27.
And finally, “I’m profoundly deaf, although I was born hearing and gradually lost my hearing over time. Through extensive speech therapy and the fact that I had some hearing early on, I sound pretty normal when I talk. HOWEVER, I am extremely deaf (110 dB loss) and I wish that hearing people would stop assuming that since I speak so well, I also hear better than I actually do.”
“So many times I’ve had the following conversation(s): “Yes, I am really deaf. No, I am not faking it. Yes, I still need a sign language interpreter. No, I don’t bring one everywhere with me, but under the rules of the ADA it is your responsibility to provide one for me” (this last bit happens all the time in doctors’ offices, etc.) It’s gotten to the point where I am actually afraid to use my voice, which I trained so hard to perfect, just because using it will make people discount how ‘disabled’ I am in their eyes!”
—nicoleroffe
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/amatullahshaw/toxic-things-hearing-people-do
