I have read about the five stages of grief — denial & isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance — and they remind me a lot of the stages of hearing loss. This makes sense, because for many, myself included, the loss of hearing is something to be mourned, to be missed, to be fought. Continue reading
Break the Stigma
How To Enjoy A Concert Safely When You Have Hearing Loss
Hello. It’s me. I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to go to a concert? I have two extra tickets. To Adele. Do you and your daughter want to come? [sing this to Adele’s “Hello”] I rarely go to concerts — I am afraid to damage my hearing any more than it already Continue reading
With Hearing Loss, The First Step Is Acceptance
Hearing loss does not discriminate. It impacts people of all ages, races, creeds, and phases of life. It can be caused genetically, or from excess noise, or from ototoxic drugs. Sometimes it happens suddenly. Other times it sneaks up gradually as part of the aging process. But one thing is true for all — hearing Continue reading
Erasing My Hearing Loss Mistakes
I grew up thinking hearing loss was shameful, something to be hidden and never discussed. I learned this from my father, who had hearing loss. So did his mother. It was genetic, and he passed it onto me, along with the stigma. I needed to accept my hearing loss to break the cycle for my Continue reading
But, You Don’t Look Deaf
Have you ever noted your hearing loss for an airline and had them show up with a wheelchair? Or requested a transcript of an audio guide at a museum and gotten something in braille? When I hear stories like this, I always shake my head in amazement at how uninformed people are about hearing loss Continue reading
