I am the only Deaf person in my family. The rest of my family is totally and completely hearing.

There are many different labels that persons suffering from hearing loss have, to being Deaf cultured, late deafened, oral deaf, hard of hearing, and the negative terms you should never refer to a person with hearing loss as; hearing impaired, deaf-mute, and finally deaf and dumb. 

 I am an oral deaf. This means I can speak clearly and read lips so well that you have no clue that I cannot hear you very well in one on one conversation in a quiet environment.

Communicating with others to get your point across may seem effortless to hearing people, but for deaf people it’s an everyday challenge and barrier that leaves you exhausted trying to understand what is going on around you. 

Now growing up in a family where no one knows sign language was a challenge. It’s hard sometimes to keep up with dinner table conversations, and to make a comment when you think you know what is discussed. More than often you get laughed at for making a comment that you thought was an important point, but it turns out they were discussing was completely different than what you commented about, and then no one informs you of what the topic was to begin with or why what you said was funny. When you do ask, you are just brushed off with “I will tell you later” and you never find out. Frustrating eh?

I was lucky to be blessed with parents that allowed me to learn sign language, and permitted me to be mainstreamed in our local district rather than going to Wisconsin School for the Deaf. They also sent me off every summer to Lions Camp in Rosholt, WI where I met up with kids from all over the state who were in the same boat as me, growing up oral with hearing parents. We compared families and more often than not, we discovered how similar our experiences were at home.

Even the communication barrier exists today as an adult. I cannot understand my brother anymore, since he became a New Yorker, so we just text each other, and email has been a blessing when get-togethers are discussed. Family gatherings now require the use of a sign language interpreter, if there is one that is available and only used for weddings or memorial services, since there is so much going on, and so much to keep track of. 

Nothing is better than being able to communicate freely with your family, and to be able to be understood.