Freshman year a whole new world for me.
It was my first year living, studying, and simply being with other deaf
and hard of hearing (D/HH) individuals. Meeting anyone is exciting,
unpredictable, scary, and fun. At my college, there were people from
all different backgrounds: cultural, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation,
academic interest, and more. Sometimes when I met someone we would
have a lot of things in common - sometimes meeting someone would be more like
an intergalactic exchange! And there’s a whole spectrum in
between. Always, I try to be respectful of other people and our
differences and have found most will do the same for me.
For the first time in my life, I was able to
share my deaf experience learning in a mainstream environment with other
people. However, I soon learned that everyone’s deaf experience was
different. I was pleasantly surprised that I met some D/HH people even
more enthused to network with other D/HH students, and I was unpleasantly
surprised, disappointed, that I met people who shied away from me even though
we both were D/HH. I met and interacted with five people who were D/HH in
one year.
- Two
were like two ships passing in the night.
- One
became a very close friend who is actively involved in deaf advocacy
groups. It’s hard to keep up with him, but he is super
awesome. He is very open about his hearing loss and gives me tips on
classes and professors - it helps that he is a year ahead and knows pretty
much everything.
- One
was like me in nearly every way. We both were mainstream, we both
wore hearing aids, we both like learning. She writes for the school
newspaper and plays the ukulele. I am very jealous of her uke
skills, because I’m still learning! But we are very good friends and
might get together to do an uke jam.
- The
last was the disappointing one. We spent a lot a time together in
classes, shared equipment and swapped some stories about the D/HH life,
but never got closer than that. In fact, I might go so far to say as
I felt the third avoided me. Of course, there are tons of reasons
why that might be, maybe we spent too much time in the same room, maybe we
have repelling personality, maybe I’m paranoid, but I suspect part of the
reason might have too do with our differing attitudes on hearing
loss. Although we were both mainstreamed, he wears a cochlear
implant, which can vary the deaf experience a lot. My impression was
that he does not want to associate with a “deaf” label, whereas I do
associate with a “deaf” label and am familiar with the Deaf world, at
least the Deaf world in New Mexico. I was probably one of the few
D/HH people at this school to have any familiarity with the Deaf world.
He’s not alone in trying to distance himself
from being “deaf.” Recently, I met another boy who also wore a cochlear
implant, I was talking/signing to him and he immediately went into a defensive
posture, “Oh no, I don’t know sign.” I was confused, “That’s fine.
I’m mostly signing for me.” He relaxed, but still seemed a little bit on
edge around me. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to communicate
with him after that, but I learned an important lesson.
Not everyone view deafness the same way (for
many reasons, which I will not discuss right now). Some people view it as
an obstacle. Some people view it as an integral part of them. I
view it as a part of me that makes me stronger. It’s an important part of
me, but it does not define who I am. I am deaf. I am also a future
scientist, a baker, an Italian learner, avid reader, and procrastinator!
Who are you?
P.S. See you next year!
