Reflect on Learning My Native Language

I read “Learning My Native Language” by Susan Stocker. When I read it, I rolled my eyes. Author Susan was so whined about her hearing that she missed a lot of vowels and words when she was young. Deaf was suffering but accept their being deaf. They live and learn with it. She should get a hearing aid when she doesn’t understand what the teacher says. Oh right, she was in 50’s. Her story was printed in 2000 which is different from 40 years ago because she did tell us her age is 46 which was in 2000. There was a very old fashion hearing aid, which was a big size device. Maybe she would have been satisfied when she was young and not be complaining in the story. I know she was bewildered in the hearing and deaf world because my dad is a child of deaf adult. He grew up in between the deaf and hearing world but his native language was America Sign Language. He does understand, not like Susan because she grew up in the mainstream school and she wanted to fit in it as in the theater scene in the story. She was supposed to write to hearing people because her writing style is to teach to hearing people who don’t know hard of hearing and deaf about the difference in culture and pride. Deaf people have their own pride to be deaf in Gallaudet University where Susan went for ASL class. She did not get along with them, which is full of deaf pride identity. I am part of a pro deaf identity. I think she went to Gallaudet at the wrong time because of Gallaudet was freaked after “Deaf Pride” or “Deaf Power” which overwhelmed her. The modern period is more flexible and understanding because of networks and deaf history in the mainstream. I am sure it already changes. I hope she could understand that the past period is different from now. She admitted to telling her “impaired hearing” in the college class. I wonder why she did not say hard of hearing or almost deaf but I know she needed to use formal words in the higher education class.