I'm Deaf & that gives me a major advantage in life. Here's why. | Greg Bland | TEDxMileHigh

Feeling like you don't fit in? Wish you weren't different from other people? Good. It’s what makes you a bad*ss! Comedian Greg Bland is Deaf, but instead of lamenting his “hearing loss,” he celebrates his “Deaf gain!” In this inspiring talk, Greg shares two surprising advantages of being Deaf (don’t be jealous) and challenges YOU to embrace your differences too. Greg believes in you. Life can be challenging, but he thinks you're a badass and he's darn proud of you. Next time that nagging voice in your head has plenty to say, remember he's got the same voice and he's Deaf! Just stick it through. It worked for him: as a serial entrepreneur with a Masters in Public Administration and an American Sign Langauge comedian, Greg loves to explore how humor can be a great equalizer and bridge-builder between Deaf and hearing cultures. His dog Kallie, who loves to bark, agrees. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@threebrodsky8148]

This is great! Thank you, Greg!

[@shazzjamieson-evans2712]

I needed this message. Thank you. I've enjoyed & learned a lot from your video. As a partially hearing, partially deaf person....I'm off to discover my bad-arsery.

[@fenixgrace5214]

wow. this is AMAZING! greg, you are such a brilliant, hilarious, inspiring soul!

[@Art_of_Ramon]

But if you went blind, would it be blind gain?

[@clairee4939]

So you just ignore the whole talk to post an anti deaf comment and try denying our reality??? Sad for you.

[@Art_of_Ramon]

@@clairee4939 if you lost your arms, would it be armless gain?

[@clairee4939]

@@Art_of_Ramonif I lost you …, 🤦🏼‍♀️ honestly if you’re struggling to understand deaf gain is about people who become deaf and embrace our language community. That’s why the difference.

[@Art_of_Ramon]

@@clairee4939 I understand, but it will become an outdated concept with advancing medical technology. I studied ASL for 8 years and met plenty of the Deaf community. The Deaf proud mindset seems mostly propagated through educational institutions. Outside of this setting, you don't really see it. I'm all for overcoming adversity, but one day it will be mostly technological rather than via signed language. I like signed language, it is very useful for many situations, and wish a universal sign language was taught to all school children so that everyone could communicate and not be hindered by different spoken languages which can be harder to master.