Chapter 52

       I was surprised to learn how blurry the lines are when it comes to determining who is hard-of-hearing and who is deaf.  Although the official definition of hard-of-hearing means "having a mild to moderate degree of hearing loss" (pg 313), identifying oneself as hard-of-hearing versus deaf is much more complicated.
       For some people, the term "hard-of-hearing" seems to be a way to avoid realizing that they have lost the hearing they once had.  Instead of saying that they are deaf, it seems like they cling to the term 'hearing', not willing accept the fact that they are actually deaf.  Other people tend to use the term as a way to signify that they are oral.  Rather that calling themselves "oral-deaf", they use hard-of-hearing and to me, it seems like they use this term as way to make themselves come across as better speakers.
       It was interesting to learn that not only is being "hard-of-hearing" an audiological category, but it is also a state of mind.  It was crazy to read that some people who are considered to be hard-of-hearing see themselves as better than others who are deaf, and put themselves as holding a superior status in the Deaf community because they have the opportunity to communicate in both the Hearing and Deaf community.  I think this is a terrible place to put yourself in, because you are not respecting the community that you have the ability to become part of.
       However, many people who are hard-of-hearing feel like they are directly in the middle, stuck in between the Hearing and Deaf communities and it is "more difficult for them to choose a distinct cultural identity, since they're not completely deaf and not completely hearing" (pg 314).  I agree that this unfortunate situation mainly includes people who are late-deafened, because they have to adjust to what could become their new culture as they experience hearing loss, or they could attempt to continue on in the Hearing community, either accepting their hearing loss or attempting act as if they are still hearing.  I personally think that being hard-of-hearing would be a very difficult experience.