Today I asked my brother if he would share his side of things. Though our experiences are very similar they’re also very different. So here is his side of things as he talks about deaf things:

“Being deaf doesn’t make me different from any other human being except for the disability itself. It seems that people can’t understand that. You shouldn’t judge people by the way they look because then you’d never know if they are a sweet, kind, funny human being. That aspect of this disability bothers me a lot. The judging. I haven’t been able to understand where it comes from, but I guess I am on the other side of the judging most of the time. My older sibling who also happens to be deaf too has helped me deal with a lot. She has been there to tell me to not let disability affect me in sports, making friends, and just life overall. It’s another person to lean on who fully understands what I am going through.

I have noticed that people will treat me like I am dumb. Because at times I may not answer a question right or even at all. It could’ve just been because I didn’t year the question. But that that’s the reaction I would get. Because of my sister, I’ve been able to look at things in a new light. A more positive way, making me thankful for this disability. Unlike her I can’t hide my cochlear, but I’m glad that I don’t have hair to cover it up. I actually like when people ask about the “thing” on my ear. When they ask, I get to really explain it in a way that they would understand what I have to deal with in a good light. Most people end up thinking that’s cool, weird, or even funny. I like to  tell people that I’m 1% robot since I have a magnet inside of my head! But at times the staring bothers me. I’d rather you just ask about it, rather than making me feeling judged! You don’t have to be scared.

People can decide if they think that being deaf is either a bad thing or a good thing depending on how you look at it. I think it’s a great thing because you get learn from it. Being deaf has lead me to learn another language, sign language. I have been able to communicate with friends or family without even opening my mouth. It’s awesome, better than learning spanish in school. I’ve also learned how to read lips, similar to my sister. I rely on this over the sound, because some things my cochlear may not pick up, but the lip reading will save me.

All my life, I had to deal with some of the limits that come along with hearing loss. Not having the ability to hear when I go swimming. The thing is I love swimming and I’ve always wondered what it was like to hear what the splashes, going underwater, or even what farting in the water sounded like. But a few years ago we got a package from cochlear in the mail that contained a waterproof cochlea casing. This is so that we can hear while swimming, I got to experience those sounds. I’ve also had the best night sleep. Almost always I don’t sleep with my cochlear on, and never have to worry about noise waking me up. But along with that has been worries about what if there is an emergency, but yet I don’t hear it.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that being deaf isn’t always bad as a matter of fact there are some really great advantages to it. It has its fair share of ups and downs, but the positives outweigh the negatives.”