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Voices of Deafness Transcript
Bobbie Jo Duffy, 31, Teacher's Aide, Lexington School for the Deaf
"I value our own culture, our own language. It used to be that many people didn't realize that deaf people have a language. They felt sorry for deaf people. There's really no pity needed. Deaf people can do anything, except hear. That's all ... [E]verything that I am, how I express myself, my education, everything, it's with the deaf community ... Sometimes I would look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and look forward to seeing my family, you know. But then, the reality of the communication issue always comes up. They don't know how to sign. Not fluently ... Do I look at a person who got an implant as a member of deaf culture? Really, no ... Most of the time, the people that I know with implants take them off. I'm with them, you now, 75 percent, but not 100 percent. They make me feel funny when I communicate with them. I can't seem to express myself right. And really communicate. I don't know if the person really understands me or not, you know? ... If a person grows up deaf and decides to get an implant, it turns me off. That means that the person doesn't understand deaf culture. I pity them. I wish they'd get a life. You'll be sorry."
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