Observation about Audiologists (and other medical professionals)

deafdude1 said:
This thread isn't even about stem cells and I know you are against stem cells. Let me make my choice and respect my choice. You made your choice and I respect this. We both have our disagreements and can leave it at that.



I never claimed to be an expert. I am just a guy learning about deafness, HAs, treatment, etc. I have my own biases too.
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I am actually very much pro-stem cells. They offer the possibility to cure Type 1 diabetes, many types of cancer (one of my good friend just had a stem cell transplant to cure his cancer) BUT having worked with stem cells and the auditory system I know that it will be a long time before they will cure deafness.
 
The audi in my area is fluent in ASL, which I think is great!

But don't even get me started on some of the doctors I've been to! My eye doctor's office still insists on sending me a reminder of my appointment on a 3 x 5 card. No, phone or email aren't options. Another thing they do is test my vision so they have an exact idea of how little I see. Then they ask me to look at their ear or finger when examining my retina. :confused: Hello, I'm blind, as you just found out!

You'd think these doctors would have at least minimal training in dealing with blind/deaf people, but I guess not! :roll: (I know there are some exceptions, but it should be the rule, not the exception.)
 
My brother had an appt with an audi yesterday. He was sooo shocked by how audist that audi was. He said he will dress up as an audist for Halloween. LOL!!!
 
thanx2gezus said:
Wow, I'm glad you've shared. I (as a Audiology student) have learned a lot. Also, some AuD.'s use the greeting (calling the person's name) as a first impression. Not all clients/patients come in with hearing losses (some come with tinnitus, vestibular problems, or just a check up) so it's a good way to get oriented as to the person's hearing level. The secretary/office-worker should know about Relay (etc.) and I hope many of them do, but I would think that there is a learning time (if they are new, since many office-workers come-and-go). As a member of that group, I'd appreciate it if you let me know when (because I will mess-up) I did something 'silly'. Thanks!
I agree that it's strange that audiologists don't know some basic sign, but we have to keep in mind that many are of (or taught by) a previous generation.... There's a little lag time. :/
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To me, this seems like a bad way of getting a "first impression." For example, I cannot distinguish speech at all unless I can see lips, so I always position myself to be able to see the face of someone entering a room. If the audiologist comes in and calls my name and I am paying attention, I will probably respond as if I had normal hearing, but that is hardly accurate.

On the other hand, my newest audiologist started talking very loud and a little slow to me from the get-go. She also stared very closely at me, which really annoyed me, even though I know she was just trying to be helpful.

I would suggest just asking the patient right away what they are comfortable with. Do they want a louder voice or enunciated words? Should they face the patient or not worry about it? When the audiologist just assumes they know what I need right away, it makes me feel subordinated and disabled.
 
faire_jour said:
Also, Miss Kat's audiologist knows basic sign.

I think that some people here need to shop around for better audiologists!
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Most audiologist view deafness from a pathological standpoint. Rare to see audiologists who are sensitive to deaf people's needs. In my experinece, I have maybe met one audi who knew basic signs. The rest..just like what the OP posted. I dont trust most of them.

My brother just saw an audi yesterday and this audi had the nerve to ask him how he can drive if he doesnt have HAs or a CI. What the f**ck???
 
:shock:Shel, audi asked your brother that? I guess I am rudely awakened there; I expect it from many hearing people who don't work in that field <have personally encountered laypeople who don't think d/Deaf drive>, but an audiologist......:mad:
 
HA audiologist treats me like an conveyer belt.

CI centre treats me with alot of patience, respect, they even spend 10 mins of their time just to talk to me and making sure i am living my life ok... at some point i have to go back to HA Audi to get new HA for my other ear but dreading to so.
 
ECP - Your expectations are plain common sense. I would inform the receptionist of the problem but I'd also go as high as possible on the food chain to complain. It's up to management to give employees whatever equipment and training they need to communicate effectively with their clients. You'll be doing that clinic and all the other deaf/hoh folks who deal with them a big favor.

Then if things don't improve and if you have the option, I would go to a different facility and I would let the management know you've done so and why. If you're stuck with this clinic for health insurance reasons or whatever, next thing would be to complain to the insurer or organization that sends you there.

I've run into the same thing with my HMO - Kaiser Permanente. The professionals who mainly deal with deaf/hoh folks are pretty good. The mainstream staff at the sub-professional level don't seem to get it, and you rarely deal with the same person twice at that level. Kiaser needs to have an ombusperson to deal with access issues for folks with disabilities but if this person exists I haven't found them yet. I have tried complaining to "member services", but Kaiser is a huge bureaucracy and the wheels turn slowly.
 
I don’t post here often and have no hearing loss. My connection is in the industry that serves the hearing impaired.

I will give you a little insight from the “other side”. People in general, have life experience and that is what they know. Although they actually know that other people are “different” they really don’t understand this. Let me give you an example that everyone will understand. Most people get beef (hamburger, steak, etc) come from a grocery store. You simply go there, give them money and you get food. That is most people’s reality. The actual reality is that someone had to slaughter and butcher the meat before it got put into that nice package.

What does this mean? To a person that hears, they know from a “textbook” point of view what hearing loss means to a person’s life. However, they don’t really understand what you go through until you live through it.

I think most people in the industry try very hard to make a different in people’s lives. Sometimes they just don’t get all the details correct.
C1
 
My audiologist has a pathological view of deafness, too. She considers it her role to deliver bad news to old people who have lost their hearing. She told me so. I can imagine that it's hard to deliver bad news, but the attitude of the person delivering the news can make a difference in how the news is framed. I have to wonder if she went in to audiology just because it's lucrative to sell HAs. She could just be disenchanted with her job, in which case she'd be doing deaf people a favor by finding a different line of work.

When I change my HAs, I'll find a new audiologist. I've already got one scouted out.
 
shel90 said:
Most audiologist view deafness from a pathological standpoint. Rare to see audiologists who are sensitive to deaf people's needs. In my experinece, I have maybe met one audi who knew basic signs. The rest..just like what the OP posted. I dont trust most of them.

My brother just saw an audi yesterday and this audi had the nerve to ask him how he can drive if he doesnt have HAs or a CI. What the f**ck???
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Acck is this audiologist for real?
 
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