TwJ, my sister is deaf (& one of her sons too). They stayed with me for a few months & we smoked together quite a bit, late at night. I sign (not fabulously, but ok), & she's superb at lip-reading, so we don't usually have problems communicating. But I swear that when we were both high, we could have much clearer communication on both ends... it was sooo amazing. We had the deepest conversations, but we understood each other perfectly, with no mental-translation-delay.

Don't let your hearing impairment hold you back sweetie! My sis is 90% deaf (since birth), & isn't scared of anything. When I want to spend a Friday night just chilling out at home, she loves to be out dancing & meeting new people. You'd think it'd be the other way around, but nah, she kicks my ass, lol. And my 8 yr. old nephew, shoot! That kid is off the chain... he makes friends with kids he doesn't even know. And with both of them, most of their friends are hearing. Sometimes there can be a communication problem, but just ask people to repeat if you need to. Many people don't understand how to enunciate their words, which can be a challenge, but make them do it. We need more clear diction in this world anyway. Relax & enjoy the gift of your life.