If I'd been born into a hearing family and went to a public school, I would have probably felt much more isolated, and being deaf would have become my identity.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
After becoming deaf, I realized that I'd better get an education if I was ever to do anything with my life.
Own your identity. Love who you are in the world. Love your deafness.
When I was young I knew I was deaf. I couldn't accept it.
I was raised by a single black deaf woman, so I am as independent as they come.
I was born deaf. Sound never existed in my life, and this is completely normal to me.
There is no relation to sound for deaf people. It is a totally different mental process.
One of the reasons I wanted to teach deaf children was because it made me very sad that they spoke so clumsily and that they moved with less grace that I knew was possible of deaf people.
Since I knew my deaf identity since birth, it wasn't hard for me to be comfortable, confident, and independent in a hearing world.
Growing up, I was always involved in the deaf community.
I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don't have.