Become

The Disability Pride Flag features a black field with green, blue, white, yellow and red striping which runs diagonally across the field from top left to bottom right.

 

“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.”

― David Bowie

I want to talk about how I no longer consider myself "deaf first", but Autistic first. See, I was mainstreamed in education and never really got to socialize with Deaf peers who were signing. The deaf school in the area however was rife with stories of abuse and other horrors - I never attended there. Despite the fact I was able to pick up sign language, I never really felt like I belonged anywhere.

However, it is part of my identity. While I was marching in a Pride parade last week in the rain, signing with my left hand and holding an umbrella in the other, something in my "deaf brain" switched on and suddenly, I wasn't struggling to recall vocabulary. 

July 31st is the last day of Disability Pride Month. Perhaps being part of the 2SLGBTQ++ community is enough to feel like I belong somewhere.  

 

Society

Racism & its silent partner, Ableism. What a ghastly couple Hearing society has adopted as its head of state.

Privilege

There is a level of privilege normies take advantage of daily, and quite frankly we're in the way of them having a good time. Haven't you learned that yet?

Fatigue

I'm thankful I have a partner who understands when I am beginning to struggle with "Listener fatigue."

I used to be better at (I think so, anyway) listening to long conversations, or even several short, quick conversations. It takes a toll when I must focus on lipreading, non-verbal cues, gestures, and policing the conversation (if necessary). Now, it's either my patience or energy wearing out before the talking is done. I don't think it's something I can really control, aside from my handling of the situation.

Either way, it's a chore.