It's impossible to lipread from behind or side-on, and the whole face is required, not just the mouth. Conversely, were there any particular successes you'd like to share? I don't actually know of any deaf characters in horror except the ones I've written myself, so I would like hearing authors to sit back and allow deaf authors to write more of these characters into existence so I could actually have characters to choose from and be able to answer a question like this. Horror teaches us that our worst fears are inside ourselves, not outside, but the key to facing those fears is in our imagination as well. Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Horror: Interview with Kris Ringman. If this is not possible, I always ask a panelist/author to give me a paper copy of their presentation/reading ahead of time, which interpreters usually like to see ahead of time, too, so they can prepare for interpreting. We also spent every Halloween together trick-or-treating and watching as many horror movies as we could. Plan How Hearing Aids or Implants Work In Your Book.
In a fantasy world, your character might use charms or rune stones; and in a sci-fi world, you can develop AI or even cyborg elements. If you're writing a deaf or hard of hearing character, you need to run your work past sensitivity readers. She is the author of two Lambda Literary finalist books: I Stole You: Stories from the Fae (Handtype Press, 2017) and Makara: a novel (Handtype Press, 2012), and the upcoming Sail Skin: poems (Handtype Press, 2022). The majority of hard of hearing people use either lipreading, sign language, or some combination of the two. Ask on Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook groups for people with similar hearing disabilities to read through your story and offer suggestions. Lipreading and Sign Language. As a deaf person, I always feel it is important that at least one of my main characters is deaf or hard-of-hearing because there are not enough authentically-written deaf characters in any genre of writing, and the world needs more of them written by authors who understand what it is like to actually be deaf or hard-of-hearing. Writing about deaf characters tumblr.com. Get Sensitivity Readers. While having a conversation, anything in the background works to obscure sound, and my hearing is less reliable as a result. If you are hearing and able-bodied, please don't write deaf or hard-of-hearing or disabled characters unless you personally know deaf or disabled people in your life and they could act as sensitivity readers for your work.
Perhaps they have recently lost their hearing and are still learning alternative methods of understanding speech. One amazing writing retreat called AROHO that I've been to multiple times had instead given me two interpreters that followed me wherever I decided to go for the week. Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Horror: Interview with Kris Ringman. However, not all of us do and having a hard of hearing character who can neither lipread nor sign is acceptable. In real life, we don't always do this well, but in fiction, we can transform our characters in ways that we wish we could also transform, and for me this can prompt intense healing and strengthen me emotionally. Writing hard of hearing, deaf, or Deaf characters doesn't have to be a minefield; it just requires some thought. Writing about deaf characters tumblr pictures. Talk to people who use ASL, and watch videos on YouTube. If you're writing a character who identifies as Deaf, they may have these views.
Kris Ringman (she/they) is a deaf queer author, artist, and wanderer. Don't forget to think about how your lipreading character will understand speech in the dark. As a writer in the horror genre, are there any portrayals of deaf and hard of hearing characters that you particularly like, or dislike, or would like to talk to our readers about? Also, I've often had to pick all of my events for a writing conference ahead of time, so they can get interpreters for only those events, which is never something hearing people have to worry about – they can just be spontaneous – so this was upsetting, too. Avoid depicting your hard of hearing characters as unintelligent. Above all, write your hard of hearing characters as well-developed, rounded characters, the same way as the rest of your cast. Deaf characters in movies. They shouldn't exist in your story because they're deaf; neither should you toss a hearing disability into a character for the sake of it. Someone with hearing aids is still subject to background noise, may still be unable to hear certain things, and may well rely on lipreading. Keep writing anything and everything that you want to read that you have not yet found on the shelves. A poorly written hard of hearing character will do much more harm than good, and you run the risk of ostracizing a lot of your readership, whether they relate to deafness or not. Some cultures still harbor some unpleasant social stigma towards the deaf and hard of hearing. The hard of hearing often find themselves subject to stereotyping, such as being portrayed as unintelligent or old. Don't let each difficult step make you turn around and climb back down because I truly believe that we all have something important to say. However, you may want to discuss this with the community in-depth first.
Follow our tips to ensure you're writing hard of hearing characters the way they deserve to be written. Many of us are uncomfortable with this representation and prefer to be represented as regular, everyday people. We all have readers out there that need our unique perspective on life to cope somehow, get through another day, and maybe to write something of their own or be inspired to do something they didn't think they could do. I have a glowing academic track record and intend to get a doctorate. I feel the horror genre has always been a way that people can explore their deepest fears and face them. This has felt like they were trying to push us into the background and it was frustrating.
My fascination with horror started probably too young, but has never abated. Hard of hearing people are not always old, and we're not unintelligent. When we write about the things that are the closest to our hearts, we surprise ourselves and we always end up going deeper into a subject which only invites our fiction to leap off the page and have a life of its own and gives our work the best chance to enter the hearts of our readers. Lipreading relies on faces being unobscured, and a hard of hearing person will need a clear view of the entire face. Writing changes lives for us as authors and as readers, too. Mel is a hard-of-hearing writer from Wales, UK. Many hard-of-hearing people do not use ASL, so this is something they can benefit from as well. This erases the need for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to always have to look back and forth between the interpreter and the panelist/reader, and we can also see visually how they have laid out their words on the page. This is also a good option for an event that cannot afford interpreters. What attracted you to the horror genre, and what do you think the genre has taught you about yourself and the world?
To what degree does your writing deal with deafness or being hard of hearing, and how does it present in your work? Certain writing events/conferences like AWP have done things like put a Deaf-centered event in a back room that is hard to find and access. At the age of seven, my cousins and I used to sneak into my uncle's stash of horror movies and watch them under a blanket fort in their basement while our mothers played cards upstairs. Both the disability and the person should be researched and developed with the same care as any other character. Many members of the Deaf community consider deafness and signing cultural differences, and not disabilities. Lastly, if writing is something you are compelled to do, don't ever give up, and don't ever stop writing.
This prompted me to write horror plays from then on that my cousins and I would act out. Choosing to include characters with disabilities in your speculative fiction is an excellent thing to do, but you'll need to do your research. Due to the depth of the lake at its center, their bodies were never found, so I reimagined a host of what I called "people in the lake" who drag people underwater if they're out swimming or fishing after dark. I've loved it when panelists and authors doing a reading have used a huge overhead projector to put the words they are speaking on the wall or a screen behind them. Her multicultural, lyrical fiction plays along the boundaries of magical realism, fantasy, and horror. For members of the Deaf community, sign language is a cultural distinction. If you do refer to lipreading or sign language, make sure you research thoroughly first. As I write this alone in my apartment, I have music playing quietly, so I don't get tinnitus. Hearing aids don't work in the same way as glasses. The first longer work of fiction I wrote when I was thirteen was a horror story based on a true account of two fishermen who drowned in the lake I've gone to every summer of my life. She lives with a French Bulldog and a tortoiseshell cat. It's crucial to remember that there are many different types of hearing loss; from hard-of-hearing to deafness, and even Deafness. Making up your own fictional sign language is fun, but it's essential to understand regular sign language first. Try to stay true to the purpose of hearing aids in that they amplify sound and provide the user with more clarity.
Most days, if I am surrounded by family or friends who use ASL to communicate with me, I don't even notice my own deafness, but when I go out in public and have to deal with strangers who get flustered, upset, overly nice, or act rude to me because of my deafness, then those are the kinds of moments I try and bring into my fiction for readers to understand the full experience of a deaf or hard-of-hearing person in life and art. For example, if someone is deaf the term refers to the loss of hearing, but for the Deaf community, the term Deaf refers to a culture. You can also turn this trope on its head and have a deaf or hard of hearing person revered for their disability. Plenty of people lose their hearing at an early age, and premature hearing loss is not as rare as you might think. They received their MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. One of the best things about including hearing aids or cochlear implants in your book is the fun you can have creating fantastical or sci-fi versions of them. Are there any things that panelists, and other people who are working with deaf and hard of hearing individuals can do to make things more accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing? Consider having a younger character with hearing loss, whether that's a working-age adult, a child, or even a teenager. To better illustrate my point, I am a 30-year-old woman, and I have worn hearing aids since I was 26. With the right optical prescription, you get full 20/20 vision again, but hearing aids won't give you perfect hearing. Hearing loss has no direct bearing on intelligence, although access to education might be a factor. This doesn't mean that the book or story necessarily focuses on their deafness, but I think the important thing is to bring it into focus when it can highlight an experience most hearing people don't realize that we have in our daily lives.
Have you had any special challenges at events with accessibility? Throughout history, we have been persecuted, mistreated, and even driven out of society. Don't forget about the many different forms of sign language in use, such as British Sign Language (BSL), AUSLAN, or International Sign Language. This feels like the best scenario for deaf or hard-of-hearing attendees because it offers us an equal chance to make spontaneous decisions like everyone else and allows us to always have accessibility at our fingertips, for lunches and social moments as well. Write Hard of Hearing Characters as Normal, Rounded People. Consider whether this is something you want to explore in your book. Make sure you research the type of hearing loss or cultural group you intend to use, thoroughly. As a writer in the horror genre, what advice would you have to give to up-and-coming writers? It is such a healing artistic process, but our world has put so many gatekeepers in place between us and publication that we need to have very thick skin and take every rejection like it is just one more step in our climb to the top of a mountain. Don't Forget About Background Noise and Other Effects of Hearing Loss. "Write what you know" is a thing I've heard a lot, and I honestly feel it is one of the best pieces of advice I've been given. It's essential to get more than one sensitivity reader, and you'll want to make sure someone who uses the same tools as your character (e. g., hearing aids) reads your work.
In fact, approximately 65 percent of initial disability claims are denied by the Michigan Social Security offices. What social security services are available to me online if I can't visit my local office? Statistics estimate that about 13. Your Pennsylvania disability lawyer can help you keep track of your income so that you don't unknowingly earn over the SGA limit and lose your access to SSDI payments. However, even if your condition doesn't exactly match the severity standards — or if it isn't included in the Listing at all — you can still qualify through other channels (e. g. Compassionate Allowances, medical-vocational allowances). Social Security Administration Office of Public Inquiries and Communications Support 1100 West High Rise 6401 Security Blvd. This can put people who earned low incomes who had shorter work histories at a disadvantage.
Additional verification may be required including, but not limited to: employer verification, tax or business accountant verification, IRS verification, and other public records search. U. military service papers. Depending on your initial prognosis, the SSA may subject you to regular evaluations over the years to ensure you are still eligible for SSDI benefits based on your disability. If you are unsure about your Social Security retirement benefits we recommend that you schedule an appointment by calling the Social Security Office listed below. If I can't visit my local Social Security Office because of illness or mobility issues, what do I do? Speak to a Social Security worker over the phone to request your office appointment. In 2022, the SGA threshold is $1, 350 monthly for non-blind recipients and $2, 260 for blind recipients. Once the five-month waiting period is over, you'll start receiving your monthly SSDI checks. Pennsylvania recipients can attempt to reenter the workforce during a TWP while still getting benefits.
An additional deposit or non-refundable fee equal to one (1) month of rent will be required if application is approved. A spouse under the age of 62 who has a dependent disabled child living with him or her. The best way to avoid the long lines at the social security office is to get to the office early. When a medical condition negatively impacts your ability to earn income, the financial consequences can be devastating. It then takes another 45 to 90 days to receive a notice regarding the administrative law judge's decision on your disability case. In order to remain eligible for SSDI benefits in Pennsylvania, your condition cannot improve significantly. Once you apply for SSDI benefits in Pennsylvania, it may be some time before you start receiving benefits. Once aware of a TWP, your Pennsylvania disability lawyer can contact the SSA, explain the situation, and get them to reconsider repealing your benefits. The property is conveniently accessible by Pace Bus #48, #349, #381 and #395 and is a short walk to Metra's Rock Island District Beverly Hills Station.
The five-month waiting period after SSDI claim acceptance is so that the SSA can be sure you are eligible for benefits. It takes this office an average of fifteen months to schedule a disability hearing for Ohio Social Security Disability applicants. If you're interested in getting benefits for yourself or your family, our experienced Easton disability lawyers can help. The ODAR office located in Detroit, Michigan is responsible for handling the disability hearings for the Dearborn, Detroit (Connor), Detroit (Downtown), Detroit (East), Detroit (Grand River), Detroit (Southwest), Fort Gratiot, Hamtramck and Wyandotte Social Security field offices. Your condition must be severe to the extent that it prohibits you from working. Bring a snack: With the often-long wait, you may get hungry. Documents listed are not all-inclusive and do not guarantee application approval. To learn more about the requirements for getting SSDI in Pennsylvania and for a free case evaluation with our SSDI lawyers in Philadelphia, call today at (215) 515-2954. SSDI benefits are mainly intended for people who are unable to work due to a disability or medical condition. The point of applying for SSDI benefits is that you are unable to earn enough income to support yourself due to your disability.
If you plan on applying for SSDI benefits in Pennsylvania, hiring an attorney is important. The Lansing ODAR office serves the Battle Creek, Jackson, Lansing and Owosso Social Security field offices. All individuals 18 years of age or older who will reside at the property must complete a separate application and upon approval, will be required to sign the lease agreement. The ODAR office located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serves the Escanaba, Houghton, Marquette, Ironwood and Sault St. Marie Social Security field offices in Michigan. WHAT ARE THE EMPLOYMENT GUIDELINES? Contact our Bucks County SSDI lawyers or our SSDI lawyers in Philadelphia, discuss your best options. Bank statements and/or proof of income. Who is Eligible For Social Security? Generally, the age at which you became disabled will dictate how many years of work you must have in order to be approved for SSDI. The SSA is a federal organization. WHAT TYPES OF IDENTIFICATION ARE ACCEPTED?