First steps to understanding the needs of someone with hearing loss
Hearing is not the same as understanding
Before anyone with normal hearing can start to support someone with hearing loss, they need to understand precisely what the problems are.
The trouble is, though, that our everyday language is woefully inadequate for the purpose. For example, people tend to think that someone with hearing loss just doesn't 'hear' what is going on, on the assumption that the remedy is merely to find a way of making it louder.
Whether or not someone with hearing loss can 'hear' that someone is speaking is not at all as helpful as whether they can listen to it comfortably and 'interpret' the words for what they are.
In fact, 'hear' is not really a particularly helpful word because it is so ambiguous. It is certainly true that a sound may not loud enough for someone with hearing loss, but other more important questions need to be asked, particularly for 'hearing' speech.
How to find out the needs of a hearing-impaired person
The following questions are a quick way to explore the most common likely needs of someone with hearing loss. You will need to be circumspect in asking them, though, because people with hearing loss tend to try to cover it up, because they think that hearing loss makes them look old or stupid.
Yet only when problems are recognised can they be tackled.
- Can the person concerned, for example, register (hear) that someone is speaking, but not be able to distinguish the words clearly enough to follow what is being said? This is commonly the case.
- If so, is there more of a problem with some voices than with others, like with the high pitched ones of children?
- Is there more of a problem in a noisy environment where voices seem to merge into the background noise?
- Are some sounds, which appear to be acceptably loud to people with normal hearing, too painful to endure?
The list of questions could grow longer.
This website is dedicated to suggesting ways that people with hearing loss and those who interact with them can develop strategies for coping - see the menus. Click the icon below for a summary of ways to help.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is for a lay audience and I cannot be responsible for errors or omissions. The views, strategies, advice and suggestions etc are based on my personal experience and are not necessarily appropriate for anyone else. They should, hopefully, stimulate individuals to develop their own strategies.