I’m often asked if I could change my hearing loss, have a magic cure, would I? But my answer is always no.
Of course, maybe life in general may be just a little bit easier if I did have full, perfect hearing – but I wouldn’t have some awesome skills and had experiences did I not have hearing loss. I have acquired, what I would consider, some pretty cool skills and tactics I use in day to day life; things I may never have discovered or understood if I hadn’t lost my hearing.
There’s the obvious skill of lip reading, which I find useful as I use it every day, in all conversations I have, whether it be one on one or group conversations. Lip reading can be useful to watch what people are talking about, whether it be a secret, some gossip, or just face to face boring daily conversations – it can be rather distracting if the conversation is actually interesting though! Either way, I love that I can do it!
Also learning to “listen through vibrations”. For example:
Listening to music through the vibrations on a speaker, or through the floor/walls
If it’s dark, or for any reason I can’t lip read someone I can put my finger tips on their neck and feel the vibrations through there and it helps to piece together what they’re saying (this may seem slightly strange but it’ something I have only discovered in the past two years and it is incredibly useful, but I know a lot of people have never heard of anyone doing it so it is something I wanted to share)
There are so many more, but unfortunately, I couldn’t possibly list then all.
I find myself a part of both the hearing and deaf community, and I think I am lucky to be able to be. I get to see, learn and do things different ways, multiple ways, whereas a lot of people only get to see things from one perspective.
To anyone who feels “different”, you know your own normal; there are plenty of others who will completely agree with you. Always be proud of who you are – if you’re not quite there yet, keep going, you’ll get there.