Hey guys, I am so sorry that I haven’t blogged in a long time. Just have a crazy schedule. But here I am.
Alright. So today I want to talk to you about deaf culture. I have been taking an American Sign Language class since June at my local library. I met the person that works with me every week to learn sign language at a local farmers’ market and decided to do it because I am moving into a group home. Who knows? Maybe I will need it to communicate with deaf people.
As a part of our discussions, we discuss Deaf Culture and how they perceive hearing culture. Hearing culture refers to people that are not deaf. Where do I fall? I’m right in the middle of deaf and hearing culture. There is a phenomenon that I would like to share with you. It says, “I don’t like being deaf, but I wouldn’t change it.”
What does that mean? OK, so take me for example. I have problems walking and talking about well as not being able to control my body movements. Do I like putting up with my movements when I move excessively? No, but would I change it? Absolutely not, because that’s what makes me Donna Heather Klippel. It isn’t my disability that defines me. It is the way I handle my disability that defines me.
That is why the deaf community wouldn’t change being deaf. Deafness has become part of their identity. Anyone, especially me, does not like having a disability, but we cannot change that so we accept that disability into our identity.
People can say to me, “Who are you?”
I might answer, “My name is Heather. I am a blogger with cerebral palsy.”
Don’t let your disability define you. Let the way you handle your disability define you.