to them, if they wouldn't mind. AND OH MY GOD!!! I had never felt so welcome before in my entire life!! They asked me to approach them, they hugged me, they were like "look, look, she's Deaf too! Hi! Welcome!" I explained that I read lips and that I know some sign but in English and they were startled specially because I would speak (like actually using my voice) in Spanish but sign in English! They immediately started teaching me signs in Spanish and told me to sit with them next Sunday. I made instant friends, we became noticeable to the rest of the congregation and that very day we were told that the pastor was going to held a meeting to make sure we had seats right in the front row to benefit from the light, the speakers and the proximity to the pastor for those who relay on reading lips and some of the sound. This was a game changer for me. I was trembling at the end of the meeting. THEY gave ME an identity. The didn't ask how mug I could hear, if I presented myself as hearing or deaf, they were like, Neverminf, you're Deaf, but you're safe with us, you're part of this FAMILY. I never felt so happy and almost tankful for my hearing loss.OMG this is such a long comment, I'm so sorry. Hope you read this. I follow you via FB and would pretty much I love to keep in touch with you.Thanks for bringing awareness to those of us deafened later in life!!😘😘😘😘😘
Thank you for your video. I lost the hearing in my left year about a year ago from a strong antibiotic and it is clear it’s not coming back. I actually cried in the middle of a table conversation this week because I just felt so overwhelmed and unable to express myself. People keep commenting that I’m not as extroverted anymore and it’s true. I retreat into my shell to avoid feeling lost. My family and friends have been really supportive of me as I begin this journey to find solutions and I’m so grateful to my husband for understanding and automatically “translating” things into my good ear. I’ve subscribed!
i shared this with my friends because i feel it summarizes my experience being hard of hearing/deaf so perfectly. i hated wearing my hearing aids when i was younger and to this day it's something i still struggle with. my identity as a hard of hearing/deaf person is something i'm just now coming to terms with because my hearing loss was never drastic when i was younger but as the years pass it's been progressing. thank you for this video.
I am so glad this video was so relatable for you! If you have any questions about deaf/Deaf/HOH identity don't hesitate to ask me here or message me on Twitter or Facebook. I am always happy to help. :)
Hey Amanda, thanks for sharing your story, I'm a hearing person and I'm slowly learning ASL, not because I need to/or have to, it's a choice I made to be able to communicate one day with a non hearing person, I believe learning is a personal choice, found your channel randomly and I'm already inspired by your words. take care.
This video is amazing. I'm not Deaf but I'm hard of hearing, I have Ménière's disease and you discussing how people react to the change was perfect though for me it's hard to explain why some days I'm almost fully deaf and then the next I can hear almost perfectly with hearing aids
I can only imagine how difficult that explanation can be for you Alex. I have some difficulty explaining to hearing people how a cochlear implant does not make me a hearing person, it only assists me by giving me access to some sounds; so, I can partially relate to your struggle! Thanks for watching my video!
Your story is amazing! I love your confidence! I saw your "when using my voice isn't a good thing" video on Facebook and wanted to find your CZcams channel.
I'm so glad I found this. I've been hard of hearing since I was a kid, and my parents refused to believe it. So I've had to pretend to be hearing pretty much my entire life. I'm finally starting to embrace my Deafness and figure out what it means for me. Thanks for making this video! :D
Amanda you telling my story but different and I live with my sisters but one of them hate to repeat herself cause I can’t hear what she said and sometimes I don’t understand or follow the conversation and yes I’m self conscious about my signing though I was the only one but thank you again
Thanks for sharing. This is exactly where and how I’m doing. Born deaf but operation at age 4 allowed me to get my hearing back only to loose it over time. I too also hid it from everyone. And my best friend never knew. Should of learned ASL years ago. But didn’t. And yes music is what bothered me the most also. But I too found that as I lost one sense the other kicked in over drive. So when you say take the aids off and just me silent. Yes. The sensory overload is real
I was born hearing and I went deaf around the age of two (because i had been on so many medications when I was 18 months to 2 years; then I got have cochlear implants when I was four. I remember when I was younger I HATED wearing them. They always fell off (I had the strongest magnet number 5 I think and it STILL fell off,) everything sounded weird, and it just wasn't fun to wear them. (keep in mind this was the ci that you had to wear around you chest at this time. They gave me new implants that I didn't have to wear around my chest when I was in grade 3, but it still fell off and didn't sound fun.) I'd wear them to school, but that was it. I started wearing them more when I realized they were actually helping (plus, my family WOULD NOT stop saying "well if you'd wear your CI you could hear me better!" to this day they STILL say it even while I'm wearing my ci.) It was around fourth grade when wore them more often. I only wish I had been taught sign language, it would've helped me A LOT, even though I had a mic (a device that connects to my ci; it makes my ci focus on sound that comes through the mic better-like the mics celebrities use except it comes through my ci not speakers) I didn't always under stand the teachers, they wouldn't repeat everything the kids said or if there was an assembly the adults would never remember to pass it around. By the time they figured out they forgot to pass the mike they didn't want to interrupt what the person was saying, and even with the mic i only got maybe 40-60% of what they were saying. so it was frustrating to have a ci because people expected me to be hearing when I had them on and it only made me feel worse.
i agree this video is amazing me as is going through the something for years i always try to hide me being hard of hearing i try to hide my hearing aid anyway i thank god that i have a family that know asl so it makes it easy on me
Thank you for this video. I am a hearing person but I have wondered a lot of those same questions. I have just downloaded the ASL app and have taken the on task to learn the sign. I want to be able to full communicate with those who are hard of hearing or deaf. I am very intimidated and fearful of geting something wrong. So far I have most of my abcs down and 1-15. Buts its only been a day. With no one to practice with its going to be hard to make sure I have my hands in the right way.
I find the dichotomy between your experience and mine to be a bit interesting. I was born with jaundice that was so severe that I had to get a blood transfusion (technically an exchange transfusion) just for there to be a chance for me to survive. Obviously I survived but in the process it damaged my hearing to the point where I am moderately hard of hearing. Growing up my mom always took me to get my hearing checked to keep an eye on it to make sure it never got worse. In school I had to go to speech classes up until one day where I "graduated" from it. ASL was always something that I had, at the very least, some interest in learning, but til this day I still don't know ASL. You talk about the struggle getting some family members to learn ASL whereas I grew up with a mother who knew ASL and was fluent enough to consider herself to be bilingual in American English and American Sign Language. I even remember seeing her communicate to some people using ASL. So, I had a mom who knew ASL but for reasons unknown to me she never bothered trying to teach me. I asked her maybe 3 years ago if she could teach me and she said that she hadn't used ASL in almost 15 years and could only remember the basics. I gave up on the idea of ever learning it until I just recently discovered that there's a Deaf/HoH community. I haven't had my hearing checked in maybe 14 years and some days I feel like my hearing has gotten worse when I am standing arm lengths away from someone and no matter how many times they speak clearly and loudly I can't make out what they said. Sometimes I get so frustrated not being able to understand what they are saying and after asking "what?!?!?" 4-5 times I just act like I finally understood what it was that they were telling me but in reality I have no clue. Fortunately this doesn't happen all of the time, but it does happen maybe 3-4 times a month.
For the sign language I completely understand what its like to have family not want to learn sign. They're supportive of me signing but they don't want to do it themselves. It doesn't make them a bad person or anything, its just frustrates me and makes me sad because I feel like it would be easier for me (and them to communicate and they wouldn't have to repeat as much,) but they have to make that choice for themselves.
am deaf and when people say ''oh your deaf am so sorry'' and ''OMG U CAN TALK'' ME girl EVERY DEAF PERSON CAN TALK most of us just feel like we will sound like dumb dumb
someday my daughter will gonna be like you! your smart and amazing! she's just 2 yrs old and I'm gonna show this video to her if she 'll have her implant
hello again,, Amanda, I am deaf one left use my hearing aid ear and right ear is full deaf, so I am happy for my life and work full time a week, with private secret company. and I didn't hurt none fratrated my ear just normal and some time music band can hear bit can hear, or fair,, so I always WATCH video every to your story, part of funny / so I laugh, my self, you hope me contact us plenty time to whatever, take care high five I love u bye Orestes Delgado jr
hello again, your voice is very good sound normal deaf / half hearing, but I said like full deaf shhhh,, you and I are make me happy so good pleasure, take care smooooooch,, bye Orestes Delgado jr
I'm glad that you mention about trying to get your family to learn ASL as I've been struggle with that. I love my family so much. I was born deaf but didn't find out till I was 2 years old. My parents was forced by doctor to teach me to be oral my whole life as he scared the crap out of them to force them two choices as sending me to state school for the deaf and have no communication and relationship with them or force to find speech therapist to teach me to speak oral. My whole life I felt lost as I didn't know what is my identity. So I've been working on improving my ASL as I've joined Deaf Social club in my community and took classes taught by deaf teachers. My ASL have improving so much as I made decision of who I am last May. I am proud deaf woman! It was hard for my family to accept it but they know it was my choices and tell me that they love me but won't learn ASL even basic. I want to thank you for your encouragement!
Omg, just a finished watching your video and I felt like you were telling MY story but by bit. Mine is a little different story because I'm from Mexico and as I began losing my hearing I guess the natural patch would've been for me to learn Mexican Sign Language but I didn't. My speaking English since I was little gave me access to a lot of movies and information from other countries and the first time I saw Marlee Matkin sign I knew that was something I wanted to learn. Over the past 20 years or so, I slowly started learning ASL to a point where I can communicate and understand other signers. I know a lot about Deaf community and Deaf awareness. But, it's a community I would never be invoked with unless I moved to the states. I tried learning Mexican Sign Language but I haven't gotten to too far because of the lack if resources. Funny thing, last Sunday while at church (a place I love but usually get really bored at) I noticed an interpreter with a groom of Deaf people. My husband (hearing) apprehend them to see if next Sunday I could sit close to them, if they wouldn't mind. AND OH MY GOD!!! I had never felt so welcome before in my entire life!! They asked me to approach them, they hugged me, they were like "look, look, she's Deaf too! Hi! Welcome!" I explained that I read lips and that I know some sign but in English and they were startled specially because I would speak (like actually using my voice) in Spanish but sign in English! They immediately started teaching me signs in Spanish and told me to sit with them next Sunday. I made instant friends, we became noticeable to the rest of the congregation and that very day we were told that the pastor was going to held a meeting to make sure we had seats right in the front row to benefit from the light, the speakers and the proximity to the pastor for those who relay on reading lips and some of the sound. This was a game changer for me. I was trembling at the end of the meeting. THEY gave ME an identity. The didn't ask how mug I could hear, if I presented myself as hearing or deaf, they were like, Neverminf, you're Deaf, but you're safe with us, you're part of this FAMILY. I never felt so happy and almost tankful for my hearing loss.OMG this is such a long comment, I'm so sorry. Hope you read this. I follow you via FB and would pretty much I love to keep in touch with you.Thanks for bringing awareness to those of us deafened later in life!!😘😘😘😘😘
Thank you for your video. I lost the hearing in my left year about a year ago from a strong antibiotic and it is clear it’s not coming back. I actually cried in the middle of a table conversation this week because I just felt so overwhelmed and unable to express myself. People keep commenting that I’m not as extroverted anymore and it’s true. I retreat into my shell to avoid feeling lost. My family and friends have been really supportive of me as I begin this journey to find solutions and I’m so grateful to my husband for understanding and automatically “translating” things into my good ear. I’ve subscribed!
I feel the pain in your voice when you talk about your story. It’s touching. Please make more videos of you signing.
i shared this with my friends because i feel it summarizes my experience being hard of hearing/deaf so perfectly. i hated wearing my hearing aids when i was younger and to this day it's something i still struggle with. my identity as a hard of hearing/deaf person is something i'm just now coming to terms with because my hearing loss was never drastic when i was younger but as the years pass it's been progressing. thank you for this video.
I am so glad this video was so relatable for you! If you have any questions about deaf/Deaf/HOH identity don't hesitate to ask me here or message me on Twitter or Facebook. I am always happy to help. :)
thank you!
Hey Amanda, thanks for sharing your story, I'm a hearing person and I'm slowly learning ASL, not because I need to/or have to, it's a choice I made to be able to communicate one day with a non hearing person, I believe learning is a personal choice, found your channel randomly and I'm already inspired by your words. take care.
This video is amazing. I'm not Deaf but I'm hard of hearing, I have Ménière's disease and you discussing how people react to the change was perfect though for me it's hard to explain why some days I'm almost fully deaf and then the next I can hear almost perfectly with hearing aids
I can only imagine how difficult that explanation can be for you Alex. I have some difficulty explaining to hearing people how a cochlear implant does not make me a hearing person, it only assists me by giving me access to some sounds; so, I can partially relate to your struggle! Thanks for watching my video!
Your story is amazing! I love your confidence! I saw your "when using my voice isn't a good thing" video on Facebook and wanted to find your CZcams channel.
I am glad you found it Amanda!
I'm so glad I found this. I've been hard of hearing since I was a kid, and my parents refused to believe it. So I've had to pretend to be hearing pretty much my entire life. I'm finally starting to embrace my Deafness and figure out what it means for me. Thanks for making this video! :D
Amanda you telling my story but different and I live with my sisters but one of them hate to repeat herself cause I can’t hear what she said and sometimes I don’t understand or follow the conversation and yes I’m self conscious about my signing though I was the only one but thank you again
This was extremely motivating!! Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Break the stigma!!!
Thanks for sharing. This is exactly where and how I’m doing. Born deaf but operation at age 4 allowed me to get my hearing back only to loose it over time.
I too also hid it from everyone. And my best friend never knew. Should of learned ASL years ago. But didn’t. And yes music is what bothered me the most also. But I too found that as I lost one sense the other kicked in over drive. So when you say take the aids off and just me silent. Yes. The sensory overload is real
I was born hearing and I went deaf around the age of two (because i had been on so many medications when I was 18 months to 2 years; then I got have cochlear implants when I was four. I remember when I was younger I HATED wearing them. They always fell off (I had the strongest magnet number 5 I think and it STILL fell off,) everything sounded weird, and it just wasn't fun to wear them. (keep in mind this was the ci that you had to wear around you chest at this time. They gave me new implants that I didn't have to wear around my chest when I was in grade 3, but it still fell off and didn't sound fun.) I'd wear them to school, but that was it. I started wearing them more when I realized they were actually helping (plus, my family WOULD NOT stop saying "well if you'd wear your CI you could hear me better!" to this day they STILL say it even while I'm wearing my ci.) It was around fourth grade when wore them more often. I only wish I had been taught sign language, it would've helped me A LOT, even though I had a mic (a device that connects to my ci; it makes my ci focus on sound that comes through the mic better-like the mics celebrities use except it comes through my ci not speakers) I didn't always under stand the teachers, they wouldn't repeat everything the kids said or if there was an assembly the adults would never remember to pass it around. By the time they figured out they forgot to pass the mike they didn't want to interrupt what the person was saying, and even with the mic i only got maybe 40-60% of what they were saying. so it was frustrating to have a ci because people expected me to be hearing when I had them on and it only made me feel worse.
thank you ❤
i agree this video is amazing me as is going through the something for years i always try to hide me being hard of hearing i try to hide my hearing aid anyway i thank god that i have a family that know asl so it makes it easy on me
Thank you for this video. I am a hearing person but I have wondered a lot of those same questions. I have just downloaded the ASL app and have taken the on task to learn the sign. I want to be able to full communicate with those who are hard of hearing or deaf. I am very intimidated and fearful of geting something wrong. So far I have most of my abcs down and 1-15. Buts its only been a day. With no one to practice with its going to be hard to make sure I have my hands in the right way.
I find the dichotomy between your experience and mine to be a bit interesting. I was born with jaundice that was so severe that I had to get a blood transfusion (technically an exchange transfusion) just for there to be a chance for me to survive. Obviously I survived but in the process it damaged my hearing to the point where I am moderately hard of hearing. Growing up my mom always took me to get my hearing checked to keep an eye on it to make sure it never got worse. In school I had to go to speech classes up until one day where I "graduated" from it.
ASL was always something that I had, at the very least, some interest in learning, but til this day I still don't know ASL. You talk about the struggle getting some family members to learn ASL whereas I grew up with a mother who knew ASL and was fluent enough to consider herself to be bilingual in American English and American Sign Language. I even remember seeing her communicate to some people using ASL. So, I had a mom who knew ASL but for reasons unknown to me she never bothered trying to teach me. I asked her maybe 3 years ago if she could teach me and she said that she hadn't used ASL in almost 15 years and could only remember the basics. I gave up on the idea of ever learning it until I just recently discovered that there's a Deaf/HoH community.
I haven't had my hearing checked in maybe 14 years and some days I feel like my hearing has gotten worse when I am standing arm lengths away from someone and no matter how many times they speak clearly and loudly I can't make out what they said. Sometimes I get so frustrated not being able to understand what they are saying and after asking "what?!?!?" 4-5 times I just act like I finally understood what it was that they were telling me but in reality I have no clue. Fortunately this doesn't happen all of the time, but it does happen maybe 3-4 times a month.
For the sign language I completely understand what its like to have family not want to learn sign. They're supportive of me signing but they don't want to do it themselves. It doesn't make them a bad person or anything, its just frustrates me and makes me sad because I feel like it would be easier for me (and them to communicate and they wouldn't have to repeat as much,) but they have to make that choice for themselves.
Oh my god..
My voice starting sounding different when I listened to music at 100% ..
That's me
am deaf and when people say ''oh your deaf am so sorry'' and ''OMG U CAN TALK'' ME girl EVERY DEAF PERSON CAN TALK most of us just feel like we will sound like dumb dumb
So if I had to guess by the age of 4 you started to lose your hearing right?
someday my daughter will gonna be like you! your smart and amazing! she's just 2 yrs old and I'm gonna show this video to her if she 'll have her implant
hello again,, Amanda, I am deaf one left use my hearing aid ear and right ear is full deaf, so I am happy for my life and work full time a week, with private secret company. and I didn't hurt none fratrated my ear just normal and some time music band can hear bit can hear, or fair,, so I always WATCH video every to your story, part of funny / so I laugh, my self, you hope me contact us plenty time to whatever, take care high five I love u bye Orestes Delgado jr
hello again, your voice is very good sound normal deaf / half hearing, but I said like full deaf shhhh,, you and I are make me happy so good pleasure, take care smooooooch,, bye Orestes Delgado jr