By Rena Justine:
Living with hearing loss can be challenging. In a Yahoo Life interview, Shari Eberts, co-author of Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, said that socializing becomes “more challenging because communication takes more work.”
In the same interview, Catherine Hoath described living with hearing loss as something “like playing a perpetual charades game” where she has to constantly try to figure out what’s happening around her. But while living with hearing loss can be difficult to navigate, it doesn't mean that it's impossible.
In our previous interview with poet Gillian Kessler, she shared how, despite the challenges of living with a hearing impairment, her poem "Deaf Girl" became an opportunity to embrace her disability. The poem’s repetition of “I’m a deaf girl” signified her stepping up to challenges and facing them “with a bit more gumption,” as Kessler said.
While experiences of hearing loss can differ, these cases are more prevalent than you think. A Census Bureau survey shows that over 12 million people in the U.S. had hearing difficulty in 2022, marking a 17% increase from 2010. While hearing loss can pose many problems, it doesn’t have to prevent you from living a happy life. All you need to do is to adapt to your circumstances.
Fortunately, in today's world, that might be easier than ever. In this article, we look at a few useful tools and insights that can help you adjust to your lifestyle with hearing loss.
Explore Assistive Listening Tools
There are several assistive devices that can help enhance your auditory perception, from cochlear implants and personal amplifiers to FM systems that transmit heightened sounds. In addition to these tools, you can also try the Nuance Audio hearing glasses, which can pick up and amplify sounds through a built-in microphone and small speakers that are seamlessly integrated into the frame stems. The specs’ beamforming technology can also reduce background noise, helping you stay focused in conversations. These hearing devices can provide solutions for both hearing and vision issues, since the glasses can be equipped with prescription lenses for vision correction.
Install Useful Apps
You can also download helpful mobile applications to overcome communication barriers. Using translation apps such as Sign-Speak can make it easier to translate sign language for non-speakers with the help of machine learning. This software can be used with any device with a camera and provides spoken translation of sign languages, helping you stay connected and feel less isolated by fostering communication with others. It allows you to manage your relationships much easier by reducing miscommunication or misunderstandings. These digital solutions are vital to helping you communicate your needs, thoughts, and concerns conveniently in a tech-driven world.
Practice How to Lipread and Analyze Nonverbal Cues
For people with hearing loss, one way to understand what others are saying is by being aware of their nonverbal cues and facial expressions to understand their moods better. For instance, furrowed eyebrows may indicate anger, creases around the eyes reflect happiness, and crossed arms may indicate a serious conversation. Mastering lipreading can also help you find out what others are saying, and you can practice by watching news replays on YouTube and focusing on the anchors’ lips. Using closed captions can guide you while practicing. You can also ask your friends or family members to help you practice by talking slowly and clearly.
Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out
Finally, don't be afraid to reach out. Research shows that hearing loss is associated with loneliness and social isolation. Since dealing with hearing loss can be challenging, reaching out to your family and friends for support is essential. Communicate your needs and feelings so that they know how to adjust and help you feel like you’re not alone. For instance, you can tell them how to communicate with you better, whether by talking a bit louder or by using sign language. You can also connect with groups such as the National Association of the Deaf for support and resources.
Dealing with hearing loss can be a life-changing experience. But with proper adjustments and tools, you can still navigate your surroundings and foster meaningful relationships with the people around you.
Rena Justine is a teaching consultant who provides guidance to schools across the country. Through her online articles, she hopes to impart her 10 years of experience to help others. She spends most of her free time in the park with her husband and three children.
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