Thread by @jaceyhill

One time, I was invited to give a talk at a university about sign language studies. I gave the talk in ASL with the interpreters. After 45 minutes, my first question was "how did you get here?" It implied I couldn't get to the university without help. #AbledsAreWeird

When I was a first year student, my head resident advisor called me to dinner. During our conversation, he told me that he didn't occur to him that deaf people could go to school, work, drive, talk, have children, and etc. Hmm "Deaf" and "dead" spell differently. #AbledsAreWeird

At airport after I've landed, an attendant waits for me with a wheelchair. I as a deaf person need communication access. To them, the default accommodation is a wheelchair. I am not sure how it helps with communication but I ?appreciate? the effort. #AbledsAreWeird

Once at airport in Italy, I was told that I could not travel without a hearing person bc I'm deaf. I was there with a hearing friend who happened to travel with me. I wonder what would have happened if I was alone. I traveled to Italy alone many times before. #AbledsAreWeird

I was approached by two Christian men. They said that if I joined their church, God would give me a new pair of ears to cure my deafness. #AbledsAreWeird

At a restaurant, a server notices that I'm deaf and gives me a menu in braille. In a conversation, I am asked how I manage to cross the street without help. And how I can drive. To them, deaf and blind people are no different. #AbledsAreWeird

At the airport in DC, after I checked my deaf self in, a worker suddenly took my hand and led me all the way to the security line. I was in too much a shock to pull my hand away. #AbledsAreWeird

On YouTube, I expressed my thanks to an artist for adding captions on the video. People asked how I could appreciate music if I'm deaf. Debate ensued. #AbledsAreWeird

Once for a faculty interview, a faculty picked me up at a hotel. She seemed visibly nervous about communicating with me until I spoke. We talked until we arrived on campus. She saw her boss and told her that we wouldn't need ASL interpreters bc I could talk. #AbledsAreWeird

At the same faculty job interview, I worked with ASL interpreters all day to ensure communication access for everyone. This same faculty person pulled me aside and wanted me to speak to her colleague to prove that I could talk. #AbledsAreWeird

Hearing people prefer to build sign language "translation" gloves than to learn one. The best their gloves can do is to sound out letters and numbers, not words. Sign language is more than just hands. They never collaborate with deaf signers. Isn't that weird? #AbledsAreWeird

For over 200 years, hearing educational and medical professionals believe that sign language harms deaf children's language development. Studies and lived experiences have proven otherwise. #AbledsAreWeird

Deaf people put ASL as their home langauge on the U.S. Census form. The Census recoded it as "English", effectively removing actual data of ASL signers. ASL researchers never had any actual estimate. #AbledsAreWeird

Deaf people: Language deprivation is harmful. Sign language is a good option. To sign is also human.

Twitter: 1 like 2 retweets

Hearing person: *post video of deaf ppl reacting to signals via CI or hearing aid*

Twitter: Eleventy gazabillion likes and retweets

#AbledsAreWeird

Me: My siblings and I are deaf. We are doing well for ourselves thanks to my parents' advocacy in school and their belief in us. They let us be who we are .

Hearing person: Your whole family is deaf? That's terrible. I am so sorry.

Me:...

#AbledsAreWeird