Bridging the Gap Between the Hearing & Deaf Worlds
There’s no doubt that hearing aids can be very useful and have come a long way since the days of wearing those which are, not only big, but also lacking quality.
But despite the advancement in design and technology, I can’t help but still have my moments of doubts when wearing them. So in this post, I have explained I don’t really like wearing hearing aids.
In episode 5 of the podcast, I chat with Abbi Brown, an advocate for disabled people who has also gone through a major surgery to help her with hearing and improve the quality of her life.
For those who are not familiar with hearing aids, you may have your own assumptions on what you think it can and can’t do. However, you will be surprised about some of the myths out there but people assume, like it’s a “cure” (spoiler alert: it’s not).
So in this post, you will learn about what hearing aids can and can’t do so that you are aware of what to expect when meeting anyone who is wearing one or two.
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.
In episode 4 of the podcast, it’s a solo show with yours truly and I talk about the furore around an upcoming movie featuring a deaf character by played a hearing actress
The director has claimed that she signed perfectly and “seems to have an almost innate sense of what it’s like being a deaf person”.
Read or listen to the story about this director’s comment here
In episode 3, I chat with Sara Hawthorn, a PR business owner who is also tackling and breaking down the barriers that exists within the PR and communications industry
She also shares her own hearing loss journey and offers fantastic advice along the way.
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
In episode 2, I chat to Amy Rowe, who runs two businesses and is an ambassador of a deaf charity.
We talk about the challenges growing up with a hearing loss (alongside her brother), fighting to build a career as a journalist and subsequently co-founding 2 businesses whilst doing her charity work.
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.
