Understand diversity, a response to deaf Jeff.

Mike and a hearing co-worker hiking at 10,900 feet near Sierra Blanca (12,003 ft).

You know, I don't read every single gosh durned blogs that has ever been written by a deaf or hard of hearing person but when I do come across one that has been addressed to me I may respond depending on the context and questions asked. This time it's the desert man "Deaf Jeffrey" out of Terlingua, Texas in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert. He wrote in his blog last year in June 2010 about me and a few others that seems so.......wrong. But is it presumptuous of him to think that just because one writes a blog mentioning my name would I somehow, magically so, through osmosis respond automatically?  Although some six months later I came across his Terlinguan blog today and decided to respond to his three questions and his off-kilter assumptions about me. I don't think I ever read his blog before so how am I suppose to know he wrote a blog about me and targeting others like Candy, Barry, Russell, Joshua, and Rachel?

Allow me to answer his three questions succinctly as possible.

1. Have you experienced someone acting superior to you or discriminating you because you couldn’t hear perfectly or speak effectively?  Sure, I've experienced discrimination. My hearing ain't exactly perfect ya know? I'm not even perfectly deaf, either.

2. Have you acquired more knowledge and experience about hearing loss than the average hearing person? Certainly. Haven't you been reading my blogs?

3. Have you experienced what it is like with life without a speaking voice or a hearing aid (including C.I.’s) on a daily basis? Sure, whenever I take off my hearing aid to go to bed, shower, or swim in a nice swimming hole.  Oh wait, you mean....?

Now, before I go further. Jeff makes this supposition had I either responded "yes" or "no" to his questions I would either be deemed as an "avdist," a "propagandist" for the hearing collective, or some guy who think he might, kinda, understand what's going on even though I've repeatedly said over the years that it'd be good for kids with hearing loss to learn signing whether it's SEE, PSE or ASL. My advocacy has always been this. Give the parents the opportunity to be informed so they can make an informed decision regarding their child with a hearing loss.  If they decide to go with SEE and cochlear implant, so be it. Or go with SEE and hearing aid, so be it.  We need to support their decisions. Shouldn't you? Perhaps not, if you're really selfish. Maybe I'm wrong here. If it's hearing aid and AVT, support their decision on that, too. If it's ASL and hearing aid, then support their decision even though the signing would more likely be PSE or SE and not really ASL per se in the strictest sense if you have parents who are hearing in the first place. So, no need to call it "ASL" when it's not really that and carve an extra notch on the "ASL bedpost." But as long as parents make an informed decision that best fit their child with a hearing loss then I have no problem. After all, it's they who hold the trump card. Meaning it is they who make the final decision. Not exactly stupid or pointless about that but simply the facts here.

By the way, exactly what are some of the several things I've (or others) said and done towards certain people that I should "take back" as you have said in your blog? Might want to clarify that further for one thing, Jeffrey. There's an implication here you're attempting to allude to. Might want to find the courage and spill that one out.

Oh, wait a min....that "courage" thing. That one is discussed at the end of my blog. So, just continue on with the reading.

Incredibly so, Jeffrey believes that what I do works well for me I've said it would work just as well for every other child with a hearing loss. Where have I said that? My blogs or words never even come close to what Jeff has said. Do you know for a fact that people with hearing loss range from mild to profound? Is this some kind of envy at work here or what? I can't help but say that when I see comments like this coming from Jeffrey:

Just because you’re doing what is “normal and right” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing what is good for everyone. Besides, you’re not normal and you never will be, so get over it and move along with the rest of us.

Touchy, aren't we, Jeffey? "Not normal"? I am not "normal"?  Perhaps I'm just more than "normal" instead? "Super normal"? Not exactly Superman here but I'm simply a guy with a hearing loss who do things well and enjoys them.  And all that wouldn't have been possible without my mother's help, my hero, early on in my life. Of course, I shan't forget that technology played a huge role in my development, too. I suppose you could blame her for her stupid, stupid early intervention and development efforts that did me no good, eh? Perhaps sue the Zenith company, the maker of my first body worn hearing aid, for allowing me the early access to sound?

Mon dieu!

And exactly what is this "move along with the rest of us" are you speaking of? My goal isn't to forget the rest of the 29.2 million people with hearing loss out of 30 million people in the United States. Is that what you mean? Sorry, the Deaf community isn't that big in the first place nor justified or reason enough to ignore the rest of the 29.2 million people.  If you're going to say "us" might as well include absolutely everybody in mind with hearing loss across all levels regardless of their preferred mode of communication.  Right? I play to a different drum here. Get used to that idea, Jeffrey.

But what a great line from Dr. Seuss Jeff managed to steal from but Sneetches we're not.

What I want to point out to these people is that what they do, whether knowingly or not, is not cool. It’s not cool to walk around all snooty and snotty like those sneetches who had bellies with stars did upon those who had none upon thars.

Not exactly snooty or snotty, either. But I'll give you 5 stars for imagination though.

Next on my item. Which place is better? Terlingua, TX or Alamogordo, NM?

Ever had the chance to hike up a mountain at over 11,500 feet where on one side of the mountain you can see the lush green landscape expanse that spreads out below you while on the other side you can see the great expanse of the valley desert below? Something like the Tularosa Basin as seen from 11,500 feet near Sierra Blanca (12,003 ft)? I certainly did in 2008 as seen in the picture of me hiking around at 10,900 feet high with a fellow co-worker. Hiking around or near Sierra Blanca was a regular occurrence for me while working in the Sacramento Mountains and White Mountain (Sierra Blanca) of New Mexico. I worked  on the Jicarillo Mountain north of Sierra Blanca all the way down to the mountains near Carlsbad close to the Texas border to the south. A chance to experience the lush alpine meadows to the dry gully washes and scorching landscape dotted with a variety of cacti and other desert plants.

Near Sierra Blanca looking southwest to White Sands in the distance

I lived for seven years in Alamogordo, New Mexico. A town that lies at 4300 feet adjacent to the Sacramento Mountains. A town that is located on the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert. You can see a bunch of desert pictures here which is exactly like that of Terlingua, Texas where Deaf Jeff lives. Not much difference, desert and plant-wise except where I lived I had the best of both worlds with the expanse hot desert of the Tularosa Basin valley that lie at 4300 feet to a place 11,500 feet high near Sierra Blanca summit (12,003 feet) near Ruidoso, New Mexico. High altitude hiking gave me the chance to experience the high alpine rush of the cool air during those arduous summer hikes of mine. Terlingua is better? That's a matter of opinion.





If Jeff reads my blog then hurray! If he never comes around to it, then so be it. I'm not going to preface this blog with an ending note on the matter of "courage" if he doesn't respond. Pretty silly to even try and bring that one up not even knowing whether my blog will be read or not.

This is all about adversity and how we live it, challenge it, and even overcome it. Courage isn't about answering questions. Courage is about what you make of in life and the things you're good at instead of hiding it. Social guilt isn't going to work here.

Enjoy your Chihuahuan Desert, deaf Jeff. Although where I lived for seven years in New Mexico is just that much better with more landscape diversity to enjoy from the scenic Chihuahuan Desert environment to the lush alpine meadows at 11,500 feet high . Wouldn't you say that diversity is a great thing to have? Rather than a bland desert with a few dry hills?