For the Deaf community - How do you feel about ID cards showing your disability?

I have a special id that I have that says I am deaf. I use it whenever I have to give ID to anyone because I want them to know that they have to look at me when they talk, they need to speak up, I need to see their lips when they talk, and they might have to write something down.





There are too many people who are deaf or Deaf who have been unable to understand what someone has asked or answered something wrong because they thought they understood and got into unnecessary trouble.





My card has check-offs


Deaf, hard of hearing


Use ASL, signed English, read lips





ETA: I heard of a person who was pulled over at nighttime and the officer shown a light into the car and the person who was a lipreader could not read the officer's lips because of the light in their eyes and the officer arrested them. There have been several instances of people being tazered because they were deaf and did not respond to an officer's command. I personally don't expect to ever get into a situation where I can't handle it, but I never know what circumstances might happen and best to be prepared.





The other thing this card does is says what my basic rights are in terms of having a sign language interpreter or things written down or availability of a TTY or having a service animal. Most people are unfamiliar with the rights of the Deaf and as this is an official document - people pay attention to whereas they might not pay attention to a person who says something in their right - like having an interpreter available.

For the Deaf community - How do you feel about ID cards showing your disability?
I don't really have any opinion on them.





I don't carry a specific card that identifies me as a deaf/hard-of-hearing person. I DO carry a medic alert card and one of the conditions on it is "deaf". I'm also a diabetic and use an insulin pump...this is a primary reason why I carry the card. I also wear a medic alert bracelet but it simply makes people aware of the diabetes and the pump.





I'm not all the way there yet. However, since I have lost more than 70% of my hearing, I am considered deaf. I'm a "speaking deaf"...thanks to early intervention with speech therapy, I can speak relatively well...almost "normal". I can read lips pretty well and if I need to, I will tell the person who is speaking to me that I'm hearing impaired and to please maintain eye contact with me. I do not know sign language, except for the alphabet and about 50 signs.





If a person needs to know that I'm deaf, then I tell them. I don't have a problem with that. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I just don't advertise it. With my hearing aids, my hearing is restored to within 15-20% of normal (whatever that is...I never had it so how would I know?)





EMT





I DO think that deaf people who use the services of a hearing ear dog should carry ID to identify the dog's purpose and to prove there is a reason that the person should have the dog with them at all times.
Reply:Well, if the cards are required, I feel that it's discriminatory, but if the cards are optional, I feel they could be useful to people who wish to use them. Kind of like those ID bracelets that say you're allergic to something or another, you don't have to wear them, but if you wish to you can. In situations where someone is injured to the point of being unconscious, the Doctors yelling at the person to wake them isn't going to do much good, but if the person had the ID card, the Doctors may be able to come up with another way to get them awake. It's all a matter of how the person feels about their disability...and i suppose their age may be a concern as well. A deaf child may also have benefit to carrying one, just in case they become lost, the person who tries to help them may understand better why the child isn't talking, or answering questions...
Reply:i wish i had something like that i am not deaf but getting there i am hearing impaired and cant hear certain peoples voices or words with lots of vowels in them i try and read lips but havent been taught and i dont know ASL either i want to know how to get to learn that so when my hearing does go i will be ready i am lost but i do wish there was a way like your id to let people know and that im not ignoring them
Reply:A card would make it much easier when paying the check.
Reply:My wife is deaf. I showed her this question and she says ID cards showing the bearer to be deaf is just unnecessary.





She says that if a person is unaware that she is deaf, they will soon find out and that she is perfectly literate and capable of communicating in writing or ASL.
Reply:I am hearing. I myself do not see deafness as a disability. They can do anything I can do except hear. So, I don't know why they would need anything alerting people that they are deaf. I don't have one that specifies that I am hearing.