In a
class focused on UCI professors and their published books, I chatted with the
woman sitting next to me. We were both
amateur writers, and discussed the types of writing we preferred. I mentioned that I had an article published in the Los Angeles Times (January 9, 2012)
on the subject of living with a hearing impairment in a hearing world. Without missing a beat, she said that her
husband has “that problem” too, and added that it was very difficult dealing
with him. “Does your husband have
patience with you”, she asked. I was
shocked at the brazenness of her remarks to a total stranger, but held my tongue before answering,
“Yes”. Fortunately, the class began, and
our “conversation” was over. Later that
night, I replayed her words in my mind.
I realized that to some of the hearing community, we are nuisances,
requiring accommodations that they are no longer willing to give. That is why we need to educate them and hope
for their understanding.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteOther than one's own family and close friends, educating "the hearing community" about the difficulties hearing-impaired people go through is a hopeless task. It's too big.
Even with friends and family, I've been asking them to slow down and speak up for years. Yet they still forget. That's understandable since in their daily lives the vast majority of people they interact with don't have a hearing problem. There is a kind of "normalcy momentum" that carries over when they meet and begin speaking with me. Of course after I ask them to repeat they'll make the effort to speak up and slow down (my hearing loss is severe).
I don't hold out much hope that this will ever seriously change. This is not their problem, it's mine. It's simply something I have to accept. And I do.
Thanks for your comment.
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