Returning to BSL Forum (I think I've been here before!)

[Gerry Finnegan]

Hello everyone.  I started to learn BSL about one year ago using the BSC course. However, I lapsed! - and now I'm back, more serious than the last time. I'm a 73 y.o. Irishman who has retired from lots of things, but still kept a few on the go. I am faced with profound hearing loss - and it's not going to improve. I have a rather rare genetic condition that gifted me with "early hearing loss" - in retrospect from around my mid-thirties. I'm eager to become part of the BSL community.  Hoping to make some new contacts also ... Gerry Finnegan

[Gerry Finnegan]

Hi (again) everyone. If you look at my previous posts over the past couple of years (!!!) you can see that this latest attempt is surely going to be THIRD TIME LUCKY as I am determined to get back up to speed on my BSL course, as well as become more active on this Forum.

Just a bit of an update. I'm now 76, and lined up for an NHS Cochlear Implant (CI) probably in the next 6-9 months. I with the support of my daughter and wife, want to use this 9-month window to better prepare myself for my transition to becoming a CI user and a more active/dynamic member of the D/deaf Community.

I'd like to be in touch with those who may have recently adapted/transitioned to CI. Also, I've always been keen on languages and in addition to English I am interested in BSL, French and Irish/Gaeilge. I'm also a member of a local writing group who are highly supportive of my D/deaf status. Anyone else in the Community who likes to write? - fiction, non-fiction, poetry. etc.

Looking forward to re-connecting, warm regards to all - Gerry Finnegan (GerryF)

[Malik]

Welcome back Gerry! I hope you manage to find members of your local Deaf community to interact with.

I am not Deaf myself, but i do know CIs are a controversial topic in the community. I also heard that they can cause dizzyness and it can feel very overwhelming at the beginning.

I hope that your transition goes smoothly, good luck!

[Gerry Finnegan]

On 02/12/2024 at 07:15, Malik said:

Welcome back Gerry! I hope you manage to find members of your local Deaf community to interact with.

I am not Deaf myself, but i do know CIs are a controversial topic in the community. I also heard that they can cause dizzyness and it can feel very overwhelming at the beginning.

I hope that your transition goes smoothly, good luck!

 

[Gerry Finnegan]

Many thanks Malik. I am going through numerous assessments with the NHS team here in Belfast. Most of it is reassuring, but of course there are some lingering concerns. In the meantime, I am trying to get more involved with sign language as a complement to the CI and make me feel more integrated with the D/deaf community. I will continue to search within  the Forum for more info and feedback from CI users.