eatinganesh
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- Dec 30, 2008
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I've had progressive hearing loss over the last 8 years and it has finally gotten to the point where everyone is mumbling and I need captions on the tv. I am hard of hearing now, but will be deaf before long. And of course telling people that I am HoH just makes them shout at me.
I need some advice on how to deal with people. I am a college professor, and up until the fall I was doing ok with my hearing loss - even though I had to ask students to repeat themselves several times or move their hand/pencil away from their mouths. The saddest thing about it was that I could tell the students were getting frustrated and fed up with me constantly not hearing them. I explained to all my students that I was suffering hearing loss, but I could just see the looks of "if she can't hear me, why should I ask a question?" and other looks of just, well, disgust, which really hurt my feelings.
I have alot of questions and will be very grateful for any response or advice...
1) How do I go about telling people that I am deaf in a way that they will respect and understand? Is there a button or something? a membership card I can flash? Just kidding. Seriously, how to I go about letting everyone around me know that I am deaf so that they won't talk to me when my back is turned and then get mad that I'm 'ignoring' them. Sometimes I do think I should just wear a button.
2) why is it that after I've told people a million times that I am deaf, they still get annoyed that I can't hear them? why is it so hard for people to keep their hands away from their mouths?
3) how is it possible that people just 'forget' that I am deaf? how should I remind them (ideally without getting frustrated myself at having to remind them a million times)?
I'm sure these are dumb questions in a sense.... but I am sooo frustrated I am thinking about quitting teaching even though I spent 15 years getting a PhD so that I could so.
Thanks in advance,
Eatingganesh
I need some advice on how to deal with people. I am a college professor, and up until the fall I was doing ok with my hearing loss - even though I had to ask students to repeat themselves several times or move their hand/pencil away from their mouths. The saddest thing about it was that I could tell the students were getting frustrated and fed up with me constantly not hearing them. I explained to all my students that I was suffering hearing loss, but I could just see the looks of "if she can't hear me, why should I ask a question?" and other looks of just, well, disgust, which really hurt my feelings.
I have alot of questions and will be very grateful for any response or advice...
1) How do I go about telling people that I am deaf in a way that they will respect and understand? Is there a button or something? a membership card I can flash? Just kidding. Seriously, how to I go about letting everyone around me know that I am deaf so that they won't talk to me when my back is turned and then get mad that I'm 'ignoring' them. Sometimes I do think I should just wear a button.
2) why is it that after I've told people a million times that I am deaf, they still get annoyed that I can't hear them? why is it so hard for people to keep their hands away from their mouths?
3) how is it possible that people just 'forget' that I am deaf? how should I remind them (ideally without getting frustrated myself at having to remind them a million times)?
I'm sure these are dumb questions in a sense.... but I am sooo frustrated I am thinking about quitting teaching even though I spent 15 years getting a PhD so that I could so.
Thanks in advance,
Eatingganesh