Is Hearing Loss a Handicap?
June 16, 2006 - Hearing Possibilities For me being hearing impaired is more about a being in denial.
I have dealt with hearing loss all of my life, but I never thought of it as an impairment or handicap.
I had one good ear and was convinced that that was not a problem.
After all I could hear OK with one ear.
As I look back on my life, I can see now that hearing only out of one ear is a significant problem and was the source of many of my learning problems.
In fact it caused many problems that I was not even aware of, such as misunderstandings and miscommunications, which I never realized.
I lost my hearing in my good ear suddenly in my fifties and was amazed to find out that I could hear well enough in my "bad" ear to be fitted with a hearing aid.
It took some time to get use to a hearing aid but I figured all is well, and went on with my life.
I was confident that I could do my job and function normally in my world.
Well it is not my world, and after dealing with a few other health problems, I found my annual reviews at work being less then I expected.
I was astounded! I could not believe it! I was working harder than anyone and as far as I could tell doing more too.
They must be the problem, not me!Well after another poor review I was put on probation and I was furious.
I went over the details of my review and could not comprehend the problem.
I decided to quit my job before I got fired, and was in much anguish about the whole situation.
My wife could not stand being around me because of the resulting depression.
We moved in with my daughter in a neighboring state, and after a time I began attend some meetings sponsored by the Hearing Loss Association of America.
(http://www.
hearingloss.
org) At these meetings I met others that had gone through similar experiences.
I was amazed to hear stories that sounded so much like mine.
I begin to realize that there was problems with hearing loss and I was just use to compensating for it, in my own unique ways.
These ways were getting me into trouble, and neither my employers nor I could understand the nature of the problem.
It was a simple problem really.
They were not effectively communicating, with me and I was not effectively communicating with them.
I would often nod my head yes even though I did not fully understand what was said because I did not want to appear stupid.
And they would assume I am stupid because I would say yes and then not do what they ask of me or do it wrong.
I had been doing it all my life and getting away with it.
I thought.
Well as I listened to other hearing loss sufferers I realized that I could not ignore the problem anymore.
I had to solve the problem.
If you deny there is a problem you cannot solve the problem.
Hearing loss is something that can be helped.
The hardest problem the hearing aid and assistive device industry has, is to make people realize that their product can help solve most of their hearing problems, but only if you admit hearing loss is your problem, then there is help.
Check with an Audiologist or an ear specialist if you suspect you have hearing difficulties, and avoid the emotional, and relationship damage, that hearing loss can present.
Don't let hearing loss become a handicap.
I have dealt with hearing loss all of my life, but I never thought of it as an impairment or handicap.
I had one good ear and was convinced that that was not a problem.
After all I could hear OK with one ear.
As I look back on my life, I can see now that hearing only out of one ear is a significant problem and was the source of many of my learning problems.
In fact it caused many problems that I was not even aware of, such as misunderstandings and miscommunications, which I never realized.
I lost my hearing in my good ear suddenly in my fifties and was amazed to find out that I could hear well enough in my "bad" ear to be fitted with a hearing aid.
It took some time to get use to a hearing aid but I figured all is well, and went on with my life.
I was confident that I could do my job and function normally in my world.
Well it is not my world, and after dealing with a few other health problems, I found my annual reviews at work being less then I expected.
I was astounded! I could not believe it! I was working harder than anyone and as far as I could tell doing more too.
They must be the problem, not me!Well after another poor review I was put on probation and I was furious.
I went over the details of my review and could not comprehend the problem.
I decided to quit my job before I got fired, and was in much anguish about the whole situation.
My wife could not stand being around me because of the resulting depression.
We moved in with my daughter in a neighboring state, and after a time I began attend some meetings sponsored by the Hearing Loss Association of America.
(http://www.
hearingloss.
org) At these meetings I met others that had gone through similar experiences.
I was amazed to hear stories that sounded so much like mine.
I begin to realize that there was problems with hearing loss and I was just use to compensating for it, in my own unique ways.
These ways were getting me into trouble, and neither my employers nor I could understand the nature of the problem.
It was a simple problem really.
They were not effectively communicating, with me and I was not effectively communicating with them.
I would often nod my head yes even though I did not fully understand what was said because I did not want to appear stupid.
And they would assume I am stupid because I would say yes and then not do what they ask of me or do it wrong.
I had been doing it all my life and getting away with it.
I thought.
Well as I listened to other hearing loss sufferers I realized that I could not ignore the problem anymore.
I had to solve the problem.
If you deny there is a problem you cannot solve the problem.
Hearing loss is something that can be helped.
The hardest problem the hearing aid and assistive device industry has, is to make people realize that their product can help solve most of their hearing problems, but only if you admit hearing loss is your problem, then there is help.
Check with an Audiologist or an ear specialist if you suspect you have hearing difficulties, and avoid the emotional, and relationship damage, that hearing loss can present.
Don't let hearing loss become a handicap.
