I noticed that in the past week or so I’ve been getting quite a few hits from hearing loss-related searches. While my blog isn’t centered around hearing impairment, I do want to make a special effort to reach out to my hearing impaired peers, whoever you are out there.
I have about 15 years of experience dealing with hearing impairment, starting from 2nd grade in elementary school. I’m afraid I don’t know a whole lot about hearing assistance devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, TTY phones, hearing dogs, etc. For most of my teenage years I was basically angry, in denial, and refused to use any assistance. At the time I didn’t know anyone like me and I didn’t want to know anyone like me. As a result I felt isolated and I was convinced that nobody understood what I was going through, which made me even angrier. And guess what, most hearing people really do not understand what hearing impairment is about. Correcting hearing loss isn’t just about amplifying sound (making it louder). Once your hearing has eroding your brain has a harder time intepreting sounds and distinguishing between words. So even if someone screams or blasts something up to the highest possible volume, the brain still cannot translate the sounds into words as efficiently. I get all that. I get what hearing loss can do to you psychologically. I went through all the isolation, all the frustration, and the whole nine yards. I still get isolated sometimes and sometimes people think I am a bit kooky, but whatever, that’s just me. If they didn’t like it they wouldn’t keep coming back and harrassing me, right? 
Now in my early twenties, I am still adjusting, but I have completely accepted my hearing loss and I am learning everyday that I need to own my hearing loss and not let it dictate how I live my life. My family was supportive of me growing up even though they couldn’t understand why I was so angry and frustrated. I’m grateful I had (and still have) that support today. Looking back I wish I knew people who went through what I did and I think it would have been a heck of a lot easier to accept myself and move on. There are just way too many people out there with hearing loss who are in self-denial and feel trapped because of what they perceive as a lack of options. Even now I still feel trapped (that feeling never goes away) but I am always up for expanding and strengthening my support network because without it I would truly be a lost soul today.
So please, whoever you are out there, feel free to contact me about any questions or if you just want to chat. Again, even though I have hearing aids now I don’t know too much about hearing aids (the different brands and the difference between them) and cochlear implants, but I do have a few blogs on my blogroll that have more resources for hearing loss. If you prefer to talk to me you can leave me a comment or if you want you can email me at wonderland3545(at)gmail(dot)com. Don’t be shy, I won’t bite.
**If you’re new here and enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe for future posts and updates. And feel free to share this post … I’d really appreciate it! Don’t forget to introduce yourself in the comments. Don’t be shy … I don’t bite. You can also add me on Twitter (@valeriemondesir).**
Related posts:
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I hear ya. Only recently did I learn that my hearing aids are working to enhance the 30-40% hearing capabilities I do have and are not compensating for the 60-70% hearing I do not have . In other words, my hearing aids do not take my natural 30-40% and take my hearing up to say, 80%. My hearing is still 30-40%, with hearing aids or not. The 60-70% I don’t have is gone – the hearing aids can’t help those pitches any more than they could help a completely deaf person. They only help what I do have, and unfortunately (and I relate), that help is hardly enough.
Fortunately for us, there is strength in our weakness, and I’ve found a few ways to make being hearing-impaired beneficial (easily ignoring people is one of them).
Like you, I never reached out to others with similar hearing-conditions; in fact, I never did really reach out to my seriously deaf cousin, who relies mostly on signing (I lack the knowledge of signing). I didn’t reach out to others because I didn’t want my impairment to be a sole defining attribute of my social and personal life. In by itself, I treated it as a separate thing, but the reality of it is that it really does determine a lot of factors in my life. Succumbing a bit more to this fact, I’m looking to relate. I am also looking for some advice from others on how they deal with the primal-rage that comes with being at some level deaf, as I kid you not when I say the frustration I sometimes feel gives me the fury that makes me want to put the refrigerator through the wall. Even though I’m twenty-eight and I have been living with it for 25 years, I still get taken under by the fact I can’t hear much. I hope I’m not the only one, as I get concerned about others getting concerned about me when the see some sign of this frustration.
Well, thanks for allowing me to write a response. Had you not invited, I probably would not have said anything.
~Daniel