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[hearingaidsandtea]

Long Time No See

Let’s do some updates!

I’ve noticed that some of my posts are still getting liked and reblogged even after this long, thank you! I’m really happy that what I’ve written has been reaching people and making an impact.

I wanted to update y’all, especially as my last post (all that time ago) was about my financial struggles. Thank you to those of you that donated or shared the post, I really appreciate it.

In short:

+ My financial state is much more stable and I’m financially safe (and have been for a while now)!

+ I’ve moved to a lovely forested place with my roommate and we’re loving it! It’s a lot more quiet which is helping me with stress as well (sometimes you just gotta give your brain some quiet time to process the sounds of the week). It’s also less expensive (by a lot).

+ I’m still working with Deaf kids which is wonderful. I’ve been learning ASL to help the students and myself. It’s made a huge difference in my mental health. Seriously, learning ASL is one of the best things I’m doing for myself.

+ I’ve gone back to school and am majoring in creative writing. I’ve been blown away by the support I’ve gotten for my Deaf/HoH-centric stories. There’s a legitimate interest in reading stories by Deaf/HoH people and I am floored by it. I’ve gotten phenomenal feedback on a story from my current class and will be continuing it. I’ll be publishing it sometime next year. It’s one of the projects I’ll be working on during NaNoWriMo this year.

This story in question? Two teens get stuck in a haunted house because of a lost hearing aid and have to find a way to survive...and hopefully get out.

While I make no promises on how active this blog will be, I can promise that I’m open for questions, and I will be more active (at least some kind of update once a month)

[hearingaidsandtea]

I need help (can’t afford rent)

Hi everyone, I need help.

I hate that I’m posting after such a long time something that’s not related to hearing, but I’m in dire straights financially. Many of y’all know that I work with Deaf/Blind students as an instructional assistant. It’s been absolutely wonderful, and I’ve been able to use my own hearing loss to help my students. But due to COVID I was unable to get a summer job and have instead been working odd jobs for a friend (thankfully this has been a safe environment as we’ve been wearing masks and social distancing), but it’s not nearly enough. I’m still about 300 dollars short on rent this month.

A dear, dear friend created a GoFundMe on my behalf to help me make ends meet so that I can have money to pay for rent, gas for my car, and utilities. And meds, cause I had to bypass getting my asthma medicine this month because I can’t afford to spend $30 dollars right now. Like I said, I’m about 300 dollars short of being able to cover my half of the rent and that has to take priority.

Please, if you can afford to donate something it would be greatly appreciated. If you can’t, please share this so that the word can get out.

Thank you so, so much for reading this far, for donating (if you do), and for spreading the word. It really means the world to me. <3

Thank you,

Anna

[hearingaidsandtea]

What’s Next? (help me choose, updated list)

Y’all asked for the post about Deafness/HoH representation in the media and you can find that post here.  Below is the updated list of topics that I’ll be covering. Again, I’ll be posting all of these eventually. I simply want to know what y’all find most interesting/helpful and prioritize that. I’m also open to topic suggestions, so if you have an idea you don’t see here, please tell me. <3 On Overstimulation: Pretty much what it sounds like. In this post I dig into what overstimulation is like for me, the challenges it presents, and how I help myself through it. Overstimulation in Lock Down: COVID-19 is messing things up on all levels, and for those of us with a hearing loss, it’s presenting new challenges. I’m personally battling with overstimulation more than usual. I know I’m not the only one. In this post I explore what’s causing the overstimulation, how I’m protecting my mental health, and how I’m working around/through these situations.

Lipreading is Not My Superpower: In this post I break down the misconceptions on lipreading accuracy and about learning it. I also talk about how helpful it actually is, and the challenges that are related to it. I Can’t Hear You Over My Dark Fiction (Part1/2): Fun fact! I write dark fiction and self publish it. Apparently this is unheard of as I’m HoH/Deaf (pun totally intended). This is part one of two. In this particular post I go into the science behind learning to read, listen, and how that all ties (or doesn’t) into social misconceptions of what Deaf/HoH people like me can actually do. In part 2 I’ll be tackling the social side to the misconceptions, how I do my best to combat those mentalities, and how my disability does play into my writing/publishing process. If I do part one, I’ll be sure to follow up with part two before sharing any of the other posts (hopefully it’ll keep life simpler for all of us). So! That’s the updated list. Again, I’m excited about all of it, but I want to prioritize what is most beneficial for my readers. What would you like to see next?

[hearingaidsandtea]

It’s For You, Not Me

A while back I got a suggestion to talk about Deafness/HoH in the media. The requester rightly said that the only show that was getting Deaf/HoH representation right (at the time) was Switched at Birth.

Not only is this a great idea, but this show is a great place to start the conversation on Deafness/HoH in the media! After all, Switched at Birth did a lot of things right. From hiring Deaf/HoH actors and actresses, doing an entire episode in complete silence (with only signing and captions to go on), to showing the challenges people with hearing loss face, the show got a lot of things right. And as a Deaf person, I absolutely hate Switched at Birth. You read that right. I hate Switched at Birth. Why? Because despite the show being about a Deaf girl the show is for those who are hearing, not for people like me, who are Deaf/HoH.  Ironic huh? So let’s break it down...

For those of you that might not know, Switched at Birth is about two girls finding out that they were...switched at birth. One girl is Deaf and uses ASL and hearing aids, while the other is hearing. Over time, as the girls and their families learn about each other, the viewer learns about Deaf life, culture, and the all around struggles those with hearing losses face. If I’m Deaf and Hard of Hearing, why do I need to know about the challenges I face? I already know that society doesn’t like me (I’ve been bullied/mocked throughout my life for my hearing). I already know about the laws that are supposed to protect me and the laws that don’t. Why rub it in? It’s like pouring lemon juice on a paper cut. Painful, not helpful. On the other hand, Deafness and being HoH are considered “invisible disabilities”. Typically you can’t walk up to someone and know they’re living with a hearing loss. The show does a lot of good in showing a hearing audience different levels of hearing loss and showcasing that it can come from a number of sources. But again, this is something as a HoH/Deaf person, I already know. The show also spends a lot of time having the Deaf or HoH people calling hearing people out on their prejudices. Yay and not yay... Yay because this means that Switched at Birth is a great teaching tool for hearing people who might not know/understand the challenges we face. It also shows that a hearing loss doesn’t make you a doormat and helps combats toxic stereotypes. The “not yay” part? This near constant explanation or saying “I shouldn’t have to explain this to you!” indirectly feeds into the mindset that one, disabled people must explain their disabilities to able-bodied people regardless of the physical/emotional/mental toll this might take on them, and two, that they’re unreasonable when they refuse to explain something. It also highlights the “othering” that is rampant in society while (I feel), not doing much to combat it. I’m not a big part of the Deaf community, but I don’t need to be to tell you how othered I feel on a regular basis. It’s the TV shows that kill off the Deaf girl first for a joke. It’s the sexualized Helen Keller references in song lyrics. It’s the bullying and mocking I’ve experienced all my life. It’s the training videos required by work that have no subtitles or transcripts and require me to jump through hoops to get them. It’s when I look for a book with a Deaf/HoH character, I have a heck of a time finding any. I could spend a whole post (or three) listing examples. All of those things send a very clear message: you are different and unless we can use you for something for our gain, you are not wanted or valued. Ouch.  A show that accurately portrays the various kinds of hearing loss is wonderful and much needed. Switched at Birth and a small handful of other shows/media have done this. A show that puts Deaf/HoH people front and center, able to save themselves and not be forced to explain their actions related to their hearing? That’s something that I have yet to hear of but would love to see. Switched at Birth did many things right, but like the vast majority of media, it’s focused on an able-bodied audience. It highlights a lot of things that a hearing audience might not know/realize, but that Deaf/HoH people live with every day. I don’t know how others in the Deaf/HoH community feel about Switched at Birth. It might be a well loved show and I’m the outlier here. My distaste for the show doesn’t at all detract from all the wonderful things this show has done. It did do a lot of great things, and it’s a great starting point. The media to come should focus on building upon that, not reiterating it. I bring up my dislike to highlight something that many able-bodied people take for granted: media is tailored to you, not to those with the disabilities. I hope this gives you an idea of what to look for, both the good and the bad. But let me be clear, there’s nothing wrong with loving Switched at Birth! There’s nothing wrong with enjoying any show that misses the mark in some places. No show, no form of media, is ever going to get it 100% right. And that’s ok. But we need to be aware of where our media misses the mark and what to look out for. The more information we share with each other, the more inclusive and enjoyable we can make our entertainment for everyone.

[hearingaidsandtea]

Help Me Choose! (upcoming posts)

Hey everyone, I have a number of posts I’m working on/I’ve finished but I wanted to see what y’all were most interested in reading. I will be posting all of these eventually, I simply want to know what y’all find most interesting/helpful. On Overstimulation: Pretty much what it sounds like. In this post I dig into what overstimulation is like for me, the challenges it presents, and how I help myself through it.

Lipreading is Not My Superpower: In this post I break down the misconceptions on lipreading accuracy and about learning it. I also talk about how helpful it actually is, and the challenges that are related to it.

It’s For You Not Me: This post talks about disabilities (particularly Deafness/HoH) in the media. I take a well known show and talk about what it got right, and what it didn’t. This was actually a super fun one to write. I know that a number of my friends have had questions about disabilities in the media, and I tried to address some of those questions in this post. I Can’t Hear You Over My Dark Fiction (Part1/2): Fun fact! I write dark fiction and self publish it. Apparently this is unheard of as I’m HoH/Deaf (pun totally intended). This is part one of two. In this particular post I go into the science behind learning to read, listen, and how that all ties (or doesn’t) into social misconceptions of what Deaf/HoH people like me can actually do. In part 2 I’ll be tackling the social side to the misconceptions, how I do my best to combat those mentalities, and how my disability does play into my writing/publishing process. If I do part one, I’ll be sure to follow up with part two before sharing any of the other posts (hopefully it’ll keep life simpler for all of us). So! That’s what I have in store. I’m excited about all of it, so pick your favorite topic(s) and tell me: what would you like to see first?

[hearingaidsandtea]

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hello!! When I was younger, I had clogged ears and my parents took me to some doctor to help get them cleared out. Now 15 ish years later I’m having trouble hearing what people are saying. It’s generally in conversation, here I can hear them talking but have no clue what they’re saying. Does this sound like I need hearing aids? Or just getting them cleaned? Or are these symptoms of both? Thank you!!!

Hello! Sorry for the wait on this. First things first, I’m not an audiologist, so this is all coming from my personal experience. With that being said, it sounds like both. I had something similar happen. When I got my ears looked at and an audiology test done, I found out that I’m deaf. By no means does this mean that your hearing test will come out the way mine did, or that you’ll need hearing aids. With your history of ear wax, it’s likely that you’re overdue for a cleaning. That’ll help things tremendously. No one, no matter how good their hearing is, can hear through ear wax (especially if it’s compacted!) I think your best bet is to set up an ear cleaning with your audiologist. When you go to get your ears cleaned, the audiologist will be able to tell you how much wax is in your ear. They’ll also probably want to test your hearing if you haven’t had a hearing test before (or haven’t had one in a while). I’ll go ahead and say that it’s possible that you have gradual hearing loss. This is what I have. It’s what it sounds like. Over time my hearing will gradually get worse. While there’s nothing that I can do to stop this, taking care of my hearing (not going to concerts or movies frequently, listening to music so it’s just loud enough for me to hear, wearing ear protection when mowing the lawn/near loud things, etc.) can slow the process. Getting annual hearing tests also helps me keep track of how quickly I’m losing my hearing. It’s pretty disheartening to see that audiology test and finding out that your hearing is much worse than you anticipated. But, remember! If you haven’t been having annual hearing tests, what might look like a big down turn is actually much more gradual in reality. I think that finding out the amount of hearing loss you have (if any), is empowering. If you need them, you can get hearing aids and it’s life changing how much they help. I will say there’s a bit of a learning curve, where you’re learning/re-learning sounds and that can be a bit overwhelming. But the human brain is pretty awesome, and it’s something that will gradually take care of itself. There’s a lot of other things that can be used to help hearing wise too, but knowing your hearing loss is the first step to it all. I hope things go well for you friend!

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hiya! I'm new here but I love your aesthetic! I'm a hearing person, but I'm working on a comic with a deaf character. I know from experience with ADHD how annoying it is when people overdramatize portayals of a disability so I very much want to avoid that, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts on things to avoid in that regard? (1/2)

ALSO, the story is sci-fi and the character has advanced hearing aids, are there any features/improvements you think we should make to hearing aids in coming centuries (2/2) (I realize the latter is kind of a weird question so feel free to ignore but I figured it might be a good idea to get a user's perspective)

Hi friend, thank you for your kind words! First off, thank you so much for wanting to be accurate! It means a lot that you’re taking the time to find out what you can to make your characters true to life. I apologize for the delay on this. I hope I’m still able to offer some help. This is pretty lengthy as I wanted to cover as much as possible, so I’ve put the bulk of it under the cut! I’m actually am going to start with the end of your question first as it ties into your first question quite well! One thing I get frustrated with is seeing how others who don’t have hearing aids, or who have no experience with those who do, pretty much butcher our technology. XDI am going to link you to a post I wrote on accommodations as accommodations (and the accuracy of them) can make or break how authentic a story feels: On AccommodationsI doubt that as hearing aids get better that our accommodations will change all that much. Many of us will still need subtitles, we’ll always need ways to be alerted to dangers, and we’ll need good forms of communication (telephones, texting, etc.). How that stuff looks in the future or in a sci-fi world is totally up to you! After all, hearing aids are a kind of accommodation.

In regards to hearing aids:I think the best way to avoid mistakes is to know what kinds of hearing aids there are and what kinds of people (typically) wear them. All hearing aids work on the basic principle of taking sound and amplifying it close to the eardrum. Also! Something that I think a lot of people forget/don’t realize is that sometimes you only need one hearing aid. Let’s say someone has perfect hearing in their right ear, but a hearing loss in their left. They would wear a hearing aid in their left ear, and that would help.  Ok, so first things first, there are a number of different hearing aids. Behind the Ear (BtE) ones are the most common. These have a mold or a dome that goes in the ear while the computer that takes in and processes the sound is behind the ear (thus the name). The battery that runs the hearing aid hangs out with the computer behind the ear. Those of us with a bigger hearing loss have these as they are much more powerful. A mold is more beneficial than just the dome, as it can capture/direct more sound. Domes are paired with smaller BtE parts (usually called “mini” BtE, they are usually a little thinner and always a fair bit shorter). The hearing aids are strong, but not as strong as larger BtE hearing aids. Then you have the in the ear hearing aids. I have absolutely no experience with these fellows, aside from seeing what my grandparents wore. These hearing aids are much smaller and go directly into the ear. The computer, battery, all of it is in one little place, and all goes in the ear. These are fully concealed. Apparently there’s some variation of this, ones that go in-the-ear (ItE), in-the-canal (ItC), and completely-in-canal (CiC). While I can’t tell you much about this, I do know that the deeper the hearing aid goes, the closer it is to the eardrum which allows for more accurate sound. Here are two links to hearing aid brands I’ve used in the past: Phonak and Signia. Hopefully they’ll help give you a better idea of what hearing aids can (and can’t) do, and what they can look like! No matter what kind of hearing aid you (or in this case your character) has, hearing aids do not hurt to put in. The only time they hurt to put in is if you put them in too quickly and shove them in too deep. If someone has had their hearing aids all their life this isn’t gonna happen that often. But trust me, when it does and if you hit your eardrum there will be cursing involved XD  (personal experience). What we have and how to improve it: + Bluetooth! Ok, so I don’t personally use this (cause it drains the battery so quickly), but many hearing aids now a days have the ability to be programed/paired with Bluetooth. This allows us to take phone calls, watch TV, listen to the radio, and have it all go directly to our ears/hearing aids. This gives us more pure and accurate sound. I don’t see this going anywhere. I think that eventually this would be the norm, and batteries would be much more powerful to keep up with it. + Custom programing is done to any hearing aid you get through your audiologist. After the hearing test the audiologist will customize the hearing aid’s program to match your hearing loss. Obviously I don’t see this going anywhere, but I do see it being improved upon! I think it would be super awesome if the hearing aids kept track of what sounds were caught/missed. So for example, if my hearing aid catches the sound of a person saying “sh” and I don’t respond to it, my hearing aid would keep track of that. When I go back to the audiologist they’d be able to plug the hearing aid into the computer, see where my hearing is based on data collected. They could then tweak the hearing aid programing based on that data. Not a thing, but daggum that would be cool.  What I would like to see: + One super cool thing those of us with BtE hearing aids have is the ability to customize them. Now, we do have to go to our audiologist and ask them to customize the look to our desired color/pattern. It would be neat if we could take out that middle-man and click a button on our hearing aid and change it to whatever color we want. + Currently, hearing aids are not waterproof. I’ve been caught in downpours without an umbrella and it’s made my hearing aids short out. Waterproof hearing aids would be the best and coolest thing ever! I’d love to eventually see that and get to the point where showering, swimming, and going for runs in the rain wouldn’t impact the hearing aids. I know this was a wall of text, and no doubt a long wait. I hope it was worth it though and that you find it helpful! Feel free to ask more questions or for clarification. I’d love to see what you come up with in regards to your comic! Best of luck on it!

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hi Friends...

Thank you so much for your patience with me. I’m back from an unplanned but much needed break from Tumblr.

I now work in Special Education, specifically with Deaf/Blind children. This has been a huge learning experience for me on many levels, and has highlighted the need for open discussion of the various kinds of hearing loss/how it impacts both hearing and those with hearing losses. I’ll be working on answering the questions that are currently in my inbox. Please feel free to send me more questions or share your experiences!

Again, thank you so much for your patience with me.

I hope you stay safe and well during these odd times.

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hey are those your hearing aids in the picture, if so where did you get the stickers for the, Im wanting to decorate my hearing aids but all the hearing aid skins that I find are either for little kids or are too large. Any ideas where to get some or some other ways to decorate my hearing aids. I have sSkin tone Oticon Minirites if that helps (If you answer this tag me at @lesbian-bookworm )

 @lesbian-bookworm​

Hey! Those are indeed my hearing aids! Those were my previous ones though. I still have them, but I no longer wear them. When I first got the hearing aids, I was able to select what colors I wanted them, and I chose the giraffe pattern. My current hearing aids have a way to change the colors too (the audiologist has to do this for me though, but I have a nice range of colors and patterns to pick from if I ever get bored).My previous hearing aids were Phonack and my current ones are Signia. I guess your best bet would be to get in touch with your audiologist and ask about decorations that they have? Some places do it for free (mine do cause you already paid for the whole hearing aid), and some charge a low fee. Sorry I don’t have any other advice! Hope this helps and that you get something that you like to decorate your hearing aids. There’s something fun and empowering about having spiffy looking hearing aids.

[hearingaidsandtea]

I don’t know if I’m a hoh person but I’ve got ringing in my left ear and I’m not sure how to cope with it do you have any tips? Do I need a hearing aid then?

It sounds like you have tinnitus. Tinnitus can be very temporary (a couple of days) to long lasting. It’s not a disease, but it can be a sign of something else like wax build up, frequent exposure to loud noises, hearing loss, or even a side effect of certain medications.

My first piece of advice is to go to your audiologist and talk to them. If you don’t have one, get in touch with your primary doctor ask for their recommendation for audiologists. Worst comes to worst you can always Google audiologists in your area. When you meet up with your audiologist, be sure to get a hearing test. That will help both you and your audiologist. From there, your audiologist can tell you what solutions you have and can give you something that matches up with your hearing needs. You can get hearing aids with a special program to constantly give you soft background noise (like white noise) to help combat the tinnitus. I personally don’t use this, but it is an option, and all hearing aids are programed to meet your hearing needs. I get tinnitus once in a blue moon but when I do, it tends to last for a couple of months, then goes away. This is what I do to keep things tolerable when it strikes:

I watch what I eat. Eating well by no means will “cure” tinnitus but it can have a low impact on how bad it gets, and over all it makes me feel better. It also helps me combat the stress of tinnitus.

Keep my ears clean. I use an ear cleaning solution that I got from my local drug store and it helps get the wax out. Once I rinse my ears out with it I use a tissue to dry out my ears. Never use a cue-tip or other super small thing to clean out your ears-it’s too easy to damage your ears that way.

I always have background noise on. If it’s music, or the TV or a movie, I always have some form of background noise on. I keep it pretty soft though. After all, you don’t want to damage your hearing, you just need something to kind of be a different noise you can focus on. Even so, I can still hear the tinnitus, it’s just not as overwhelming.

The biggest thing that you can do to help yourself is go to your audiologist. I’m only speaking from personal experience and research I’ve done on this, but an audiologist is trained to help people in your shoes. In the mean time, do some research on tinnitus and see what lines up with your experiences. Keep track of when it gets worse too. The more information you have, the more you can help yourself, and the more you can tell your audiologist. You can also try what I do, although tinnitus is personal, so what works for me might not work for you. Tinnitus is a pain, and I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with it. It really is distracting and can be extremely stressful. I hope that you’re able to get in touch with an audiologist soon, and are able to find some solutions to help you cope! Best of luck anon!

[hearingaidsandtea]

Okay, so I’m not sure if this is technically a thing but it really relates to me. Have you ever heard of something called “hidden hearing loss”? So I know for sure my right ear isn’t as good as my left. But if conversations are one on one and little background noise I can do fine. Even pass tests showing normal hearing levels, just worse on the right side. But as soon as background noise or other sounds get involved it all sounds like noise soup and it all just goes out the door. Was curious

I’ve actually never heard of this! I don’t doubt at all that it’s a thing though! I’ve read some science articles in the past year that described to something very similar to what you’re talking about, although that term was never used. Like I’ve said, I’ve never seen/heard this term before, so I’ll have to do some research. Thanks for sharing though! Every bit helps raise awareness you know? I feel like too often hearing issues aren’t talked about because it’s not something people can see. I have no doubt that a lot of other people deal with this as well. Hopefully someone else will reach out with their own experiences in this area.

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hey, I'm losing my hearing much faster than I was and I think I need hearing aids. How do I bring it up to an ableist parent?

Long post, so some of it is under the cut.Ableism is such a tricky thing. While just about everyone struggles with it in some way (I struggle with internalized ableism), some people aren’t willing to change. Considering your wording and the fact you’re asking this question, I’m assuming your parent isn’t willing to change in this area. This can lead to a lot of hurt, so please remember that their ableism isn’t your fault and it’s not your responsibility to change them.You’ve probably already done or thought of some of this stuff, so adjust to your needs. Also, take it all with a grain of salt, you know your situation better than I do:

Keep reading

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hey, I'm losing my hearing much faster than I was and I think I need hearing aids. How do I bring it up to an ableist parent?

Long post, so some of it is under the cut.Ableism is such a tricky thing. While just about everyone struggles with it in some way (I struggle with internalized ableism), some people aren’t willing to change. Considering your wording and the fact you’re asking this question, I’m assuming your parent isn’t willing to change in this area. This can lead to a lot of hurt, so please remember that their ableism isn’t your fault and it’s not your responsibility to change them.You’ve probably already done or thought of some of this stuff, so adjust to your needs. Also, take it all with a grain of salt, you know your situation better than I do:

1. Do your research: You’re clearly aware of your body and your hearing loss. That’s wonderful! Take it a step further and do some research on hearing loss/ hearing aids. Be able to tell your parent how hearing aids would help you. Be able to talk about price and payment. Some can be extremely expensive, but there are a number of ways to pay for hearing aids, including insurance and the government (at least in the US). The more you can cover, the more your parent can see you’re serious and are trying to meet them half way. If you’ve been to an audiologist in the past and they’ve told you that you’ll likely need hearing aids in the future, bring this up. If you don’t have an audiologist, then do a little research on this too. 2. Address your parent’s frustrations: No doubt you’re sitting on a fair amount of conversations that were dropped simply because your parent/teachers/friends/etc. got frustrated repeating themselves, or they got upset because you can’t understand them, or of course the “I am speaking loudly!” That’s frustrating for you. But it’s also frustrating for your parent. No, they can’t relate. They can’t relate to the frustration, hurt, and sometimes embarrassment of having someone say “never-mind” or having to ask someone to repeat themselves multiple times. But they do share in the frustration. So acknowledge it. Be specific too. “Remember on Tuesday when you had to ask me to do something six times because I couldn’t hear you? Having hearing aids will cut down on how often that happens and will be a lot less frustrating for you.” It’s just an example but it’s simple, to the point, and specific. 3. Address your parent’s fears: Sometimes parents just don’t know what to do when their kid comes to them with something like this. Sometimes love can make us overreact and assume the worse. So this is where your research and your specific examples come into play. Audiologists, hearing aid prices, payment plans, how your hearing is currently impacting you and how hearing aids will help, cover as much as you reasonably can.

4. Make it convenient for them: Ok I am so sorry that I have to type this. I hate that we live in a world where able-bodied people have to be accommodated by the people that need accommodations. Can you drive yourself to your appointments? Do so. Can you help pay a little for the hearing aids? Do so. Can you call and schedule all appointments? Do it. It’s ok if you can’t do all of those things. Find what you can do in relation to getting hearing aids and do as much of it as you can. One, very ableist people often want things to be convenient for them when it comes to other’s struggles. You’ll meet less resistance if you can do some things so they don’t have to.  Secondly, you can take pride in yourself. You’re advocating for yourself, even if it seems like you’re doing it in a really small way. 5. Don’t beat around the bush. Catch your parent at a good time (when they aren’t as stressed and when they aren’t busy), and say “I’ve noticed my hearing is decreasing rapidly. I think I might need hearing aids. I’ve done research on it and would like to talk to you about how my having hearing aids could help us.” Direct and inclusive. But also it’ll help you. It’ll help take some stress off of you if you’re upfront. 6. Protect yourself and stay focused. This means that you need to take care of your mental health. You’re asking for help, and that can be scary, especially when you have an outright ableist parent. It can be really tempting to try to change this ableism during this conversation. Don’t. Changing an ableist mindset is a process. It is not your responsibility to change your parent and their toxic ableism.Right now you want to get your hearing tested and look into getting hearing aids. As time goes on, and as your parent gets more and more used to the subject, they might change. After you’ve had the talk (which will probably be a draining because of your parent’s ableism), treat yourself. Do something nice for yourself. Know that even if the conversation doesn’t go to plan, you still spoke up and advocated for yourself. Hearing loss is something anyone can adapt to, especially if they have the right resources (which can be anything from hearing aids to accommodations). Take your time getting the information you need, and then go for it. I hope this helps at least a little. I’m rooting for you! Please let me know how it goes or if there’s anything I can do to help.

[hearingaidsandtea]

I’m Back! (topic ideas call)

Oh man it has been a shamefully long time. I’ve really missed this! But I had a lot of things to sort through (and released a novella) on top of the health issues. I’m in a better place now and am up for topic suggestions!

Please send in your topic ideas!

I know that there was a list of topics I was going to do, and I have looked back over them. Some of the topics I don’t feel like I could do justice for and others, well I don’t know if there’s still an interest in them. So, send in your suggestions!

[hearingaidsandtea]

So, PSA.

There is no such thing as reverse audism . (and reverse ableism)

Hearing people cannot be oppressed by d/Deaf/hard of hearing people. It’s virtually impossible.  The problem is, d/Deaf/hoh people are not in the position of power, you know? Teachers are hearing. Doctors are hearing. Policiticians are hearing. Parents are hearing (in 90% of cases).

Sure, d/Deaf/hard of hearing person can be mean to hearing person. It’s also very likely they are mean to you because you are hearing. But make no mistake - they are not mean because you have ability to hear, but because of the way how you treat them and how other hearing people treated them.

Audism isn’t about hatred. Hearing people usually don’t hate d/Deaf/hoh people. But they don’t understand them (both literally and figuratively). They are afraid of them. They think that d/Deaf/hoh people are stupid and inferior. That they can’t make their own decision. That sign language isn’t a language and that Deaf culture doesn’t exist.

If you ask d/Deaf/hoh person why they hate hearing people, they can give you a long list of occassions when hearing people treated them like shit.

There is a big difference between dislike based on personal experience (what people tend to call “reverse audism”) and between systematic discrimination, oppression and erasure of the culture and language.

Case closed.

[hearingaidsandtea]

Hi! I just wanted to say that I love this blog and was wondering if it was sitll active. Its an awesome blog!

Hi! Thanks for checking in! And thank you so much for your kind words!

Right now I’m undergoing major health issues and the school year is closing out. I have a couple of other things on my plate as well. While I have plenty of posts in drafts, I have had no energy to finish them due to health issues (and the other things). Also, some of these posts are pretty emotional for me, which means they require a bit more energy and time. I certainly haven’t forgotten about this blog, and it’s very dear to me. As of right now though, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post again. Hopefully within the next month or so! Again, thanks for your kind words and for checking in!