It would have been cool if my brother enrolled with me into Maryland School for the Deaf, but they rejected him because his hearing was greater than mine. When he reached high school, he could only go to Model Secondary School for the Deaf because their rules were more flexible.

Guess what… now the rules have changed and basically anyone with hearing loss who learns visually has a chance of enrolling at Maryland School for the Deaf.

This is yet another example of how the audiology definition of deafness sometimes clashes with the cultural definition.

Why is DC of all places behind with getting CapTel especially when there’s a large Deaf community that lives and works here, not to mention it’s also the home for Gallaudet University? 36 other states plus the Federal government already offer CapTel.

It’s also ironic that NY, where RIT/NTID is located doesn’t offer CapTel either.

I do this too. I grew up hearing (began losing hearing at age 9) and now still speak well and have hearing friends/family, even as I love ASL and my Deaf friends. Sometimes it can feel like you have a split identity and never fully belong anywhere. I prefer to think of it as belonging to more than one community.

FWIW, other cultures have this too. For example, in Nella Larsen’s *Qucksand* (1928), she describes a light-skinned woman who tries living in various places — a black school, Chicago, Harlem, Europe — and never quite finds a place where she is completely understood and appreciated.

But as in the black community, I think most deaf people are quite understanding about liminal identities, because so many of us (”late-deafened,” “hard of hearing,” “CIs who just learned sign,” etc.) have them.

Erin, have you tried the new Captel phone? I use it to talk to my Mom every week — it’s great — provides full captioned text of what the other person says.

Although I believe most Deaf people are accepting of me, there are some who get in my face about not going to Gallaudet University and following in my dad’s footsteps. The truth is I have always believed I needed to get a different perspective to bring back to the Deaf community. I grew up going to Kendall School then Maryland School for the Deaf all my adolescent life. My parents are Deaf and I’ve socialized almost entirely with Deaf people all my life. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that now with technology and, hopefully, increasing acceptance from the hearing community, Deaf people have more opportunities to make their legacy than in the past.

I think a good example is the African American community. Colleges like Howard University helped advance the African American community and helped gain their acceptance in mainstream America. The African American pioneers made it possible for African Americans to go to any college in America and work in any profession they desire. The Deaf community is experiencing this phenomenon now thanks to Gallaudet University and the Deaf President Now (DPN) protest.

So next time any of you want to get in my face about me not going to Gallaudet University, just remember that I only used the opportunity that many Deaf pioneers, including my father, have fought so hard to give to the Deaf community.

I mention it because some people have pointed it out to me why didn’t i post that I’m deaf on my online profile? or some assume that I want to date a deaf person. so it made me feel compelled to say, you know it’s not how i identify myself first. it’s like 4th or 5th on my list, when it comes to describing who i am.

dc is a good city has that mix of both. that’s why i like it here. it’s easy to meet people in both cultures.

While reading, I sensed a sort of discomfort with your situation. My problem is, I don’t see anything wrong or uncomfortable about the way you lead your life. Maybe it’s because you feel there’s pressure to either label yourself as either gung-ho culturally capital D deaf or as a woman who happens to have a hearing loss (which obviously still does have its impact) living her life in the big wide world?

If so, I’d like to venture that you’re far from alone and that those who insist on a line defining the either/or of your existence can go impose their views on someone else. As long as you’re happy, your life and identity is just fine the way it is.