Spirituality of Being dDeaf

(Q1) What is Being dDeaf? Do you have strong feelings being (with the) dDeaf? If so, what are they?

- the vigiliant feelings you have for the deaf schools you grew up at? What about those who attended mainstreaming public schools? The proud feelings of attending Gallaudet University, and those feelings never attending there? The growing dread and fear of losing your hearing or celebrating it? The discomforting feeling when seeing or approaching a signing person in public, or the natural fascinating draw one feel toward signers? The disappointment culturally deaf people later in life had realizing not being born to deaf parents or graduating from a deaf school? The satisfying feeling finding out that your own child is deaf or the opposite - abhorrent gloom finding out one’s baby is deaf? The slowly realized feelings of a proud bilingual CODA adult or a deeply embittered non-signing CODA? The death knell feelings to deafness if signing and deafness are to be eradicated from the face of the earth?

. . . All of the above, and in the between, are psychological and spiritual issues associated with dDeafhood - being (with the) dDeaf.

This blogsite has begun its journey of transformation. Next posts will be in form of asking questions. Spirituality of Being Deaf will continue with question #2 on the next post.

. . . while being silent, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . think being deaf . . .

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. . . silence . . .

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. . . Ephphatha . . .

. . . be opened not only our ears or mouths but our Eyes anD HANDS . . .

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. . . . . . Spirituality and Deafness?

. . . Insane? . . . Impossible? . . . Incompatible? . . . Possible? . . . Sure? . . .

. . . This site is a new technological vehicle, the blogsphere, for a brand new topic to be discussed. Spirituality and Deafness? It is a totally new concept for most, if not all, of us, both deaf and hearing people. For hearing people, they might be, at worst, unable to contemplate this concept. For deaf people, they might produce various known and unknown responses until once looking and contemplating into this, IT is, of course, inside you.

. . . The spirituality of all deaf people’s life journeys is as diverse as it is for every human being on earth. Diversity is also how we define it.

. . . The spirituality of being deaf lies within the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual journey of deafhood for everyone afflicted and associated with hearing loss, all over our large globe. Yes, Deafhood as an concept is new and exciting. After people realize that the deafhood concept is not necessarily a deaf nationalistic ideology, we will eventually agree that the pride AND the shame of being deaf are both equally dDeafhood issues. The deafhood processes of a proud Deaf person and of a born-deaf non-signer are the two, however poles apart, examples of the journeys of our dDeafhoodism.

. . . let us begin with silence . . .