Hearing Health Blog
I spent the first 20 years of my life attempting to hide my congenital hearing loss. Like most kids, I just wanted to fit in and be like everyone else, so my younger self could have never predicted that I would have ended up focusing on disability and hearing health within my career.
I cannot tell you how many times in my 32 years people have asked me, “What is it like to have parents who are deaf?” My answer has always been the same, regardless of who is asking or how old I am, “What is it like to have hearing parents?”
Billy the Marlin certainly did his part practicing social distancing during the 2020 MLB season. Not only did the Marlins’ popular, long-beaked mascot stay clear of those around him during games, he also helped raise awareness for the hearing impaired.
If there was ever a time to live with hearing loss, it's now. Technology has improved exponentially in recent years, and the internet has allowed people with hearing loss to participate in communities and real-time conversations in a way that used to be almost impossible.
If there was ever a time to live with hearing loss, it's now. Technology has improved exponentially in recent years, and the internet has allowed people with hearing loss to participate in communities and real-time conversations in a way that used to be almost impossible.
Misconceptions about people with hearing loss are commonplace – some are antiquated stereotypes, while others just incorrect assumptions. It’s easy enough to get the wrong idea, as hearing loss can be an invisible disability – unlike the wheelchair that signals a mobility challenge.
I had hearing problems all my life and speech therapy through grade school. I always say that it was as a result of speech therapy that I do not really have a Texas accent! (Although some people would disagree.) I don't know why I didn't have hearing aids as a child, but I always sat in the front seats of classrooms to be sure to hear.
Frequent, proper handwashing, hand sanitizer use, and not touching your face were the early health and safety directives as the COVID-19 pandemic spread from country to country and then state to state. In the past few weeks, social distancing and face masks became the next tools in helping to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Both are particular challenges for those with and without hearing challenges.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, audiologists and other hearing healthcare professionals are concerned about our patients. With social distancing, we are communicating at a distance of six feet which is difficult if not impossible with a loss of hearing.
A trio of experts with both professional and personal connections to hearing loss share advice for better communication. Here they tell us what individuals with hearing loss say works and why these tips are effective.
