From: rggentry@gallua.gallaudet.edu
Subject: Re: "Acting hearing" 
Organization: Gallaudet University
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 20:40:00 GMT

In article <DEAF-L%92072913175224@SIUCVMB.BITNET>,         ALAMA10@HUMAIN.BITNET writes:
> To Randy Gentry <rggentry@GALLUA.GALLAUDET.EDU>:
> 
> Okay, we can discuss the economic aspects of deaf education some other
> time (and presumably under a different subject header than "Slang,
> etc.", which has already carried four different threads by my count).
> Right now, I'm very curious about something else.
> 
> In your first, long message to me you said something about "acting
> hearing" (or something very similar -- "pretending to be hearing"?
> Unfortunately I've lost the message) for much of your life. In a
> recent message to Miriam Clifford you struck the same note again:
> 
>      ...As a hard of hearing person who spent the first 25
>      years of his life passing as hearing...
> 
> What do you mean by "passing as hearing" and by "acting hearing" (or
> whatever words you used)?
> 
> --David James
> ALAMA10@HUMAIN.BITNET
> DMJAMES@GALLUA.BITNET

>>The way I usually say what you're asking about is "passing as hearing."
Your question struck me with some force, and has forced me to stop and think
about the implications of referring to myself that way.

>>When I say that until age 25 I "passed as hearing" I mean that I adjusted to my 
hearing loss by employing oral and aural skills I had either been taught
or had developed on my own. I mean I would have been viewed, in the old
terminology, as a "successful oralist." 

>>When I later learned ASL and was exposed to deaf culture, I began to refer to
myself as "passing as hearing" because 1) An essential and basic part of me had
never been developed during that time 2) A lot of my actions and attitudes were
governed by the message I received from family, teachers, and therapists during
my childhood. The message was that I should conceal my hearing loss and that
the highest compliment anyone could pay me was "I'd never have noticed if you
hadn't of told me."

>>In other words, I was very, very different from most of the people in my
life, whom I strove to be like. Of course, I had no basis for knowing that
life could be different. My parents were not very educated, and certainly no
audiologists or therapists ever told them anything positive about sign language
or deaf culture. "Mainstreaming" meant becoming like most other folks (whatever
that means) back in the 1960s. So, as far as my life is concerned, there was an
element of falseness, of suppression, and of loss, to those years. Of course,
they were still plenty good years, anyway. I don't want to sound whiny or
embittered. It's just the way it happened, and things have worked out for the
best, I think.

>>Before signing off, I want to say that I in no way would describe an oral
deaf person as "passing as hearing" or "pretending to be hearing" or something
like that. The oral person is just living life as best they can, as they
see fit, and in my experience think of themselves as "just people" or whatever
and don't form an identity based on their experiences with hearing or the lack
of it. Some deaf people don't think that a satisfying, real oral life is
possible for anyone, and that's not true. We hard of hearing
Johnny-come-latelys aren't exactly met with open arms by everyone! And not all
survive the rite of passage.:)

>>David, I'm sorry if my replies are too long. To be honest, I could shorten 
them a bit if I could find a bit more time to rewrite...but a draft and a half 
will have to do. I hafta polish the stuff I write for groceries ;). I hope this
reply is a little less rambling.

Sincerely,

Randy Gentry RGGENTRY@GALLUJ
"Anything that can be done, can be done backwards." 
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