Deaf Awareness Week, the Movie

Sharing information about hearing loss and hearing aids

… Opening. Caught your attention, didn’t I? Now reread the heading in the deep, bass, tones used in most American movies.

AH! Of course, for a deaf person that’s a problem as they may never have heard a movie or forgotten what that ‘intro voice’ sounded like.

Even the most simple of comments could be inadvertently offensive to a non-hearing person. One poorly chosen word could sit in a deaf person’s mind and grow into something akin to “Ba*$~@rd! said that just to make fun of my deafness”. The imagined hurt grows into an insult and then to a personal attack. COULD – not will or does and hopefully wouldn’t, but the mind can focus on the oddest things.

A chat with someone can prevent an assumed insult from becoming all consuming; we all know it helps to talk problems through. For a non-hearing person that activity isn’t always so simple. Face to face, not so hard, a little consideration about not rushing or moving the mouth out of eye line. Where Sue and I used to talk by phone we now use text – the mobile phone with texting, possibly the best ever invention for deaf people – and, of course, there’s email.

A catch phrase was attached to (pre-subtitles) entertainer, Max Bygraves, “I’m gonna tell you a little story”. I was never keen on him or that cheesy line, but I’ll use it nevertheless. Out of, quite literally, thousands of chats between Sue and her friends the one that applies most to Deaf Awareness Week happened while Sue was at Lip-Reading classes.

Another student was talking with Sue about Sue’s hearing aid, just general stuff like did it work, how good was it and where had Sue got the stylish protective sleeves made from cammo pattern material (connevans.com Aladdin’s cave for those with hearing loss). Sue asked the other student if a hearing aid would help her, answer was, yes. Obvious next question, why haven’t you got one, was greeted with prolonged silence then tears. As a child she’d worn a hearing aid and it had helped, but the teasing, name calling and general torment of standing out caused her to be what I can only term ‘hearing aid phobic’.

Sue and the other student chatted for the next two sessions during break time. Third session she came in wearing a smart digital aid and enjoying hearing some sounds.

I understand, really I do, how difficult it can be to talk, share or simply join in. Email, text, instant messaging allow someone whose contact-shy to control speed and amount of contact, also what happens and when – in time confidence will build. Sharing is a life line, an experience shared can make a world of difference and in time life improves.

I’m delighted whenever I hear Sue chuckle, there was a time I didn’t think she be happy again. Share experiences, don’t shut off, enjoy life.