Bridging the Gap Between the Hearing & Deaf Worlds
During my day job, I help to grow small business’ WordPress website and I talk about that on my other website.
But like many people, I have had my fair share of barriers when it comes to accessibility. I wanted to share a story about my recent one.
Read more about how I felt shot down because of my accessibility needs
If you have noticed from my writing, whether it’s here on this website or on social media, you may have noticed that I write “d/Deaf” in that format…and no, it’s not a typo.
This allows me to incorporate both the small ‘d’ and capital ‘D’ at the same when talking about this particular topic. This is not necessarily for convenience but mainly for identity and inclusion purposes.
But what is the difference between deaf and Deaf?
What’s the Difference Between Deaf with Capital ‘D’ & deaf with Small ‘d’?
In episode 8, I wanted to talk about the dreaded the ‘Dinner Table Syndrome’, which tends to happen at almost any event; Christmas, birthdays, networking events, restaurants, etc.
And this is something that a lot of d/Deaf people, as well as other people, can relate to.
Read or listen to the story about The Dinner Table Syndrome here
If you are a hearing person, there is a chance that your hearing is different from another.
But for anyone who is d/Deaf or hard of hearing, it’s even more different as different people have their own level of capabilities of what they can and can’t.
In my own personal situation, it’s a bit complex as, even though I can hear many things, there are certain things and scenarios where I would struggle.
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.
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.
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
Episode 0 is an opportunity for me to explain to you the purpose of this podcast (and the website), what is its purpose and what is was created.
And of course, transcripts are included in every single episode.
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.
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