Kathy Buckley: America's First Hearing-Impaired Comedian

 

Born with a hearing loss that was undetected until I was 8, I was placed in a school for the mentally retarded for two years before they found out it was just a hearing loss. And they call me slow? As a person with a hearing loss who uses spoken language, I have found it challenging as to where I fit in this world. Deaf-culture people see me as hearing because I use my voice rather than sign. Hearing people see me as deaf because I wear hearing aids and read lips. People ask me all the time, what do you call yourself "deaf, hard of hearing, hearing-impaired?" I say, "Call me Kathy."