Phyllis Rubenfeld wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I'd be interested in your distinction bet. deaf and disabled-I thought to
> be deaf is to be disabled. Interested in your response.
> Phyllis Rubenfeld
>
> On Sun, 25 Jul 1999, Tanis M. Doe wrote:
>
> > I am having problems with my keyboard (it is impaired) so my last post
> > maybe didn t make sense but I want to add some comments. I was Deaf (
> > eafened) before I became disabled (user of a wheelchair) yet as a Deaf
> > person I sat on many committees that were INTER-DISABILITY and where I
> > learned a lot about the position and perspective of peope with mobility
> > and visual disabilities.But as a Deaf person I also sat through
> > discussiosn and arguments about Transportation that had little to do with
> > my issues and my Deaf issues were RARELY addressed in these
> > cross-disability meetings. That is part of the problem with coalitions is
> > that individual or minority issues sometimes get left out. But I continued
> > to do this work- and I became disabled ( in university) so I lived my
> > life both as a Deaf person and as a person with a disability, but had many
> > role models to show me how a disabled person is "supposed to be"/ And
> > during this time I was raising a Deaf daughter whom I adopted when I
> > could walk and function without difficulty. Soon itbecame obvious she had
> > additional disabilities too ( learning difficulties) these were invisible
> > and the Deaf education system ( I want t throw up when Ithink about how
> > much I supported this system) Determined that her delays were all related
> > to her Deafness and its perfectly natural for a Deaf person to not know
> > how to read above grade 4 so I shouldn t expect more. (Personal issues
> > coming out on the list to make a point). I am both disabled, Deaf the
> > parent of a deaf and disabled child, I also happen to be bipolar and this
> > disability, while invisible is a major major factor in my mlife and has
> > become a major factor in my daughters life as she ( at 17) learns how to
> > cope with my mood swings and medication changes. But the point of this is
> > perspective. My lens or window always changes.There are NO abosolutes,
> > oops I just used one. There are FEW abosolutes, and everyone, at all time
> > is changing their knowledge andstandpoint. This is one reason I feel so
> > strongly this list is a usefulinstrument of exchange among people who " i
> > hope" respect each other and can offer useful ideas to each other. We all
> > need to learn, and all need to learn that we need to not shut oout other
> > experiences- I have come to understand several disabilities because of my
> > bodily experiences but I have also come to know about polio because of
> > friends with polio, about cp because of friends with cp about learning
> > disabilities because of my daughter and adult friends and youth I work
> > with. I never stop learning, and I think the rest of this list membership
> > are gaining useful information, insight, and new windows. Don't stop,
> > lets just be careful about absolutes and attacks, it can hurt. It does on
> > occaision silence people who we need to hear from.
> >
> > Tanis
> >
> > pls send attachments to [log in to unmask] not to this email thanks.
> >
> >
I too, would like to know whether deafness is different from disability.
of course the multiple disabilities can be understood to have cumulative
impact. However what exactly is the experiential reality of a deaf
person which is removed from another person with disability?
anita ghai
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