Want to know what's it's like being deaf? Have questions?

[MyOnlyStar]

I'm sure some of you know by now I am deaf and wear a Cochlear Implant. Most of you also know GoldKnight is also deaf. If you would like to know what it's like being deaf, then ask away in this thread. I'll answer! Maybe GoldKnight too.

[kiddo7]

blindness and deafness have intersted me for a long time. I think people who are blind or deaf and learn to live with it, are the coolest most awesome dudes around.

sometimes i wonder what i would do I f I lost my sight or hearing and if I could get on with life. I could almost imagine getting used to not seeing but hearing is somehow different.

anyway my first question to you is this:
where you born deaf or was there a time when you could hear? and you said you have some kind of an implant, does this mean that you have some hearing when using it?

[mozetsu]

is it like a hearing aid, or is it different? i know about hearing aids cuz my grandma is kinda deaf, but her's is more of age-related...

[Geo]

Like blind people, do other senses increases? Like sight or something?

[MyOnlyStar]

blindness and deafness have intersted me for a long time. I think people who are blind or deaf and learn to live with it, are the coolest most awesome dudes around.

sometimes i wonder what i would do I f I lost my sight or hearing and if I could get on with life. I could almost imagine getting used to not seeing but hearing is somehow different.

anyway my first question to you is this:
where you born deaf or was there a time when you could hear? and you said you have some kind of an
implant, does this mean that you have some hearing when using it?

is it like a hearing aid, or is it different? i know about hearing aids cuz my grandma is kinda deaf, but her's is more of age-related...

I was born profoundly deaf. There is a scale of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound, with profound being the worst.

When I say Implant, I'm referring to a device called the Cochlear Implant. A surgeon operates on the patient by making an incision behind the ear and taking out some stuff to put in a device. After the incision heals, An external device connects to the internal device through a magnet. So basically, the internal device is in the ear, skin separates the internal and external device, and they are connected by a magnet.

You can easily take off and on the external device, the magnet is just to transmit information to the internal device, which in turns send information to the hearing system and bypassing the cochlear. The Cochlear Implant is actually meant to substitute for the damaged cochlear.

The external looks much like a hearing aid, except the hardware and programming is entirely different. While a hearing aid merely amplifies sounds, the CI (cochlear implant) recieves sounds and transmits the sound as electronic data/sound. The brain eventually learns to interpret the electronic sound as words, etc.

The CI hearing quality is by no way equal to a normal ear. The range of sound/frequency is vastly inferior and the device is geared toward conversation between two people because technology has not yet advanced enough to be able to handle a crowd, etc. While I CAN talk to people, the more people that are talking or the louder it is, the less I am able to understand.

The CI and hearing aids are two ways to handle hearing loss, but CI is for people with at least severe hearing loss and hearing aids are for people that were born with mild/moderate hearing loss.

Like blind people, do other senses increases? Like sight or something?

People with profound or severe hearing loss have said they experience a quality in their eyesight, mostly the ability to detect motion. I actually have no experience in this, because my CI takes up the part of the brain for hearing. If that part of my brain wasn't used for my CI to hear, then that part of the brain might have been used towards augmenting my sight.

[gian]

So can you listen to music with the CI or does it disrupt notes?

[DemonDays]

Ive always wondered do people with impaired hearing use the vibrations that sound makes instead?

[MyOnlyStar]

So can you listen to music with the CI or does it disrupt notes?

I can't really listen to music. This varies from person to person, but I can't hear the lyrics or really get the beat. I know someone with a CI who can, so I'm planning to buy an Ipod to try to be able to do the same.

Ive always wondered do people with impaired hearing use the vibrations that sound makes instead?

It's actually the other way around, vibrations create sound. So, no...

[DemonDays]

It's actually the other way around, vibrations create sound. So, no...

I meant it more as in feeling the vibrations, like a car coming down the road, you can feel the vibrations it makes on the road.

[MyOnlyStar]

I meant it more as in feeling the vibrations, like a car coming down the road, you can feel the vibrations it makes on the road.

I have no experience in this area, but on my part, no, I can't use those kind of vibrations. :dunno:

Ask Goldknight, he doesn't use a CI so he might know from his own experiences. Paging GoldKnight to this thread.

[Gold Knight]

Never knew this thread was here until now, heh. Guess MyOnlyStar forgot to page me.

As for feeling the vibrations that a vehicle makes on the road, depends on the vehicle really and how loud it is. A motorcycle, interestingly enough, I can feel the vibrations more than a car. Some trucks, also. I used to live close to a railroad and I definitely could feel the train even from my own room in an apartment I was living in at the time. But a normal car, not usually. You really do have to look both ways when crossing a street if you're deaf, never hurts to be cautious.

[Lohnt]

Do you find that reading lips is an actual art you can acquire or do you find that it's kind of fake?

Do you can make out words when looking at a persons mouth, but you can't really understand what someone is saying if you randomly look at them from a distance, or do you find you know what anyone anywhere is saying as long as you have a clear view of their mouth?

[deathshadow25]

My father is actually legally deaf. It's really hard talking to im sometimes cause he is old and doesn't know sign language. I also have second cousin who is born deaf and she has been teaching me sign language. I haven't talked to her inawhile though because she lives pretty far.

My father can hear a little bit on cell phones though but our regular phone in the house he can't hear too well in.

@refii I'm not too sure about reading lips but I think you need a clear picture of their mouth because thats what my dad does since he can't use sign language h reads lips and you need to be a distance so he can read your lips. Also i'm not too sure if this is only my dad but you need to talk at a normal speed so he can read your lips.

[Gold Knight]

Do you find that reading lips is an actual art you can acquire or do you find that it's kind of fake?

Fake? No, it's a pretty ingenious skill to have. It takes a great deal of experience reading the lips because in English only around about 30% of the language is definitely shown on the lips, the rest is all guesswork depending on the context of what's being said. It takes a lot of smarts and people-reading ability to be great at it. Most deaf people are at least average at lip-reading just out of necessity (including myself) but there are these whose lifestyle practically depends on being able to be a great lip-reader. But there's still a high probability of misunderstanding people either way. That's why I mostly like to discuss business on paper or via instant messaging on the internet (like I do with my photography agencies). It's also good to have the information handy whenever I need it anyway so I don't forget, just like a grocery list.

Do you can make out words when looking at a persons mouth, but you can't really understand what someone is saying if you randomly look at them from a distance, or do you find you know what anyone anywhere is saying as long as you have a clear view of their mouth?

Distance doesn't really matter as long as you can see the lips clearly.

My father is actually legally deaf. It's really hard talking to im sometimes cause he is old and doesn't know sign language. I also have second cousin who is born deaf and she has been teaching me sign language. I haven't talked to her inawhile though because she lives pretty far.

Yeah, deaf people who can't communicate are kind of a sad circumstance, but it still happens a lot, especially with older people. But we just passed into a new era where communication has never been more easier for deaf people. So hopefully that's something we'll be continuing to improve on for future generations of kids. Most important thing is deaf kids having patient and understanding and loving parents taking care of them, which I had in my case.

Cool that you're learning sign language.

Something I'd like to add about that though. Whenever people are trying to learn sign language, they are usually so excited about it, they can be annoying at times for deaf people. So be sure to try to keep your conversation casual and easy going so you don't scare off your second cousin, heh.

@refii I'm not too sure about reading lips but I think you need a clear picture of their mouth because thats what my dad does since he can't use sign language h reads lips and you need to be a distance so he can read your lips. Also i'm not too sure if this is only my dad but you need to talk at a normal speed so he can read your lips.

Yes, normal speed is right as well. Talking too slow can actually be a hindrance because it's not the normal flow of speaking that deaf people are more accustomed to watching.

[Aladar]

Is the sign language tough? How long does it take you, to learn it?