r/deaf

I posted in here looking for sources, so thought I'd share the finished piece!

I’m a teacher and do a different bellringer each day and have fun names for them. I want to change Thursday because it isn’t ASL related (as of right now).

Music Monday- I show a video of a song someone is signing and my students have to guess the song and find a sign they don’t recognize and learn it.

Thinking Tuesday- I have a word of the week and they break it down into the five parameters

Which one Wednesday- at the beginning of the year my students write a would you rather and on Wednesdays throughout the year I draw one and have them pick which one

Throwback Thursday- HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ASL I WANT TO CHANGE IT. This was the typical I put something nostalgic on the board and they had to guess what it was. I want it to be sentence practice now so I need a word to mean like sentence practice. It’ll be different sentence types so PLEASE HELP!!

Fingerspelling Friday - I fingerspell 10 words and my students have to write them down. If you’ve made it this far give me some ideas on what they can do to practice production of fingerspelling.

Thank you all!!!

Do they communicate with you smoothly? How did they cater your needs?

I'm a hearing writer but went to NTID for interpreting and spent a lot of time interacting with Deaf people/ the community. I was a part of a script reading panel at a small film festival where we listen to other people's stories and this one older woman had a moment where there was a little Deaf girl who's deafness is cured by some magical cookie. I tried to explain to the woman why this is offensive to the Deaf community and she just replies "well I talked to people with disabilities and they didn't have a problem with it". She technically won a prize in this festival that could help her move this script into becoming an actual film and I don't want something so hurtful out there especially when it can so easily be changed.

The event is now over and I am unable to contact the woman herself, however, I can contact the organizer of the event as I have a more professional relationship with them. Is this something that should be worth bringing up? If so, what should I say specifically to make my point clear? I believe the organizer is more receptive to hearing feedback and they seem much more willing to stand up for marginalized communities, even if they don't know much about the Deaf community/culture itself.

If you saw this similar post in r/asl or r/aslinterpreters I was more vague with the information as I posted it right after the confrontation and before it was announced that she won anything. Please let me know if there's any more information needed, thank you all!

I am curious about those who are deaf with autism. I have never been diagnosed but had been frequently asked if I was. My son on the other hand had a bunch of nurses and doctors saying there a high chance he may be autistic. He's non verbal but does sign some words and gesture.

I would like to hear your experiences, advice, so I can be mindful and know what to look for.

All is greatly appreciated

EDIT: MOPD = Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

Came across this on social media. Sharing for anyone in the NYC Deaf and Hard of Hearing community who may be interested:

Come make your voice and hands heard and seen at MOPD’s first Deaf Town Hall since 2019.

Topics for discussion:
🗒️ Public housing
🗒️ Language access
🗒️ Public safety
🗒️ Other issues facing your community

MOPD Deaf Town Hall
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
6:00PM - 7:30PM

Positive Exposure
83 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10038

Register now to secure your in-person spot: https://on.nyc.gov/4bWZQo0

ASL and CART services will be provided. If other accommodations are needed, please contact Tony Wooden at rwooden@mopd.nyc.gov or by videophone at 646-396-5830 by September 9, 2026.

Hello all!

I am hearing and sighted but just seeking some opinions and recommendations! Next week I am going rock climbing with my new Deafblind friend and I'm very excited. I'm pretty experienced with rock climbing, but I think they are relatively new to the sport. I was wondering if any of y'all had any suggestions for how I could help make them more comfortable during the experience and enjoy it as much as possible!

Also, I know some ASL (I am still learning, I definitely need to practice but thankfully they have been very patient with me), but I know they also use pro tactile ASL, so I was thinking maybe it would be helpful for me to learn a little, at least the very basics! Are there any free online resources where I could get a head start?

Lastly, I have not spent a lot of 1-1 time with any deaf blind people before, so if possible, it would be great to get any advice about what you all like and don't like when hanging out with hearing sighted people. Of course I will ask this person too about personal preferences and I'm sure I will make mistakes, but either way, it's good for me to think about.

Thank you so much for all of your help! Have a great day!

I know I know lol. I read old posts on this all the time and still feel quite insecure. I think my baseline about most things is
"insecure."
I have bilateral mild to profound deafness.
Born with the syndrome that leads to it, dx in kindergarten. I grew up mainstreamed to the point that I didn't even realize ASL or other d/Dhh people existed until I was maybe 10, at which point I was prevented from learning sign. I didn't meet other people like me until I was 18/19. I was supposed to wear hearing aids but I avoided them like the plague...actually, I think I would've rather had the plague than wear my aids for a whole day. I struggled horribly in school and eventually just dropped out, but I can more or less hold a spoken conversation with individuals or very small groups in quiet spaces with repetition and familiarity. My WR and speech are "very good." (I really dislike praising this sort of thing.) So l grew up believing I was just lazy.

Now I'm an adult and I'm learning ASL, finally. I only wear my hearing aids to sometimes help with tinnitus, as a visual cue to others, and a convenient Bluetooth Imao. They're pretty much only on when I am in school or in a busy place like an airport. I regularly attend Deaf events in my city and a few nearby as well. I'm in school with hopes of eventually becoming a teacher of the Deaf. At this point, following spoken and signed conversations feel equally difficult for different reasons lol.

I guess I'm just feeling confused and insecure about where I stand and how to appropriately identify myself. Medically I know I'm HoH, but that feels inaccurate as an identity for a few reasons. I didn't lose anything, or if I did I was too young to remember. I don't hear the same way hearing people do, even with hearing aids, so the "hearing" in HoH feels...odd, lol.
People don't seem to understand what I mean when I say I'm HoH. At the same time, I can hear some. So whichever label I use feels a bit like a lie? Whether that's to other people, or to myself, I feel like a fraud.
Sorry for the paragraphs and thank you to anyone who reads this.

My boyfriend has a genetic progressive hearing loss condition and is now profoundly deaf. He used to pass for hear till nearly a year ago and he didn't tell me and we went long distance after that. We've managed with texting and captioned video calls. But his birthday's coming up soon, so I've been learning ASL!

The thing is I wanted to package it into a proper gift if that makes sense. So there was a song he loved the tune and beat of but hated what the lyrics meant. So I rewrote the lyrics to be about our story and did an ASL cover for it. I worked really hard on interpreting the lyrics accurately and studied a lot about music interpreting.

But then I thought, is it insensitive to write a song for a deaf person? I'm new to this whole thing.

Anyone have insight into the abrupt shut down of The ASL Dictionary at DawnSign Press? I got to see MJ's presentation on it at Gallaudet last year and was an early subscriber when it went live. I admit, it felt like it was missing a lot of details and had a long way to go, but I was happy to have it and to support it.

This morning I got an email saying it was shutting down as of noon TODAY. As in maybe 30 minutes after I got the email it shut down, with no explanation. They are offering refunds for any portion of the unused subscription.

Anyone have insight into what happened? Best case scenario, they got bought by some organization that is going to improve it and brand it differently. Worst case...all that work over more than a decade just...gone?

I have other disability beside hard of hearing. I got mild form of Charge Syndrome, along w Kallmaan Syndrome. I know friends and even my gf, are also deaf plus. Wondering anyone else got other disability beside deaf/hoh?

Hey everyone! I'm u/patrickp8, a founding moderator of r/GayDeaf.
This is our new home for all things related to Deaf and LGBTQIA. We're excited to have you join us! PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL!

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Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about anything really!

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How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/GayDeaf amazing.

Hello, I wanted to get a Deaf perspective on this situation, because I don't want to take away the wrong lesson from this. This is the first Deaf person I've ever met, so I have no prior experience with the language or culture.

A Deaf person (We'll call her [A]) recently joined a hobby group I'm part of. Signing is her preferred method of communication, and she does not wear hearings aids or CIs. I think the social aspect of the hobby is one of the most important parts. She usually has an interpreter, but I wanted to learn sign language to better facilitate having a direct relationship with her. I feel that I can't fully include her in my social life if her if I can't talk to her; and I'll never get the chance to actually know her. So it's very important to me. I've been doing a lot of learning on my own through online resources, and I've also been observing and talking to her and her interpreter. I have (with their permission) been staring at them like a stalker whenever I get the chance lol.

There is actually one fluent ASL signer [B] in the group who's a professional interpreter (different person from the interpreter I just mentioned). I asked her if she could help me learn sign language, specifically vocabulary. One of the main difficulties I've encountered is that it's difficult to take a sign I've seen in person or on video and find the English translation on the internet if I don't already know the meaning of the sign. It seems like the easiest way is to ask someone who's knowledgeable about ASL. She seemed very hesitant, and told me she couldn't help me learn because it would be taking opportunities away from deaf people. It seemed like she meant that if she taught me ASL, then I would be less incentivized to take a class with a deaf instructor. From what I've read, it seems like the idea of a Hearing person teaching ASL is also potentially problematic? I wouldn't be upset about that denial if signing was an idle curiosity of mine, but I can't help but be upset about the situation. Learning ASL seems necessary to treat [A] like a full human being who deserves to be recognized and known as a person. To offer her the experience of social bonding that Hearing people get to enjoy as part of the hobby. [B] is in a unique position to help with that. I guess she's not obligated to do so, but I can't help but feel like it's a dereliction of duty. Helping a single person learn ASL doesn't seem like a big ask, and it puts yet more work on [A]. [A] has been helping me learn as much as she reasonably can, and I acknowledge how much she's already doing and have been putting in a lot of effort to learn on my own. [A] has had to do the vast majority of the work in terms of accommodating herself. In terms of bringing a personal friend off the clock to interpret and figuring out for herself how to do this hobby while Deaf. She also has been making resources to help other Deaf people have an easier time of getting into the hobby. If she succeeds at her goals, maybe we'll have another Deaf person join the group at some point! [B] is part of a different sub-group, so she doesn't work with [A] often, and is therefore not able to offer even her presence as a fluent signer in a non-signing environment. In general, people have been somewhat accommodating, though only a few people are making an effort to learn ASL. It seems like I'm the only person who has learned enough to have real-time conversations that are not reliant on her lip-reading or typing into a phone. It's driving me a little crazy to be honest how little other people are doing to actively include her. Learning a new language is hard, but learning to fingerspell is low hanging fruit. You can slowly string words together after a few weeks of casual practice. "How are you?" "Good job!", etc.

Am I off base here? Am I over-reacting? Am I getting overly passionate about an issue that doesn't directly involve me? Does it seem like I have a paternalistic attitude towards [A]? This just seems like an important issue to me, and I don't feel like other people are treating the matter like it's important.

I need a reality check here.

I just canceled with the hostess who's giving a party that I don't want to go to. She's my best friend, sort of, but she badgers me when I don't wear my hearing aids. To spare you a long story, I'm finally getting a new pair from the recalcitrant provider. When I was complaining that the aids didn't work right, she said, "You have to be very firm!" (I was.) And then, when the due date was pushed back to next Wednesday (and her party is today) I knew she'd give me crap for not having them yet. So I canceled.

Even when they're working properly, I don't wear them all that much. TV watching and going out with friends is about it. I am of an age where they say that one of the contributing factors to dementia is not wearing hearing aids, and social isolation. That's another thing she bugs me about. I'm a big introvert and when the pandemic happened it was like I was training my whole life for all that isolation.

This is getting pretty long, so I'll come to the point. She's one of these people who gets offended if I ask her to repeat herself. She's not alone. I'm to the point when I want to learn ASL and get with some people who understand. Too many people mumble, or "talk to their chest," as I call it, or say something when they're behind me or in the next room. I just want people to get it!

I told her a fib about canceling. I just can't make her understand that this is a real thing. It's like she thinks I made it up, or I can just snap out of it.

Hi,

I completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering in 2022 and currently work in an MNC. I’m looking to prepare for competitive exams with good job security, especially SSC, IBPS/SBI/RRB and RBI exams.

I’m completely deaf (100% hearing loss) and cannot use hearing aids as my hearing nerve is damaged.

I recently saw a post about an IBPS application being rejected for a 100% deaf candidate, so I’d like to clarify whether there are any restrictions for completely deaf candidates in SSC, IBPS, RBI, or other government exams, depending on the post.

If anyone with 100% deafness has successfully applied, cleared, or joined through SSC, IBPS/SBI/RRB or RBI, please share your experience.

Also, please suggest any other government/PSU exams that I may be eligible for as a B.Tech Mechanical Engineering graduate under the PwBD/Deaf category.

One more thing is there in staying in Bangalore and looking forward to study sign language. Are there any options or centres providing the same.

Thanks!

First, a little background. I grew up in a deaf family, as CODA and SODA, both of my sisters are in relationships with deaf partners, and I was actually the last of my sisters to lose my hearing. I started losing my hearing as a teenager at 14-15, and by the time I graduated from Uni at 25, I was completely deaf without hearing aids. My mom always fought for us to go to regular schools with other children, because she thought it was very important for our upbringing. But growing up I was bullied when other kids saw me and my mom signing, they would wave their hands in front of me to make fun of us. Honestly, it still hurts me to this day that they made fun of my mom who tried to give me everything she knew and could. When I started losing my hearing, my parents didn't realize that I was starting to get a deaf accent until my teacher explained it to my mom, but by then it was too late and other kids started imitating my deaf voice. It got to the point that I had to go to a different city to high school. On the other hand, my partner had no contact with the deaf community before he met me, I was the first deaf person he had ever interacted with, after a brief friendship, we started dating when we were 20. When we met at Uni, I still had some hearing, although I wore hearing aids. Shortly after we started dating and after I told him that my entire family was deaf, he started learning sign language so he could meet my mom, who has been completely deaf since birth.

My partner and I have only in last two years started living together (I know it took us a long time). When I'm at work or anywhere outside my home, I always wear hearing aids, and even though I have a thick deaf accent, I mostly communicate with everyone vocally, but I told my partner that when I get home I have to take them off because I'm simply overstimulated and exhausted from the whole day of wearing them, which he understood and respected, so when we're at home or if we're just the two of us going for a walk, training or something, we communicate using sign language. But with signing, it's natural for me to speak even when I can't hear my own voice. I do that at home where he can hear me, but also when I'm at my family's, even though no one can hear me there. Until recently, when I first heard how my voice sound without hearing aids. Long story short, I wanted to record us being intimate and later I watched the video and was completely shocked at how incomprehensible I sounded without my hearing aids. So a few days later, while I was home alone, I decided to record a voice message, something cute for him, to see how I sounded when I said something I usually say when I'm with him. When I listened to the message with my hearing aids on, I had a complete emotional breakdown, even though I thought I was pronouncing the words correctly, I couldn't even say his name or "I love you" clearly or intelligibly. I sounded the same as others in my family who have been deaf for much longer.

After that, I started trying not to talk or make any sounds when I wasn't wearing my hearing aids, which he soon noticed and asked me if it was exhausting to use my voice when I couldn't hear it or if there was something else that made me so quiet lately. I admitted to him that for the first time in my life I was ashamed of my disability and that I feel terrible because I'm ashamed. I accused him of not telling me that I sound like that without my hearing aids because everyone else I was with without my hearing aids couldn't hear me, he's the only one who hears me like this. To which he asked me to never stop using my voice around him, if it's not exhausting for me. That it doesn't matter to him if I pronounce words clearly and intelligibly when I don't have hearing aids, but rather what I say, the emotion I show him with my voice. He said he understands which words I mean when I say which sounds, that he's learned it, and that there's nothing he likes more than hearing me laugh or when I say his name the way I say it.

I know that maybe for some it's stupid how I feel, and to be honest I didn't think I would have such a reaction to something like that because besides that I've accepted my deafness, but I think that's the thing that even today whenever my mom (or my aunt or even sometimes my sisters) needs something related to hearing, she will always turn to me first. From my family, I am the most in both worlds. hearing and deaf. So I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and what they did? Honestly, I'm still thinking about whether I should use my voice in front of my partner when I don't have hearing aids or not, and whether I'm relying too much on them.