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

Gerry Finnegan

By Gerry Finnegan
in Introduce Yourself

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Gerry Finnegan Newbie

Gerry Finnegan

Posted
Posted

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

  • 3 years later...
Gerry Finnegan Newbie

Gerry Finnegan

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Posted

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 Rookie

Malik

Posted
Posted

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!

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Gerry Finnegan Newbie

Gerry Finnegan

Posted
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Posted
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 Newbie

Gerry Finnegan

Posted
  • Author
Posted

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.

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