stuntchic
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2003
- Messages
- 45
- Reaction score
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Hello!
My name is Kate, and I am 26 years old. I live in Sydney, but I was born and raised in Dubbo, NSW - the Home of The Western Plains Zoo!! I used to live not far from that zoo - and I remember hearing the lions roaring away every night, particularly in summer at about 7pm.
Anyway, my hearing loss was first noticed when I was about 11 years old. In a routine test at Primary School, a slight loss in both ears was picked up. No one knew what it was, because i am the only person in a family of 4 kids that was deaf; it is not genetic, not due to disease or medication. A professor once told me that the main theory around my sort of loss is that the hair cells in my ears are slowly being worn down by unusual movement in the cochlear fluid. I know, I am a freak!
My hearing was ok, until about age 14, when audiologists started to say I'd need hearing aids. I was devastated! And swore I would never wear them! Well. Things change, HAHA. So when I finally left school, I defered Uni for a year, ran away to Scotland to work, and got hearing aids over there. It was hard, but now I cant live without them.
My hearing has slowly deteriorated over the years, and could get worse, but I think I do ok with digital hearing aids. I can get a cochlear implant too, and even though I hate hate hate operations, if I thought it would help me, I would do it..
I did journalism at university, but decided that it was going to be too stressful for me to be a journalist with my level of hearing loss (now severe in left, and almost profound in right). I tried doing interviews ove the phone for Rolling Stone Magazine when I was an intern there, and it was almost impossible!!
So, I went to TAFE and did an Interactive Multimedia certificate.
I soon got my first ever job, as a Campaign Coordinator for a media company in the city. It was a huge confidence booster for me, and I also met my boyfriend when I was around 23 at that time. We are still together, and he is hearing. I feel pretty proud that I am able to operate in the hearing world, though I do wish I knew sign language sometimes. I lip read ALL the time. Have to have captions on TV and movies, and have to use a Text phone.
I have travelled heaps, and we just got back from Europe, India, China and Vietnam 6 months ago. I had the horrid task of finding a new job again - all those interviews where you have to say "I have a hearing loss, so I wont be able to answer phones, and I'll have to have special treatment in meetings. Will that be a problem for you?" HA!
Well, I managed to get a job, and now I am the Online Content Manager for two websites for a company in Sydney called Reed Business.
Its an interesting job, and as I have said in forums before, they were really understanding and supportive about my hearing - bought me a phone to use (TTY for VCO) and also, they are just nice people, who dont mind repeating if I dont hear.
So, thats all pretty much from me.
I love cats, I've always had a pet..and...I love to write - I used to be a journalist, but my favourite is poetry - I'd love to be published one day...and..I love anime (japanese cartoons, for all those who dont know it!)...i love....baking things! I find that really stress releiving actually....
God that sounds boring doesnt it!
Thanks for reading, and see you around!
- Kate
My name is Kate, and I am 26 years old. I live in Sydney, but I was born and raised in Dubbo, NSW - the Home of The Western Plains Zoo!! I used to live not far from that zoo - and I remember hearing the lions roaring away every night, particularly in summer at about 7pm.
Anyway, my hearing loss was first noticed when I was about 11 years old. In a routine test at Primary School, a slight loss in both ears was picked up. No one knew what it was, because i am the only person in a family of 4 kids that was deaf; it is not genetic, not due to disease or medication. A professor once told me that the main theory around my sort of loss is that the hair cells in my ears are slowly being worn down by unusual movement in the cochlear fluid. I know, I am a freak!
My hearing was ok, until about age 14, when audiologists started to say I'd need hearing aids. I was devastated! And swore I would never wear them! Well. Things change, HAHA. So when I finally left school, I defered Uni for a year, ran away to Scotland to work, and got hearing aids over there. It was hard, but now I cant live without them.
My hearing has slowly deteriorated over the years, and could get worse, but I think I do ok with digital hearing aids. I can get a cochlear implant too, and even though I hate hate hate operations, if I thought it would help me, I would do it..
I did journalism at university, but decided that it was going to be too stressful for me to be a journalist with my level of hearing loss (now severe in left, and almost profound in right). I tried doing interviews ove the phone for Rolling Stone Magazine when I was an intern there, and it was almost impossible!!
So, I went to TAFE and did an Interactive Multimedia certificate.
I soon got my first ever job, as a Campaign Coordinator for a media company in the city. It was a huge confidence booster for me, and I also met my boyfriend when I was around 23 at that time. We are still together, and he is hearing. I feel pretty proud that I am able to operate in the hearing world, though I do wish I knew sign language sometimes. I lip read ALL the time. Have to have captions on TV and movies, and have to use a Text phone.
I have travelled heaps, and we just got back from Europe, India, China and Vietnam 6 months ago. I had the horrid task of finding a new job again - all those interviews where you have to say "I have a hearing loss, so I wont be able to answer phones, and I'll have to have special treatment in meetings. Will that be a problem for you?" HA!
Well, I managed to get a job, and now I am the Online Content Manager for two websites for a company in Sydney called Reed Business.
Its an interesting job, and as I have said in forums before, they were really understanding and supportive about my hearing - bought me a phone to use (TTY for VCO) and also, they are just nice people, who dont mind repeating if I dont hear.
So, thats all pretty much from me.
I love cats, I've always had a pet..and...I love to write - I used to be a journalist, but my favourite is poetry - I'd love to be published one day...and..I love anime (japanese cartoons, for all those who dont know it!)...i love....baking things! I find that really stress releiving actually....
God that sounds boring doesnt it!
Thanks for reading, and see you around!
- Kate
)
here n enjoy AD! 
