For nearly fifteen years I've been deaf. Now I'm not going to tell you what it's like. Been there, done that. Telling you about the positive and negative aspects this change involved has already been written before. There's another aspect that I've had to deal with. Deaf people are by and large, shunted to the back of the social bus. A lot of my deaf friends have given up looking for work and being a productive member of society.
I'm not at that point.
Many deaf people work 'behind the scenes'. Either learning a trade, such as electrical engineering or printing. If I had to count the number of deaf carpenters I've met, I'd run out of fingers. Which brings me to my next point of consideration.
There have been many posts by yours truly where I railed against the injustice of the crappy treatment I get in the retail business. The fact is, deaf people are ill-suited to working in a retail environment. This coming from a deaf guy who's worked in retail all his life. Imagine how stupid I feel!
And yes, waiting tables and tending bar is retail. You're selling something. Doesn't matter if you can eat it, drink it or wear it... That's retail. It also means there has to be a paradigm shift.
From time to time that phrase has come up in our lives, few of us actually knows what it means.
In a nutshell: it means to think outside the box.
I've met a few deaf chefs in my travels. Let that sink in a minute. Do you really need to hear the bacon sizzling? When I'm cooking, the other senses come into play, hearing isn't required.
Being poor for the rest of my life isn't an option. I don't wish for fame. (That'd be nice, but I don't require it.) Like a lot of things, the pieces are right in front of us, but we don't see it.
That microbrewery I inherited a while back. The class I took showing how to brew. The fact that people I've given the mead to come around asking for more. I've already decided to give this brewing thing a try. The climate I live in is good for ales and wines, lousy for lagers. No one knows what mead is. In fact, the mere mention of the word and I can see the lip sneer forming. (I read a lot of lips, it's the first thing I notice.)
When I say the words 'honey wine', everyone's facial expression changes. I also know A guy who is licensed to sell liquor in Texas. You see? If I don't know the answer, I know the guy that does... That's my superpower.
Opportunity is usually not recognized because it comes in overalls and looks like work.
First I'd have to recreate the mead. Not so tough... I have the recipe and thanks to that class, I have a few ideas about the brewing and rapid cooling process. Packaging, marketing and selling it. Well... I have two of those problems sorted out.
Sigh... It would be easier if you just gave me the money now. Don't make me get up and come over there.
I'm not at that point.
Many deaf people work 'behind the scenes'. Either learning a trade, such as electrical engineering or printing. If I had to count the number of deaf carpenters I've met, I'd run out of fingers. Which brings me to my next point of consideration.
There have been many posts by yours truly where I railed against the injustice of the crappy treatment I get in the retail business. The fact is, deaf people are ill-suited to working in a retail environment. This coming from a deaf guy who's worked in retail all his life. Imagine how stupid I feel!
And yes, waiting tables and tending bar is retail. You're selling something. Doesn't matter if you can eat it, drink it or wear it... That's retail. It also means there has to be a paradigm shift.
From time to time that phrase has come up in our lives, few of us actually knows what it means.
In a nutshell: it means to think outside the box.
I've met a few deaf chefs in my travels. Let that sink in a minute. Do you really need to hear the bacon sizzling? When I'm cooking, the other senses come into play, hearing isn't required.
Being poor for the rest of my life isn't an option. I don't wish for fame. (That'd be nice, but I don't require it.) Like a lot of things, the pieces are right in front of us, but we don't see it.
That microbrewery I inherited a while back. The class I took showing how to brew. The fact that people I've given the mead to come around asking for more. I've already decided to give this brewing thing a try. The climate I live in is good for ales and wines, lousy for lagers. No one knows what mead is. In fact, the mere mention of the word and I can see the lip sneer forming. (I read a lot of lips, it's the first thing I notice.)
When I say the words 'honey wine', everyone's facial expression changes. I also know A guy who is licensed to sell liquor in Texas. You see? If I don't know the answer, I know the guy that does... That's my superpower.
Opportunity is usually not recognized because it comes in overalls and looks like work.
First I'd have to recreate the mead. Not so tough... I have the recipe and thanks to that class, I have a few ideas about the brewing and rapid cooling process. Packaging, marketing and selling it. Well... I have two of those problems sorted out.
Sigh... It would be easier if you just gave me the money now. Don't make me get up and come over there.
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