Excerpt from the book | Hearing for John

Excerpts from 'Hearing for John' & 'Impairment to Empowerment'

Hearing for John

by John Marshall Mills

Hearing loss cannot be concealed. Why should it be? If we declare it, share it, wear it as a badge that we are not ashamed of, inviting the world to accept us as we are, then we give others the chance, even the incentive, to find ways of helping us to adapt to their ‘normality'. If we are completely open we show that we are not afraid and we automatically make it difficult for others to raise it as an issue.

When they see that we are being strong, fearless about our personal circumstances; when we demonstrate how determined we are to overcome any disadvantages that we are experiencing; and whenever we show that we have the strength to fight the negative attitudes that hearing difficulties so often generate we give them the encouragement to find ways to help us.

This fighting spirit not only provides good reason for them to respect us, it also does wonders for our own self-respect. We owe this much to ourselves and also to everyone who offers us support...

One of the most valuable keys in dealing with hearing loss is discovering how to be happy with ourselves. Hearing is only one of our senses, only one part of us. It is surely wrong to allow it to dominate us. Of course we can't ignore the problems it causes but we can be more aware of our own positive values. Our track record, interests and skills all have a special personal dimension. We can and should be proactive in recognising how many strengths we have...

We have good reason to be optimistic about the future. Awareness and support for those of us who are deaf and hard of hearing are growing significantly thanks in no small part to the energetic activities of the hearing charities and a steadily expanding army of caring professionals and volunteers. The pace of innovations and invention is getting faster.

There is one crucially important point to be absolutely clear about: we don't have to accept that our difficulty is a burden we must shoulder alone. There is no end to the support we can receive when we teach ourselves to notice the goodwill that is available to us. Yet, we are also free to identify our own horizons. We need never give up on ourselves even if we are told nothing more can be done (as has twice happened to me). There is always someone new for us to consult, something new to try and with every new choice there is always the possibility of an unexpectedly rewarding solution. Hearing loss is never typical. It is personal. And, with its never-ending flexibility and adaptability, our brain gives us the perfect secret weapon to find our own solutions and successes...

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Managing your hearing loss

Impairment to Empowerment

by Bunty Levene and Val Tait

Excerpt from the Introduction

It is often the simple changes that make the most difference to managing a hearing loss. The suggestion of placing a doily, or small tissue, between a cup and a saucer to prevent the inevitable clash of crockery on crockery is frequently greeted with, 'What a good idea!' We then go on to explain that many environmental sounds are louder than speech sounds, and if, for example, the person you are with asks you a question such as, 'Would you like a piece of shortbread or a piece of cake?', you may not understand them because, just as they start to speak, you put your cup down in order to concentrate better, and the sound of your cup will have been louder than the initial consonants of 'shortbread' and 'piece of cake'. Whereas if you had placed a doily between the cup and saucer there would have been no sound. We suggest you try this simple tip for yourself and find out what a difference it makes (see Chapter 19). If you are profoundly deaf and rely totally on lipreading for communication, then we recommend that you sit with your back to the light in order to facilitate lipreading - again do try this for yourself and see the result. These practical suggestions and many many more are in this book.

We have not attempted to write in depth about tinnitus, Ménière’s disease, sign language or the technical aspects of cochlear implants and hearing aids. Nor have we attempted to give you reasons why you have lost all or some of your hearing. Instead we want this book to be useful and supportive for those of you who have felt, and perhaps still feel, that maybe it is your fault that other people's speech seems distorted or that you do not always hear the door bell. You may remember being able to understand your family, friends and colleagues, and now you feel frustrated that sometimes they sound like parrots or Mickey Mouse. You may also feel angry and embarrassed when someone looks irritated or alerts you in an almost aggressive way because you simply have not heard the door or telephone bell. It was not that you ignored the sound, you just did not hear it!

You may feel as though you have lost some part of yourself and in Chapter 4 we look at this experience in more detail and offer some solutions for coping with these unwelcome emotions. Also you may not understand why this has happened, so in Chapter 1 we explain how you hear and why this unwanted situation has occurred.

Managing your hearing loss Impairment to Empowerment

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