HOH, hearing air wearing, hard working, hair slangin', single mom

DivaDusty

DivaDusty

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Soooo.... I am here b/c I am in the new world of HOH and it's very lonely sometimes. :/

I don't know where to go or who to ask my questions to.

I'm scared of losing my job b/c of my hearing.

PPL get so frusterated with me b/c I can't hear them.

I'm so nervous to date and meet new men b/c I can't hear well in public settings.

I want to learn sign language so bad!

I feel like my hearing is getting worse everyday and I am afraid.

I don't have health insurance.

I truely love the ppl that have been so understanding over ther years that my hearing loss has got worse.

I am 34 single mom of a almost 17 yr old wonderful daughter.I work a lot of hours and love my job but it is getting harder and harder everyday. I manage a mens salon and I can't imagine not doing hair. I have been with my company for 9 yrs and it's part of my identity, I LOVE MY COMPANY! I am not a shy or quiet person but I have become more stand offish these last few years b/c I have such a hard time hearing ppl. Things got a lil better after I got hearing aids but seem to be getting worse. I would love to learn sign language but not sure where to do it and when I can fit the classes in my insane business hours. I'm becoming more and more aware I must learn though. My family trys to be understanding and so do some of my clients and bosses but it's becoming more noticable to me that it's effecting my job. Thinking about things lately, I think I would love to learn ASL and when my daughter goes to college I would love to move toa deaf community and run a salon there, maybe even a franchise with my current company if someone would open one. I dunno I'm so confused and lost right now. I am just hoping to makes some new friends who understand what I am going through and trying so hard to embrace and maybe get a few questions answered.

Thanks,

Dusty Michelle:)
 
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:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. Have you gone to the doctor about your hearing loss and then ask him where to go for audiologist so that you can get hearing test and then get hearing aid(s)? It is important that you get your hearing test to see how much you have lost. There are different degrees of hearing loss so that is where you will learn whether you are hard of hearing or deaf. You are late deafened as you were not born deaf or hard of hearing. We will try to help along the way here. Just ask questions that you are not sure of. I hope you enjoy reading and posting all the threads here. See you around here. :wave:

Edit: I know you had hearing aids. I think you have experience no lipreading. So that make it hard to understand without the skills. Yes, ASL really help deaf and hard of hearing people understand what is being said but with hearing people that is a whole different story. It is very frustrating. Use paper and pen to communicate with hearing people. All I have to say that we will try to help you here. :)
 
I did have alot of jobs during my younger years due to lonliness or restlessness. As my hearing worsened I settled into to a job for 7 years. The company was being milked by the owners (and is now out of business). The other employees knew this also. I found a temp job for 6 months at Target (night shift) before going back into the welding trade. I have been stuck at the same pay for a couple years and there is no place for advancement. I hang onto the job because I know I cannot get through an interview at another small company. Hang in there and try to survive the embarrassing times. I am raising 1 daughter myself also.
 
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Hi Dusty,

Welcome to AD!

Hair Salons have got to be one of the noisest places on earth!

I'm sure others will have suggestions for you and when you have the time you will probably like using the search engine on this web site.

Here's a few ideas off the top of my head --

Sometimes it helps to learn lipreading or speechreading formally. I'm lucky that in NYC there is a place that teaches that, but DVDs are also available. It didn't improve my speech reading a lot -- but every little bit helps.

Some hearing aids come with mics that your client could hold while you cut his hair. I'm not sure how well that would hold up in a place with a lot of hair snipping around which may not be very electronics friendly -- but its something to consider.

It won't look pretty but you could set up a few other people with a wireless doorbell that would look like a small narrow box with a big button and it could set up a vibrating gizmo that you would be wearing on your wrist. Once you know someone is trying to talk to you, that is half the battle. You can lipread them or pass them the mic.

You could also put a pressure pad down and set it up so that it would also send an alert to your gizmo on your wrist. Strategically placed convex mirrors can help also. They come in all sizes from an auto supply store or web site.

You could go off on your own. Raise your prices and offer people the convenience of cutting their hair in their offices or homes. Or perhaps set up a tiny salon on your own which would be quieter or cut hair out of your home.

In some states a vocational office will help you pay for some of the more expensive devices or classes if it will help keep you employed.

I would try to find out if you are near some membership organizations where you could meet people offline and see what is available in your state. Maybe Hearing Loss Association of America or Association of Late Deafened Adults? Those are the ones I know of.

Now, if I could only brainstorm some ideas for myself ... :)
 
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