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Deafness

Reader Stories: Realizing What it Means to Be Deaf

From , former About.com Guide

Updated January 13, 2010

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When we are young, we do not see ourselves as different from other children. Our "different" lives seem perfectly normal to us. Then something happens to make us realize that we are in fact, different. That we are deaf.

I had such an experience around age seven. That experience is shared in my rude awakening story. What was your experience? How did you come to realize what it means to be deaf?

Can't Understand Boyfriend

At first, it was distressing to realize that I was going deaf quite quickly. My boyfriend is supportive and helps me through the worst times. (Guide note: Although this commenter does not say how old…More

Near Death of Brother Did It

I was sickened by the fact that our gift (deafness) almost caused the death of my brother. I was very upset and ran to my Mum and Dad and begged for a C.I. (Cochlear Implant). Years later I got one.T…More

Unable to Hear a Music Box

I was already depressed -- probably since the start of third grade. This just made me feel more depressed at my failure, more isolated from others, and more lonely than before. It was as if I had bee…More

Loud Voice Leads to Shame

It happened when I was 8. We all went to my sister's piano recital. I was so excited about giving her the roses I had hidden under my coat that I failed to be aware of the volume of my voice and chee…More

Oops, You Can't Use a Radio

I was very upset about it, because I wondered why I could not talk like other kids. I went to a school for the deaf, but I never felt like I belonged there. I had more hearing friends than deaf frien…More

Be Realistic About Limitations

I really don't remember how I reacted to the realization I am deaf. I'm not depressed or anything. I guess I just shrugged and accepted it, heh. I was a kid after all! (It did make me a bit more intr…More

A Time for Mainstreaming, A Time for a Deaf School

The realization that I was Deaf like my new classmates was slow in coming. First was learning manual communication, then recognizing that it was a superior, liberating, and immensely satisfying way t…More

A Mud Pie Moment

But, like any kid, I quickly put this aside and continued to focus on making the perfect mud pie. I never really thought about it again or spoke with anyone else about this. I did not think it was a …More

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