Some comments which I hope will assist Arilynn - if not then I will edit my post accordingly.
At some time in my recent past I had a very close internet friend who also disclosed that she was deaf. This gave me a problem to deal with, since my greatest passion at that time (and still) was/is classical guitar music, and I used to play the local amateur circuits, and I dearly wanted to share this with her. After considering the issue in depth, I came to the conclusion that this was MY problem alone - not my friend's. Thus I just accepted it. It was unfair of me to share my guitar interests with her.
I can understand people showing a natural curiosity, but not making it a topic in chat ... (if i read that correctly).
I hope you find that with increased time in
SL, you become less self conscious of other people's attitudes, and find your own comfortable niche - the cartel sounds a great place.
Editted PS: I prefer threads which meander off course slightly now and again !