I forgot to mention in my earlier posting one incident happened at the Red Cross that just goes to show why hard of hearing deafies like myself get caught in the common misunderstanding that as a deafie...
MY SPEECH IS NOT A REFLECTION OF MY HEARING ABILITY!!!!
While speaking to the assistant, she told me one of their instructors knows ASL. I was skeptical for several reasons. One just because someone claims they know ASL, doesn't mean jack to me. For all I know its one of those who volunteer at the Church terping the sermon. I need to see credentials. And secondly, I dont want to be stuck waiting for 1 instructors schedule to be freed up just for me. I rather have a terp. When I explained that to her, she said, "Why no you don't need an interpreter, we're doing just fine, right?" I was like "when Im taking a class, I will need to look up and down to the class materials or demonstration and I need the information without working for it. And what if other students in the class have questions or whatever I cant hear." She looked geniunely shocked by my insistence for an interpreter. This is my right, if I am taking a class in a public setting, I have the right to use the best communication methods for my needs. Funny its the same shit day in, day out. If only it were the Matrix, then I could simply recommend people to check out the programming on deaf culture and ASL and be done with it.
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