There is so much beauty to being Deaf! 

Growing up, I didn't see it. All I saw were people's sad and concerned faces when they saw my hearing aids or found out I was Deaf. Even though my parents never limited me, I always felt inferior. I wasn't the daughter they wanted me to be. Don't get me wrong, they always encouraged me to go after my dreams and learn new things. However, I was also thrown into groups I didn't belong in and I had no idea how to explain that to them. I chose soccer and writing over hanging out with people because it was overstimulating. Honestly, I didn't want to hang out with my hearing classmates at all. To put it plainly, they were bullies. 

My parents were proud that I could "pass as a hearing person". But inside, I felt like something was missing. Sure, I can speak English clearly but I think many people forget that communication is a two-way street. Sure, the hearing person can hear me but then they assume I can hear them. That's not always true. With the help of hearing aids, I can hear more sounds but I still have to lipread to understand your speech.

The phrase that I detest and many other Deaf and hard-of-hearing people don't like is, "Your voice sounds so nice!" Please, for the love of all cute puppies, don't use any version of this phrase. Our voices should not be the focus of your praise. We can do so many things. Voicing takes so much effort especially since we can't always hear every syllable we make never mind you. 

So please don't say anything about our voices. Many of us went through extensive speech therapy and it wasn't fun. Try talking about our choice of outfit or jewelry instead. I'm sure the Deaf person you're talking to will appreciate that much better!