to my fellow d/Deaf and hard of hearing nonbinary people…

you are important

you are loved

you are more than your hearing

we are not broken

we can exist as nonbinary and deaf, we don’t have to choose.

my brain: here’s something productive that u have been procrastinating on doing for literally three mont-

Watch: Nyle DiMarco reminds voters what’s at stake on election day for people with disabilities

Most lessons are taught in sign language and I keep sitting on the wrong side of the voice overs/interpreters! It means I have to catch up later (thanks to a transcript note taker, my life saver!)

I got taught the sign for “trans” and I’m in love with it

I got moved into a higher level BSL class and the teacher signs so fast I cry internally

I found out that ASL is actually based on French Sign Language and NOT British Sign Language and my entire life has changed 

@leadermon cutely introduced herself to one of my lecturers in BSL and it was adorable. (And the lecturer was so happy she put her books down to introduce herself back)

Everyone is cool with me being trans. My lecturers are even asking me about it (but I don’t know enough sign language to really fully explain)

I use the boys bathroom now! Men are disgusting nobody washes their hands I’m repulsed by men

I accidentally told my lecturer that my mum is dead due to a language misunderstanding oops

TOO MUCH WORK

I’m tired of “You don’t need captions, just listen harder.”

I’m tired of “You can talk, so how can you be deaf?”

I’m tired of “You don’t need to sign because you can hear.”

Do not complain about captions

Do not complain about ramps or hand railings

Do not complain about accessible seating

Do not complain about trigger warnings

Do not complain about large font

I work at an American d/Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and HoH resource center with a 30 years-long history of engagement with and dedication to these communities that they serve. Our organization was started by d/Deaf and HoH folks, and it’s been run and supported by d/Deaf and HoH folks ever since, with partnership from local Deaf-Blind groups, on an entirely nonprofit basis. We’re not direct services in the usual sense - we don’t give money, rent/job assistance, or legal services - but we have an in-house interpreter program and weeknight ASL courses, and we focus on giving folks resources and information (adaptive technology, rights under the ADA, regional health, financial, and social resources, etc.).

However, as our older members are starting to drop out due to age, we’re looking for ways to expand our programming, with a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of teens, young adults, and adults 25-40. We’re especially interested in providing resources for intersectional d/Deaf, HoH, and Deaf-Blind communities; multiply disabled d/Deaf, HoH, and Deaf-Blind folks; possibly immigrant d/Deaf, HoH, and Deaf-Blind folks (a big project, since to our knowledge that population has been addressed… well, never); and anyone else who feels like they aren’t getting the resources and support that they need in the existing d/Deaf, HoH, and Deaf-Blind communities. We’re also looking to expand our programming into what I would call “soft resources” - social events, support groups, affinity group get-togethers, etc.

If you are d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-Blind and take 5-10 minutes to fill out our survey here, and then reblog this post, it would mean the world to us. 

What is up with some hearing people that expect you to pay attention to almost everything that relates to sound?

For example,

Hearing person knocks on my door then gets annoyed that I don’t hear it. Well I do have other methods to get my attention; people get ticked that I don’t hear the door or them coming in the house or something ( I have other methods for a reason!)

I can’t pay attention to everything sound related even I could try ( even if I did had my hearing aids). It ticks me off if people get annoyed asking me “ Didn’t hear that?” 

No. If I did I would come over, but don’t get ticked if I couldn’t hear it. I could be doing something or anything that could block me hearing it. If I’m close to a room, then I can hear the sound. If I’m not there, I can’t hear it so don’t assume that I ignoring you.

3 Ways To Caption Your Videos! [CC]

This video is one that I’ve done many times before, but I wanted to do an updated version with better technology, location, and all the methods into one video! That way, you don’t have to go to multiple videos to learn all the steps. A huge thank you to YouTube Space NY for letting me be a part of NextUp 2016!

As always, reblogs are appreciated as they help support my channel and if you want to support my channel in other ways, consider pledging on Patreon here.