#deaf awareness week

People say how can you be proud of a ‘disability’ because the term disability invokes the thought that people are dis-able to do something, in my case the ability to hear. So why am I proud to be deaf?? My deafness has given me strength, and without my pride in my deaf identity I wouldn’t be where I am today. It has been a long difficult journey to my own acceptance. When I was a kid I hated, i mean really hated being deaf, and because of this I hated myself because I was broken, different to everyone else. You could I ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would tell you I wanted to be hearing. As a child we were bombarded with the message we can be anything we wanted to be, we just had to work hard! I can never be hearing, and for me as a child/teenager was a hard thing to really deal with. I then believed that I would be nothing, having no confidence in myself. I never loved myself nor believe that someone else could, so I never let other people be there for me emotionally. I became withdrawn into myself. This then all changed smile emoticon I met other deaf people, learn sign language and alongside this I learned to love myself and because of this I became strong. I currently face the prospect of losing all of my residual hearing one day….. and you know what!? Its okay! I am going to be okay! Being deaf is a big part of my life and who I am.
I may not be able to hear with my ears but I can hear with my eyes!