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Sunday 29 November 2020

How I was being raised in the Hearing family? 

Everyone would think how and where I was raised in the Hearing family.

Let me share my story to yours.


I was born Deaf since baby. None of my both parents could aware about my condition. Either my relatives too. So I was well taken care by my grandparents until there was an incident in a room where I was accidentally locked up in the room door. My ee ee (aunt) was afraid and anxiety to get me out from room. Luckily, she went to our house side to get a stick through netting window to shout out and show/ wave towards me and I looked at her to tell me what to do. So I opened the door finally. From on that very moment, my ee ee has noticed something is wrong with me. So she has spoken to my mom. My mom brought me to see a doctor and explained to her that I was Deaf. I was around 2-3 years old. Then she helped my mom to find me a pre-school. My mom could figure out about me.

My mom found out It was hard to accept me as a Deaf child. None of any parents would want that, right?

In the school where I enrolled to early pre-school at Federation School for the Deaf, known as FSD in Penang by the age of 5 in 1989. I would be given an oralism class in every day before my other classes would began. During the oralism class, I would practiced to speak with my hearing aids and looked at the mirror with a teacher. This oralism defines where a theory would be done through lipreading, training in speech production and training of residual hearing. It was not that easy process to go through.


How a Deaf person know what the Hearing person to say?

This picture shows that how this method lip-reading works out for a Deaf person with a Hearing person.



1. I can't hear. Please do not cover your mouth with hand/ mask.

(A transparent mask would be a better one to enable to read lip-reading)


2. I can't hear you if you mumble fast.


3. Face me. 


4. Speak one at a time slowly.


5. A Deaf person can catch up the 
movement of lip-reading using eyes.







Not at all Deaf persons can do that. Only gifted persons can have this skill. Understanding this method can be tired and eyesore to the Deaf person.


How I picked up this lip-reading method?

As I have said in the much earlier below. I spoke very good and clear for not needing to turn back to see the Hearing person to talk to me. It was like how two Hearing persons talk to each other by doing many things at the same time. There is no necessary by looking at the person to talk to you. I hope you get what I mean.

Okay, when my speaking and hearing has became little worse and I could not pick up in front when the Hearing person to say to me at the back. So I was much struggled back then how to solve this problem. So one day I was starred at the Hearing persons to talk in desperately. And there I was noticing at their conversations to pay attention seriously. This is how I have picked up some words which I knew what they talked all about. I tested and I asked them whether it corrects or not. It comes out that I was corrected! From that moment, I knew I should use this method in another option all the way. 

I would speak to my family and everyone who is hearing. Only my mom learnt sign language simple as ABCs. In school, I would use sign language to communicate with Deaf friends and teachers. But I would sometimes use Total Communication, known as TC with my teachers. Total communication is where a person would sign and speak at the same time. 


What does Total Communication look like?


You may see it in the picture drawing above explaining that two persons would talk to each other but one of them is speaking and signing at the same time, the other person would look and listen.

It is how this tool of Total Communication works.


But I am much luckier as I have fewer Deaf friends who are in the same condition as me who are able to speak too. I spoke very clear and good back then.

I was treated good and fair by my family, cousins and relatives. I was not that much different from them. Everything was normal. I would played and revised books with cousins. My neighbors were even invited me to join their good fun to play around. To party, how to play on matches etc. It was good experiences.

Most of my childhood life involved in the Hearing family and friends surroundings. 

I would have had awesome experiences where I could feel the real fun with my family who love karaoke in the house or clubhouse, my grandparents would take me to visit their friends house for a chat, my parents would take me to join their friends' house for dinner party and I would join the other kids around to play and some trips went together as well. I was also teaching my cousins who are curious to learn simple ABCs in sign language. Some of them found its easy to communicate with me.

One of my cousins who is good at sign language especially in finger-spellings fast where I can understand and read especially in family issue talks and many topics. An another cousin of mine who can sign in good visual gestures I understand well. My grandparents learnt few simple sign language words to communicate with me too. My grandmother is also very good in making conversation with me in ways on how she would explains things or pictures using simple ABCs finger-spellings and also good visual gestures to make me to understand better.

I was so much fortunate to have such an open-minded family surrounding who would treat me no much difference in ways. 

My cousins would share with me in many topics such as who are their friends, what they are doing and much more during my teen life. My cousins even brought me to meet their friends. I was like I was welcomed to their world. In other than that, my young aunt was more like a 'bestie' to me, she could bring me to watch movies with her and even went to workout and club to join her and friends. It was pretty cool to have good enjoyable and fun with her back then. We mostly use speaking and she would tries her best to sign with me.

Often I would find out that it would be sometimes left me blank when I meet my new cousins in law. šŸ‘€ They are accepting me who I am and they are so friendly and easy to get along well. I am much luckier to have them as my part of family. 

My relatives are also getting along well with me, there is no difficulty in communication as there are good technology to be used such as email, whatsapp, FaceBook and video call. As I can read though is much easier for all of us. If I do not understand a thing or two, they will explain to me more in specific by providing or showing information from Google or pictures to see. Easy and fair, right?

They are supportive and awesome. I have been so grateful for having them people in my life. Without them, I wont be as I am today. This is how I am adapting well to my Hearing family.

I am proud of being Deaf.

We are humans after all.

God created us all special people.

We use His gifted to live our lives to the fullest.