We don't need to be repaired

I was a bit taken back by the language used in the article titled "Optimistic Yuma teen signs way to award" (Feb. 15) The contest was clearly worded as a "communications contest for the deaf and hard of hearing." That terminology was used for a reason.
 
The Sun identified those hard of hearing as hearing impaired. I stopped reading it instantly and went to another part of the paper. And then again, a new article several days later mentioned a man with impaired sight.
 
I'm a 25-year-old woman who is hard of hearing, profoundly deaf, or according to The Sun, impaired. I work, I have a degree, but just like The Sun, many see me as someone who cannot do the things they do. As a matter of fact, it took me a year of job searching to find the job I have now.
 
Instead of seeing what I could do and what I had accomplished, so many saw what they thought I couldn't do.
 
The term "Impaired" implies that there's something wrong with me. That I need to be "repaired' in order to work properly. I'll have you know that I get along just fine, just like many others who are hard of hearing or hard of sight or have any other disability that people deem as an impairment.
 
The wording was used for a reason. We cannot hear or see but that doesn't mean we need to be fixed. We could be high functioning or low functioning but at the end of the day, we function.
 
Instead of categorizing us as a person with an impairment, I prefer the people-first introduction. I'm a mother, I like music, I absolutely love my job, and oh, I just happen to be hard of hearing. Give us the opportunity to show you what we can do and know that we are people before we are a disability.

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KAOUTAR "KATIE" BURRELL
Yuma