The Best Way To Talk About Your Hearing Loss
Telling others about your hearing loss can be a difficult obstacle to overcome in your personal or professional life. You might be struggling to figure out the best way or the right time to tell your loved ones about your hearing loss.
While the news of your hearing loss might have been discouraging, it actually can lead to a much better way of living. Things can only go up as you start to receive assistance and are able to improve your hearing.
Every individual will have a different way that they prefer to tell others about their hearing loss. Like any other important life event, some people will prefer to keep the information to themselves. On the other hand, some may feel comfortable letting strangers know the details of their life. These different levels of disclosure apply to hearing loss as with anything else in life.
Keep in mind that disclosing your hearing loss could be vital in helping to maintain healthy relationships, but there is also no right or wrong time to let people know about it. However, there are three well known ways that you can speak about your hearing loss with others. They are:
Basic Disclosure
This option describes those who choose to disclose that they have hearing loss and they may also share details about their condition.
Non-Disclosure
This can describe those who do not disclose their hearing loss, and/or use phrases that normal hearing individuals might use. For example, saying “I can’t hear you” or “Please speak up.”
Multipurpose Disclosure
This describes those who disclose their hearing loss and also have suggestions for an accommodation strategy. For example, letting others know that they cannot hear well out of their right ear and asking others to walk on their left side instead.
While different individuals will have different ways that they prefer speaking about their hearing loss, many researchers suggest the multipurpose method as the best way to help avoid isolation in social situations.
Hearing loss is a disability that cannot be seen; however, asking others to slow down or face someone with hearing loss when speaking can help improve communication. Here are some tips that you can use when disclosing your hearing loss to loved ones, friends, or colleagues.
Family Members
Your family can help you understand your hearing loss and how it occurred, and they can also give you some of the best support in finding solutions. Close friends who know you best might have also noticed your hearing loss. It’s in your family and friends’ best interest to help you communicate, since healthy communication forms the basis of all good relationships.
At times, it may be hard to talk about your issues with people who are close to you, since you might not want them to worry. However, your family and friends likely noticed your hearing loss long before you did. The best way to communicate it is to calmly explain that you have difficulty hearing, but you need to seek help on your own terms. If you are not ready to get hearing aids, you can still suggest other ways to help make it easier for you to hear and understand others.
Colleagues
Speaking with your boss or other colleagues about your hearing loss might be an even bigger challenge than with your family and friends. You might have worries that your boss may see your hearing as a weakness that can affect your work.
It’s important to stay positive while you address your hearing loss and let your employer know how you cope with it. If you wear hearing aids, you can educate others about how they work. You can also ask for help if you need to, and let your employer know the challenges that you face. If you need assistive listening devices, you can let everyone know how they function in the workplace.
It’s also crucial to be aware of your rights at work. Many countries have laws to protect people with hearing loss and other disabilities in the workplace. You can research and read up about the types of accommodations you are entitled to if needed.
Though you might have difficulty disclosing your hearing loss, finding the right way to talk about it will help make life easier for everyone. You can choose how to disclose your hearing loss in any way that makes you feel the most comfortable. Remember, though, that there shouldn’t be any stigma surrounding hearing loss. Everyone’s bodies go through changes over their lifespan, and you’ll be surprised to find that the people in your life are more than willing to support you on your path to improving your communication and hearing.
To learn more about hearing loss, and common signs of hearing loss, call Hearing Solutions at 1-888-811-9979 or contact us here.
Resources
Staff, P. by E. (2016, January 19). The best way to talk about your hearing loss. Hearing Like Me. https://www.hearinglikeme.com/how-to-talk-about-hearing-loss/.
Talking about hearing loss: Why your disclosure method matters. Hearing Group. (n.d.). https://www.hearinggroup.com/talking-about-hearing-loss-why-your-disclosure-method-matters/.
TechnoVibes. (n.d.). Here’s the best way to disclose your hearing loss to people. http://www.swifthearingcenters.com/blog-view/here-is-the-best-way-to-disclose-your-hearing-loss-to-people.
