Bridging the Gap Between the Hearing & Deaf Worlds
Check out the blog posts and read various stories about the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing worlds, as well as some personal stories from Ahmed.
Academy Award-winning Deaf actress, Marlee Matlin first book ‘Deaf Child Crossing’, is the first of the trilogy in the series and where she made her debut as a writer.
Even though it’s not a book that will standout from the crowd, there are a number of things that you can learn from it, whether you are hearing or d/Deaf, whether you are a child or an adult.
When going to the cinema (which is a huge challenge for any d/Deaf person), there is always a moment of trying to adjust and understand what the characters on-screen are saying.
But it’s a completely different situation when it comes to comic book characters.
And that was I lesson I learnt the hard way, as I realised that it’s very difficult what the comic-book characters are saying…especially those which are wearing masks.
Learn why listening to comic book characters is difficult here
Did you know that tiredness and fatigue is a common issue for deaf people, regardless of how mild or serious their hearing loss is?
The issue surrounding concentration fatigue is not something that is immediately obvious to anyone and it’s certainly not a topic that you’d normally associate with deaf people.
Yet, it’s a very common situation and most people don’t know it.
Due to how I was brought up and the fact that my hearing loss is not as severe as others, I haven’t surrounded myself with those who are going through the same thing.
And as for being part of the Deaf community, well I’m working on it.
Because of that, it means that most of the people I interact with are of perfect or near-perfect hearing.
So I have put together a view on 16 things I would like my hearing friends to know.
As someone who has worn hearing aids (on and off) since I was a child, I used to try to hide it.
But gradually, as I come to accept that it’s a part of me, it has the attention of a people who have asked me the question on what does hearing aids feel like and how does it sound.
Which is fair enough. How else are you supposed to know unless you wear it yourself?
So I attempted to answer the question in a video to help give you a better understanding.
Learn about what it feels and sounds like to wear hearing aids here
Just because I am dealing with my hearing loss, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect the other people around me.
Yes, my direct family had to live with it, but my wife, Claire, experiences it in different ways.
So in our first ever video together, we have a chat about it has affected her, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Watch the interview with my wife about my hearing journey here
Having lived with a mild hearing loss since I was a baby, throughout that time, I have heard some weird and wonderful things from my hearing.
Sure, there are some reasonable questions that you can ask which I don’t mind answering.
But it’s the weird things that I think will get everyone interested, so I thought of putting together a video some of the weirdest and also unhelpful things that have been said to me.
For many years, I have been living with a challenge which affects my day-to-day life.
It’s something that we all take for granted. And it’s also something that is almost invisible to everyone else.
I have a hearing problem, so obviously I don’t hear as well as the average person.
And I tell you, I bloody hate it.
But there comes a point where you have to let go.
