Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People
I'd like to clear up something. A letter from me was printed in the January 1997 Present Time in which I asked to become "Information Coordinator for Deaf and Hearing Impaired People." However, I became listed as "Information Coordinator for People with Hearing Difficulties." The two titles mean something very different to me. Deaf people object to the idea that we are the ones with "hearing difficulties" and question why hearing people don't see themselves as having "communication difficulties." Many of us also object to terms such as "hard of hearing." I have never had a letter from anyone who is deaf or hearing impaired via the listings at the back of Present Time, and I wonder if this is the reason. If it were possible to change it, I would be very grateful. [Editor: It has been changed.]
Chris O'Mahony
London, England