Social Networking For The Hearing Impaired

Social networking isn't confined to the fully abled community anymore - it has stretched into the communities of the differently abled as well. The hearing impaired and Deaf communities, especially, are getting their own social networks online. The most recent of these is the tween and kid oriented network Hearing Exchange Kids.

Started by hearing impaired blogger and publisher Paula Rosenthal, head of Hearing Exchange, the site is geared toward the younger generation suffering from hearing loss. The site is meant to be a place where newly diagnosed kids and tweens can find support and friendship as they learn to navigate a quieter world. The magazine and social network it stems from, Hearing Exchange, offers the same support and resources for older hearing impaired people and their families.

Deaf herself, HearingExchange Kids founder Paula Rosenthal says, “I had lots of friends growing up in the mainstream but every now and then it would have been nice to talk with other kids who were deaf or hard of hearing. My friends with normal hearing just didn't understand when I was frustrated in the noisy cafeteria or how hard I had to listen and work in order to succeed academically. Now that I have a deaf child, I wanted someplace for her to connect with other kids who can understand exactly how she feels. I searched the Internet extensively and couldn't find what I was looking for so I created it instead.”

Rosenthal hasn't cornered the market on social networks for the Deaf and the hearing impaired. Other social networking sites have been springing up over recent months and years to satisfy the need for communities that understand Deaf culture, being deaf and/or partial or full hearing loss. Some are open to all: Deaf, deaf, hearing impaired and hearing. Some, in keeping with Deaf culture, are open only to the Deaf community.

TagDeaf is one community that is open to everyone, from Deaf to hearing, though it focuses on the deaf and hearing impaired. It offers few special features, concentrating instead on the social aspects of networking and making new friends, with a few extras like photo sharing. Other social sites for the Deaf, deaf and hearing impaired communities include DeafHello, DeafPassions (a deaf dating service) and VeeSee (a community based in the UK), to name a few.

Even mainstream sites have gotten in on the act. FaceBook, for example, has one of the largest growing Deaf communities of any existing social network site. The Deaf community connects on FaceBook through Groups, Causes and shared friend lists. Unlike the much missed Ringo from 2004, the current crop of Deaf, deaf and hearing impaired oriented sites doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and that's a good thing. Every group needs a support network and a way to find similar people for resources and friendship.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to profy RSS feed!