Don't Hide your Hearing Loss, it's hidden enough already!

We tend to want to hide the fact that we wear hearing aids, forgetting it's the only visual cue others have to know that we need their support.  So how do you gain the confidence to proudly wear your hearing aids when you feel that it says so many negative things?

I guess it's natural to feel like your hearing loss should be kept secret so that nobody knows.  There is a stigma attached to wearing hearing aids; people view a wearer as an old person who is not quite all there with massive devices attached to each ear.  There is almost a feeling that having a hearing loss has also affected the mental capacity!

So it's no wonder we immediately want to have the most invisible device possible.  But given that hearing loss itself is so invisible, are we doing ourselves a disservice by hiding the only visual cue others can see?

I have recently come to know a wonderful young woman who decided that she was not about to hide her hearing aids; in fact she decided that she would show them off and created the most gorgeous charms to bling them up.

My Cat Charms from Hayleigh's Charms

Hayleigh's Cherished Charms, on Esty, has a fantastic range of charms and bling to dress up your hearing aids for everyone to see.  They are cute and lovely but they also make quite a profound statement that we as hearing aid wearers should take to heart.  Own your hearing loss and don't allow yourself to be made to feel like it should be something you have to hide.

An amputee would in no way be expected to apologise for the lost limb, nor would someone using a wheelchair be expected to feel guilty for requesting help when needed.  So why do we, as hearing aid users, feel the need to bare the burden of our hearing loss as though it is something we have done wrong?

I don't think it is to much to ask for others to look at me when they speak to me, that they don't talk to me from another room, that they don't cover their mouth, that they rephrase instead of repeating what I haven't heard.

These are simple and, to us, easy support mechanisms that make all the difference to our everyday life.  So, why is it so hard for others to put these simple and helpful things into practise for us?  The reality is, they don't know.  To us it is obvious but to those without a hearing loss, it's not.

It is our job to educate and to be brave enough to say "You'll need to look at me, I have a hearing loss."  The more we bring attention to the fact that we do need that extra help, even when wearing our hearing aids, the more those around us will naturally start to see for themselves how best to support us.

Hayleigh's Cherished Charms is a wonderful example of a young lady determined not to allow her hearing loss to force her to hide.  She has taken the positive aspect of wearing hearing aids and celebrated it; something we should look on with pride.

Tube Twists and Charms can be found on Etsy at HayleighsCharms.