Would you rather be deaf or blind?

Deaf, my great grandmother was blind and it was awful for her. She went blind in her 30s and lived a pretty solitary life because of it. She never saw her grand children, she never saw her great grand children, and she felt so isolated it was heart breaking.

I don’t know but I guess I’d rather be blind. I mean, I love listening to music so much, and if I was deaf it would be awful.
but I don’t want to be either deaf or blind.

deaf. My brother is deaf and he manages perfectly well, more independent than i could ever be!
i cannot imagine being blind. it seems to me to be more of a struggle than being deaf but then again i am in no position to properly judge.
but from what i can perceive, id rather be deaf.

Definitely deaf.

Deaf. It is easier to work around with sign language, reading and writing.

And deaf people are not bothered at night by jerks riding Harleys with straight pipes.

Deaf.

@TriflinTriscuit What is your answer?

Deaf, definetely. i lost most of my hearing in a gunfight with a wanted criminal, back in 1966. since that time, my hearing has faded into the dark. i can live with my new hearing aids, but i could not exist without a new set of eyes. definetely my hearing.

Deaf, but it would greatly affect my life as it is now. With all of the technology out there, I would rather be deaf though because there are a lot of ways to help with that (hearing aids and cochlear implants come to mind). I know they don’t work for everyone, but I’d definitely be asking about them. I haven’t heard of any technological advances that can give a blind person sight again.

I wouldn’t like to be either blind or deaf, but if I had to make a choice then it would have to be deaf.
Hearing aids, sign language & Braille are in place to help.

Are you referencing being that way from birth or if you had to give up one of them now ?

For me the answers would be different for each circumstance.

I would prefer being born blind over being born deaf as language is more difficult to acquire if deaf and it is more isolating.

But if I had to give up one sense as an adult then I would opt for going deaf rather than lose my sight.

Maybe that seems strange, but that’s my take on it.

Certainly deaf. I think it would be very frightening to be blind.

Deaf. Blindness would cost me my independence, making life not worth living.

Deaf…I love music almost more than anything but I also long for peace and quiet and when it comes it is one of the most wonderful things to experience and even better watching the sunrise over the ocean or the stars at night. And to never ever see that smile on my sweetie would be most devastating. ;)

Like @Cruiser said, music is a huge part of my life, but I would still rather be deaf. Hearing aids, Cochlear implants, sign language, and an excellent and supportive community and culture are already in place for deaf people.

If I was blind, life would become not only far more dangerous, but I could never see the stars, a sunset, the faces of my loved ones, my pets, take pictures, draw, know what clothes to wear, etc.

I’d rather be deaf. I like reading, drawing, playing games and watching movies…just what the hell am I gonna do if I go blind, besides commit suicide? And even then I won’t be able to see what I’m doing lol.

On the other hand, being deaf is prolly not a picnic, either.

I’d rather be deaf than blind any day. I grew up with a girl that was deaf and she had just as normal a life as I did, I think. She always had boys asking her out and we ran around all the time. When asked she said she wouldn’t have changed her life and would just as soon be deaf, as that’s all she had ever known. My great aunt has gone blind and it’s horribly sad. We had a family lunch just today and as my grandma lead her in, my great aunt said, I can’t tell who you all are, but Hi! I just can’t imagine how hard it must be.

If you are blind you can easily communicate with people whereas if you are deaf, you are largely isolated.

I guess you and I are the lone two who see it that way.

If I were blind, just give me a well trained GS and I’ll do just fine. I certainly wouldn’t be isolated.

I once took a summer course in ASL and that’s when I truly began to realize how isolating it is to be deaf. Some of us (both deaf and hearing alike) sometimes went out for dinner after class and other activities as well and it really gave me an up close look at the deaf community and the challenges they face in trying to communicate and interact with the rest of the world.

Some of the previous answers were kind of a cop out. If you can use a hearing aid or cochlear implant that’s not really deaf. Hard of hearing maybe but not truly deaf. Not every deaf person is eligible for cochlear implants. Plus, many were not trained from childhood to speak in the way that Marlee Matlin was.

If you are deaf and not speech trained, THAT is true isolation. Many of the hearing public are reluctant to put in the effort it takes to try to communicate, restaurants or getting directions on subways and buses can be a nightmare. There are more problems thanany people are aware of. But, still this was an interesting Q to ponder.

I’ve also encountered numerous blind people who aren’t the least bit isolated. I think blindness must seem more frightening if you’re used to sight. Blind animals seem to get along just fine.

I wonder what dpworkins gf would think about this Q ?

@Buttonstc I respect your personal opinion, absolutely. But not only did I just get done taking my ASL final, my professor grew up with deaf parents. This statement “If you can use a hearing aid or cochlear implant that’s not really deaf” is not true. First, fully deaf people don’t use hearing aids – only those hard of hearing, or very hard of hearing do. Now, Cochlear implants: Only truly, fully deaf people can get a Cochlear implant – and even after the implant, they are still considered deaf. The Cochlear implant does not make deaf people hear how most people are used to the word “hear”. As a matter of fact, the implant doesn’t even go in their ear – a hole is drilled through their skull and the implant is placed quite a bit above and behind the ear. Those with Cochlear implants are still very much deaf.

@worriedguy it’s hard, but i would pick blind because i can’t picture my life without music. it is a part of me and ingrained in much of my existence.

My wife is deaf, and she deals beautifully with it.
Blindness would mean not being able to drive, or see movies, and though I love music, I would have to choose deafness here.

I’m almost completely blind already, & my other senses are much sharper because of it. I function better without sight than with it.

I’m deaf :) Cochlear implant seem so much better than hearing aid, but i kinda miss signing as with deaf people, I’m perfectly oral and it’s hard for me to get back on signing, but I can still learn alot. To hearing people I would mouth words and speak some so they would understand but sometime it won’t help them to learn ASL. Signing ASL is so much fun because it gives you ton of actions that people seem craved for. Imagine all the hearing people look the same while they talk while deaf people act differently in every way with signing. Actions speaks louder than words. That’s how I’ve loved to be deaf. I think personally that deaf people are more curious than hearing people in their childhood because they always ask their parents and their parents don’t answer much or perhaps they haven’t made the right question to ask, they’ll start to be more like exploring around like Sherlock Holmes. (fun thing. haha)

If i were to be blind i would be really really sad, like you people said isolated. I would hate it. Everyone would have to be more sensitive around me. :/

Hope my writing sound good. lol. :) :P

Deaf. However, I would rather actually be dumb(mute), it would certainly get me out of a lot of trouble in this life!

@Sisa your writing sounds really good :)