Katherine and I are presenting at SDS this year on Deaf Identity. We really wanted to talk about it because we have so many questions ourselves, about what is means to be deaf – or Deaf. She wears cochlear implants, I wear hearing aids. She is fluent with ASL, I am not. Neither of us …
MeriahMeriah Nichols is a career counselor. Solo mom to 3 (one with Down syndrome, one gifted 2E). Deaf, with C-PTSD and TBI, she’s also a gardening nerd who loves cats, Star Trek, and takes her coffee hot and black. www.meriahnichols.com
Andrew Solomon wrote a book called “Far From the Tree” that was all the rage a couple of years ago. In it, he explores identity through analyzing multiple disabilities, along with homosexuality, children of rape, prodigies and transgendered people. It has taken me literally all this time to work my way through the deaf chapter. Whenever …
2015: The Year of the Deaf Child, guest post by Julie Rems Smario ******************** It hit me hard again… The Deaf child rarely tells the stories. If you search for stories about raising Deaf children, you will find stories of hearing mothers and fathers and grandparents of Deaf children. Their stories are focused on impairments, …
I was interviewed recently for a hearing magazine and one of the questions that they asked me was, “what would you say the greatest challenge of being a deaf mother is?”. The first thing that came to mind was last week. I was sitting on the bench outside of Moxie’s class with Micah and Moxie’s …
I’ve been in service dog training for this past week and I have one week to go. I’m talking 9-5 training and it’s hard catching up to a dog that is smarter than I am. I’ve developed a little Q & A in anticipation of some of the questions you might have about service dogs …
My friend Meredith is teaching a class over on Clickin’ Moms – check it out – it’s more than interesting; it’s fascinating. I don’t want to talk much about it since that would be giving it away and I think you should just sign up since it’s worth it – but the major thing she …
I am deaf and I don’t sign beyond a basic level. My interest in learning sign language was a long time coming. For years, trying to “pass”, I totally resisted it – in fact, I feel bad thinking back to all of the times people, once they learned that I’m deaf, started signing, they were sooooooooooo …
Moxie got her ears cleaned and checked this week. That is, the ENT (- which means the Ear, Nose and Throat) guy strapped her down to this thing called a “Papoose” so she looked like this: Only – dare I say? – more adorable. She was comfortable but confused. The ENT was fabulous, really deserves …
100 years ago, we had this: Or was it this?: Whatever, they were huge honkers! Then we got this: … which was right before we moved over to BEIGE: BEIGE has been one huge wet blanket on hearing hotness. The very fact that they are trying to “blend” sort of highlights that you think you …
There was a great story on this lady who is, like me, a fierce deaf lipreader and she wrote about what a great equalizer Facebook has been for her. That it allows her to participate in ways she’d never be able to, in real life. (the story is here) I couldn’t agree more with everything …
Last week I made a couple deaf memes – …and Mikey liked this one (- he used to call my hearing aids my “chastity belt”) These ones I found around the internet – I think they are pretty great too: I am pretty sure my voicemail message does say that. Oh yeah, baby. Remember the Chinese people …
Evelyn Glennie, the lead percussionist in the London Olympics opening ceremony, is deaf – she lost most of her hearing when she was 12. I had stumbled across her years ago and of course, loved her in an instant. Evelyn Glennie is, in a nutshell, a thinking bad-ass parcel of Scottish coolness who shimmers talent. …
Although I’ve had a disability since I was 4 years old (that we know of anyway), I was mainstreamed at all times. In my family, “disability” was something reserved for people who used wheelchairs. The answer to any disability-related issue I may have had growing up was invariably: try a little harder God only gives …
This is all kinds of “wow” Isn’t it? **** I was pretty close to this side of ecstasy this week since I’m very close to being done with the wordpress site. Not completely done – I have around 2,000 posts to convert, after all – but close enough to make the move, most likely next …
My deaf/disability connection.
We had tall standing speakers when I was a kid. When my parents were out, I’d put on Donna Summer, Live and More at FULL volume and wrap my small body around a speaker, completely circling it. I’d literally feel the music in me. I could see the notes and rhythms in my head. They …
My former co-worker Haydee sent me this super cute video and I just had to share it with you. It’s impossible not find it delightful… Happy Friday! PS. Don’t forget to enter the Young Punks Giveaway if you haven’t already! (no kids? no problem! enter it for the favorite small people in your life – …
