You heard it here first. Hearing aids are now, by official proclamation, cool. Although losing your hearing is still a drag, hearing aids and other hardware don't have to be. Out of the dresser drawer and into the street!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
"Embarrassment is the death of possibility." - Johnathan Lethem
Hello, I am a hearing aid wearer of 28yrs I have been wearing them since I was three.
I liked your Washington post story The only thing that I appose of it, is the fact that "hearing aids R cool" I use to wear the behind the ear aids for 20yrs. Those are not something I would have my child wear. They are a sure sign of non normalcy. Being different is something a child does not want to experience. I was not happy at all; I was different and was not greeted with kind words. I was made fun of most of my life and wouldn’t want that experience to be taken lightly. Now days with all the technology and resources, there should be no reason, why a person has to show the world that they are different or have a handicap.
Kwren, I read your article in the Washington Post. Honestly, I could have written it, well if I had writing and spelling talent that is. I have every symptom mentioned to some degree or another. To top it off, I saw an doctor today who told me that I am not crazy while at the same time comfirming my suspisions that someday I will probably be totally deaf. Honestly, I am relieved, but more that that, I am scared.
Thank you for the article in the paper, it is good to know that others have gone before me, and that I will survive.
Kathi, I read your WashPost story and am interested in reading your blog. But, please, get rid of that white-on-black format and use a normal black-on-white format. It is really strenuous on the eyes. I am sure you can understand this. Thank you.
Christina: I "hear" you. There is so much unnecessary suffering going on because of hearing loss and hearing aids. I mean the suffering that is over and above what is caused by being unable to communicate with people. I am hopeful that the Baby Boomers' aging, the prevalence of earpods for cellphones and other devices, and the development of "fashion" aids will improve the acceptance and understanding of hearing loss. As for kids, the metalflake blue earmold that is shown on my blog is a style that is used for kids' aids. Maybe we're already seeing early signs of some improvement in attitudes.
Tobikay: I often wonder if my hearing loss will lead to deafness, or the functional equivalent thereof. My father has a cochlear implant in one ear, and is basically deaf in the other. He functions quite well, considering. You still have to make an effort to communicate with him ( checking to make sure he heard you, getting his attention first, being in a quiet place, etc), but he can converse, even on the phone. And implants are getting better all the time; they apparently now have implants that work for certain frequency ranges, leaving the others, that you can still hear, intact. Let's knock on wood for now.
6 comments:
Hello,
I am a hearing aid wearer of 28yrs
I have been wearing them since I was three.
I liked your Washington post story
The only thing that I appose of it, is the fact that "hearing aids R cool"
I use to wear the behind the ear aids for 20yrs. Those are not something I would have my child wear. They are a sure sign of non normalcy. Being different is something a child does not want to experience. I was not happy at all; I was different and was not greeted with kind words. I was made fun of most of my life and wouldn’t want that experience to be taken lightly.
Now days with all the technology and resources, there should be no reason, why a person has to show the world that they are different or have a handicap.
Kwren, I read your article in the Washington Post. Honestly, I could have written it, well if I had writing and spelling talent that is. I have every symptom mentioned to some degree or another. To top it off, I saw an doctor today who told me that I am not crazy while at the same time comfirming my suspisions that someday I will probably be totally deaf. Honestly, I am relieved, but more that that, I am scared.
Thank you for the article in the paper, it is good to know that others have gone before me, and that I will survive.
Kathi, I read your WashPost story and am interested in reading your blog. But, please, get rid of that white-on-black format and use a normal black-on-white format. It is really strenuous on the eyes. I am sure you can understand this. Thank you.
Christina:
I "hear" you. There is so much unnecessary suffering going on because of hearing loss and hearing aids. I mean the suffering that is over and above what is caused by being unable to communicate with people. I am hopeful that the Baby Boomers' aging, the prevalence of earpods for cellphones and other devices, and the development of "fashion" aids will improve the acceptance and understanding of hearing loss. As for kids, the metalflake blue earmold that is shown on my blog is a style that is used for kids' aids. Maybe we're already seeing early signs of some improvement in attitudes.
Huntgrunt:
thanks for the "eye-opener" about my blog format. I changed it as soon as I saw your posting.
Tobikay:
I often wonder if my hearing loss will lead to deafness, or the functional equivalent thereof. My father has a cochlear implant in one ear, and is basically deaf in the other. He functions quite well, considering. You still have to make an effort to communicate with him ( checking to make sure he heard you, getting his attention first, being in a quiet place, etc), but he can converse, even on the phone.
And implants are getting better all the time; they apparently now have implants that work for certain frequency ranges, leaving the others, that you can still hear, intact.
Let's knock on wood for now.
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