By Mitchell Batavia, PT, Ph.D.
Having a hearing impairment myself, I find it ironic and somewhat puzzling that when going to hearing clinics, patients who need help with their hearing have to somehow hear and respond to staff calling their name in waiting rooms.
Mitchell Batavia PT, Ph.D., is an associate professor of physical therapy at New York University and a person with a hearing impairment. In addition to cartoons and flash fiction, he has published healthcare textbooks with Elsevier and Butterworth-Heinemann.
Cochlear implants work differently from hearing aids. Instead of making sounds louder, they bypass the damaged parts of the inner ear and send signals directly to the brain, allowing individuals to perceive sound more clearly.