New Members: Introduce yourselves here :) > Likes and Comments

Welcome! Feel free to introduce yourselves to all the other members in this group.

Hey, My name is Jazmine Armstrong, and I have had an interest in the Deaf Community ever since I was 15 years old. I have dated, and have been friends with a few of the deaf community in Shreveport, Bossier for three years. I appreciate the culture. Thank you!

Jazmine wrote: "Hey, My name is Jazmine Armstrong, and I have had an interest in the Deaf Community ever since I was 15 years old. I have dated, and have been friends with a few of the deaf community in Shreveport..."

Welcome Jazmine, thanks for joining!

Hi I am Anne Maree, I haven't had a lot to do with the deaf community here in Bundaberg, (Queensland Australia) until recently when my new neighbour moved in. She is a 19 year old deaf young lady with a little boy. She introduced herself and told me she is deaf and asked me when I speak to her, please look straight at her and speak clearly so she can read my lips. I find myself doing this, something I had not thought of before.

Hello I am new to Goodreads and to this group. Looking forward to your posts and friendship. Tiffee Jasso (Author)

Hello there, I'm from Portugal.
Last year I took some lessons of sign language and we were also introduced to the some aspects of the daily life of deaf people.
I must say I was appalled by some of the obstacles they do encounter in their lives which are mostly created by us, the non-deaf people, the majority. In many stories I heard, people do tend to avoid them...
Anyway, the Deaf community possess some kind particularities that are fascinating and are worth getting in touch with.
So I'm looking forward to see more on the subject in this group.

A warm welcome to all new members.

Hi

Name is Jason. I like in the UK, for the last 16 years of my life I've been working at a school for the deaf.

This new thriller sounds interesting.

Hello, my name is Patty. I am originally from Washington DC but have lived in Georgia for about 28 years. My father was hearing impaired wearing 2 hearing aids. This subject has my interest. I look forward to the discussions and insight.

I am TC, here representing WhiteBeardBooks. The concept of this group is one too often overlooked. As a kid growing up, my best friend was a guy with both parents being deaf. I witnessed many methods of communication first hand. He would stamp the floor because his parents felt the vibrations and knew someone was requesting their attention. Of course I learned to sign and along with that many hand gestures that are normal and accepted by their community. I'm pleased to have had that life experience early on.

Hi, I'm Paula. I actually have minimal experience with deaf people (although my grandmother lost much of her hearing when she was in her nineties and I did go out with a deaf man for a short time). Nevertheless, one of the characters in my Amanda Lester, Detective tween/teen series loses his hearing and must learn to adapt. I also have a blind character in the series. I am very interested in learning about and giving voice to people who are different. I would like to learn sign language.

Hi, I'm Tony from the UK. My wife is hard of hearing rather than totally deaf but my brother's wife and her brother are totally deaf, although he has recently had a cochlea implant (knowing my brother I can understand his wife not wanting one).

My interest stemmed from reading Oliver sacks book on the subject. It made me wonder if anybody had thought of playing to deaf people’s strengths, not for the desire to integrate them into society through giving them inappropriate jobs? For instance, reading Hearing Voices by Oliver Sacks (page 172, point 54, bottom of page) it occurred to me that the deaf could pick up the visual tells of liars, through reading their body language as they wouldn’t be distracted by what they heard.  In a similar vein the blind could be trained to pick up tone of voice as these two forms of communication are superior to just the intellectual content of the message. The police, customs and other official bodies such as medical assessments of fitness for benefits and even job interviews would find this strength of value.

Think also of sign being used to communicate ideas between countries, where verbal translations slow down the process (one language into another, instead of one person to another, where they speaks the same (sign) language instead - that is no verbal language barrier).  United Nations for instance or business usage

Lastly, the minor position of teaching the great apes to speak in scientific experiments, should fall naturally to someone who could sign, I would have thought

Oh I forgot, I once entered a poetry competition on the subject of what it was like to be deaf, so wrote the few lines below

DEAF TO THE WORLD

My life is a stream of consciousness, wherein I drown in a sea of imagery.
I am a camera that flows over the world without sense or censorship.
No sound acts as a full stop on my endeavours.
I am not disturbed by noise or distracted by voices.
My existence is a solitary pursuit through the realms of vision.
I see the dumb show of those that speak as if engaged in a game of charades.
They laugh at monkeys but we see them as no different (great apes).
They call us slow because we cannot speak clearly in their tongue.
We laugh behind our hands as our fingers do the (rapid) talking.
The world is blind to our existence and we are deaf to its.

Hello!

My name is Samanta and I'm from Croatia.

I used to, for a short time at the end of primary school/beginning of high school, volunteer with the Deaf-Blind Association in Zagreb called "Dodir" ("Touch" in English). I don't exactly remember why I stopped, but I always wanted to learn sign language (it's still on my language bucket list, but I somehow never seem to get to it).

Hello, my name is Devi Di Guida and I am an author. I was born in Guyana and now live in Montreal, Canada. I grew up with a hearing impaired sister - my real life heroine - who went on to do an MBA. One day, I was walking on a beach in The Cayman Islands and met a young deaf college student who was studying neuro-science at the time. He is now a Doctor. I was so inspired by the college student that I recently wrote a novel titled The Cayman Hustle with a deaf protagonist. From the reviews I have read on Amazon, readers love the deaf protagonist. I will post one sometime later.

Tony wrote: "Oh I forgot, I once entered a poetry competition on the subject of what it was like to be deaf, so wrote the few lines below

Tony, I love that poem.

Welcome to all new members! Great to have you on board. As to be expected, you come from varied and interesting backgrounds. Do share your experiences, reading preferences etc. with us.

Hi! Thank you for the invite to the group. I'm Nina from the US. I was intrigued by this story because I'm a CODA. My father was born deaf due to my grandmother contracting measles when she was pregnant. My mother developed an illness when she was a baby which caused her to lose some of her hearing. My mother was taught to lip read until she met my father she learned ASL. When I was small (not old enough to fully understand) I thought my parents we're playing a joke on me pretending to be deaf because I didn't know anyone else who had deaf parents. It took awhile for me to understand and accept. It helped tremendously when meeting other CODA's.

Tony wrote: "Oh I forgot, I once entered a poetry competition on the subject of what it was like to be deaf, so wrote the few lines below

DEAF TO THE WORLD

My life is a stream of consciousness, wherein I drow..."

Beautiful! Thank you for posting this!

I am an author, a minister, and an atheist currently struggling to bring the church into the 21st century; that is, updating the 18th century scholarship it still shares with congregants to what is currently known and taught in liberal seminaries. My first student placement was at a ministry with the deaf. I was such a newbie that I preached an entire sermon signing "I want" from low on my abdomen. So glad one of my mentors had the courage to tell me I was telling the whole congregation I wanted to have sex with them all! lol!
Glad to be here. Thanks for starting this group!

Nina wrote: "Hi! Thank you for the invite to the group. I'm Nina from the US. I was intrigued by this story because I'm a CODA. My father was born deaf due to my grandmother contracting measles when she was pre..."

Hi Nina - Great to have another CODA on board. We (my co-writer and I) gained an insight into the challenges Codas face when doing the research (hard yards!) for our upcoming novel. It was a real eye-opener. Do feel free to share more of your experiences with us.

Gretta wrote: "I am an author, a minister, and an atheist currently struggling to bring the church into the 21st century; that is, updating the 18th century scholarship it still shares with congregants to what is..."

Welcome Gretta. So you are a minister and an atheist? How's that working out for you? Given your interest in the church and history, you may be interested in the no-holds barred discussions in our Forbidden history of the Bible threads in our very active Underground Knowledge group... https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group... - Feel free to participate!

Hi Gretta,

You sound a very interesting person.

Sex is a very direct way of communicating. Somehow, I get the idea I would not be very popular if I told my group I wanted to have sex with them all !

Lance has a point. How do you manage to combine the two?

:)

Hi everyone my name is Erica. Five of my cousins are hard of hearing so I am interested in learning more about the deaf culture and sing language

Hey, I'm Aria. I'm hearing, I line in Texas, and I wouldn't say I'm constantly in contact with those that are deaf, but I do have deaf friends and cannot talk in school (selectively mute) and find it easier to communicate that way.

Hello yall; I'm amazed so many hearing impaired, deaf and hearing people with deaf connections and interests have responded to this, what seems to me like a book club centered around this one book I haven't yet read. Despite being deaf myself, I don't have any deaf connections/friends, and live in a community bordering a river, and quite a lot of isolation here in Sacramento. I have a cochlear implant, which gives me access to music...thank god, and of course, my connection to my pc gives me access to the world; my possession of a camera gives me access to Miksang Photography. Now, all I need is a dog to walk and take me outside). I am looking forwards to reading this book (what book? I've already forgotten the title) some of us are mentioning, and continuing access to this group, as well. My name is Mary, btw. Thanks.

Erica: "Sing Language"? I think you just coined a brand new concept!!

Hi Mary. off to see what Miksang Photography is now :-)

Hi Jason, if you run across Miksang Davis CA (and beyond), it's one I started a few years ago; have since added several other Miksangers to co-administer.

Some interesting photos there.

Jason wrote: "Some interesting photos there."

All different levels of 'understanding'. I am restricted in my comments since I haven't attained 'teacher' status.

A warm welcome to all new members of this fast growing group!

(Mary, for what it's worth... you are member #300 as at today).

Thank you, Lance. 300 members is a goodly size.

Mary wrote: "Thank you, Lance. 300 members is a goodly size."

I reckon.

Mary wrote: "Hello yall; I'm amazed so many hearing impaired, deaf and hearing people with deaf connections and interests have responded to this, what seems to me like a book club centered around this one book I haven't yet read. ..."

One small correction, Mary: It's a group about Deaf culture inspired by the one book you mention (Silent Fear) that myself and Lance wrote...We became fascinated by the nuances of the Deaf community in the process of writing/researching, and are keen to learn more, make more Deaf friends, discover other books and films about Deaf culture, etc.

If still unsure what this group is about, here's the group's mission statement previously posted elsewhere:

My co-writer Lance Morcan and I have recently set up this new group (Silent World — A discussion group) for several reasons.

It was inspired by an upcoming thriller book publication: Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) - the true crimes being murders within the world's premiere educational institution, Gallaudet University in Washington DC. While writing this book we have been researching the Deaf community for years and in the process became passionate about their issues.

We have discovered it really is a unique and diverse global community and we trust this group can also be a way to share other books (and also films) by or about the Deaf. Possibly it may eventually inspire other storytellers to include Deaf characters in their works. For it has been our observation there is a dearth of Deaf characters in literature, cinema and television.

We also hope Silent World can eventually become an interactive discussion platform for the Deaf community, as well as an intersection of sorts where Deaf and hearing people can engage with and learn from each other.

Thanks,
James

Hello! I've always been interested in learning the Deaf culture. I am a person of hearing who wants to learn sign language and everything about this community. Ever since I watched the DWSA and learned about Silent Fear, I want to be able to learn so much. Thank you for making this group.

Hi all!
My name is Mai, and I am deaf... So I am thrilled to find more books with deaf culture, and I am open to any reading recommendations. I look forward to be a part of this group!
-Mai

Hi I’m Nilsa. I’m hard of hearing. I want to write books with Deaf/Hoh characters. I write thriller so I tend to go for books/movies like Hush.

Hello all, I am Kora,
I have not read the book mentioned, but I have been interested in the deaf community since my teen years. Doc told me once that an illness I had could lead to hearing loss so I made it a point to learn to sign. Lucky for me I never went deaf.

Why I joined this group is that I have written a fantasy book detailing the life of a mute girl that becomes blessed by ancient guardians, and grows up to become a Knight that brings magic to the world.

To me signing is a beautiful way of speaking and I wanted my main character to shine and become someone people could identify with and not become a stereotype I often see in movies.

Hello. My name is Jesse. I have not yet read the book Silent Fear, but I had seen it and been interested in it since before discovering this group. I keep hoping my library will have it. As of yet, no luck. I wish they would have a copy. I have considered signing up for the free month of Kindle Unlimited to be able to read it as I see it is available that way.

For all of my life I have talked loud and had what people who don't know me describe as "selective hearing". I only have about 10% of my hearing and that is all on my left side. I am currently between jobs. I was doing customer service over chat for a cell phone company, so everything was typing, but my job was converted to phone work which I can't do. I'm looking for something else in a very rural area where most work is either factory or phones.

Hello! My name is Gingey, I'm 20, from Texas, and I'm profoundly deaf in both ears. I was raised very oral and use cochlear implants, but I've spent the last few years trying to reconnect with Deaf people - as I'm sure y'all know, being raised to be "as hearing as possible" can be very isolating. I have not yet read Silent Fear, but I'm thrilled to see a group for d/D/hoh folks and to read more books about/by d/D/hoh people!
Also, I run an online group for d/D/hoh young adults, so hit me up if you'd be interested in that! (When I say young adults, I mean teens and twenties.)

A warm welcome to all new members! (Too many of you to greet individually as usual). We welcome your thoughts and comments.

Hello, I'm Jessica. I have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears since age 6. I have worn hearings aids since then and have always tried my best to fit in with the normal hearing world. That can be very exhausting! I rely heavily on lip-reading - although most people don't know that!
I am looking forward to learning more from this group!
**I have also published a book called "The Truly Happy You - A Simple Guide To Reigniting Your Inner Spark" - which reflects a bit on some of the difficulties I faced growing up with a disability, as well as some side effects that I experienced in part due to my hearing loss such as poor self-confidence, troubles with self-love etc.**

Hello Jessica! I find it extremely unfair as a hearing person that those with hearing loss have to adapt to the hearing world completely instead of us trying to at least go half way :) sorry you have to deal with us!

Jessica wrote: "Hello, I'm Jessica. I have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears since age 6. I have worn hearings aids since then and have always tried my best to fit in with the normal hearing world. That..."

Welcome Jessica. I'm sure fellow members will find your book The Truly Happy You: A Simple Guide to Reigniting Your Inner Spark an inspiration!

Weird And Odd wrote: "Hello Jessica! I find it extremely unfair as a hearing person that those with hearing loss have to adapt to the hearing world completely instead of us trying to at least go half way :) sorry you ha..."

Ha Ha - No worries...it's partly my own fault for not being as loving and accepting of myself as I should have been. Lessons learned, huh? I actually feel it's unfair of myself, with having some hearing, that I don't immerse myself more fully in the deaf world! Because I REALLY do love the silence!

I also love completely and absolute silence as well! But you have a bit of both, and it's hard to be just one of something when you're more than that, and you shouldn't push yourself to be something you're not.

So there's a peace in the silence?

Silence for me is a good break from everything. I love music and do find joy in sounds, but sometimes I want to curl up in my bed in the dark and focus on a soft blanket and nice smelling lotion.