Anyone who has read my last few blogs know how frustrated I have been in the current circumstances. I’ve felt lost, as someone who had found their own way to adapt into a hearing world, when there were so many obstacles in every day life, I’ve found my own ways of doing things.
I wouldn’t know where to begin to describe what that is like. The only idea I can give you is, it’s like walking on a tightrope. You start off with something to hold on to each side, a safety mat underneath you, brightly lit you can see the end; then one by one it falls away, that safety falls away. You suddenly have no support to keep you from wobbling, you lose your safety mat underneath, and then the lights dim, you can just see a step in front of you. You’re disorientated, doing what you can to stay upright. The distance from people, masks making it impossible to lip read, feel vibrations in the air, no one around you who can sign – it takes all the effort you have to struggle and try make your way through the day (as you can imagine working in a large supermarket, this is every day, it’s draining).
So, as you can imagine, I haven’t been totally in love with my hearing loss recently. In fact, I’d felt pretty damn shite about it, in ways I’d never felt about it before. But that is when I stumbled upon Deaf Identity. They are this totally awesome clothing company who make a clothing line aimed for those who are Hard of Hearing or Deaf! It’s something I’d never even thought about, I mean, talk about wearing your differences with pride! They have such a great range of stuff, something for everyone. It’s crazy how this one thing has helped me to embrace my deafness again. You can personalize each piece to how you want it, so it really helps to match you, something you can be proud to wear. I sometimes think it’s strange how ordering something as simple as a hoodie can change how you feel, but it’s helped me embrace my hearing loss again, in a time when I felt like I never might again.
So, thank you and a massive shoutout to Deaf Identity, you guys are doing an amazing job! Go check it out!!!