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The response to our 'deaf pretender' item on the latest Ouch podcast has been amazing.

Mat and Liz interviewed a 'pretender' or 'fettishist' on the latest show (edition 5). She goes by the name of Shy in various online communities. She can hear perfectly well but has purchased her own hearing aid from eBay and likes to pretend she is deaf in public.

She was at pains to tell our two presenters that it's not a sexual thing for her, it's more out of respect for deaf peple and the fact that she finds the very strong deaf culture rather cool and wants to be a part of it.

It has spawned a very long and involved discussion on our messageboard. It's well worth a read. We have also received a number of emails about it.

blogged about it on her 'page of joy' last Friday. She wrote:

Errrrm, is it totally wrong i'm in two minds about this woman? Because really, i should be in one mind, and that mind should be saying NO NO NO NO THAT IS WRONG ... On the point about her leaving town to do it...ok yeah if you know its wrong why do you do it. But not all people even have that, they think they have a blank cheque to do and say what ever they want because they're 'only curious about people with disabilities'. And that, i felt, wasnt what she was about.