Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

@jdalylew I appreciate what you have shared and like you, speak up and am not shy about telling someone I am hard of hearing/wear hearing aids/etc. We all need to be advocates and not embarassed about having hearing loss. We all need to speak up, educate and advocate.

For terminology sake, a telecoil (tcoil) is what is installed in your hearing aid or cochlear implant (which basically all come with a telecoil, now why don't hearing aids??? why do we have to ask for it or insist on them having a telecoil??)

What is installed in faciilty or meeting space, church, theater, performance space, etc is a hearing loop. Check this excellent website out for great information about all things realted to hearing loss and a great link to information about hearing loops, http://www.CenterForHearingAccess.org.
There is good advocacy and education information here too to give to a facility or your AuD or others.

If you are getting new hearing aids make sure they have a telecoils and are Auracast ready.

@daveshaw I agree with you that venues, government, public, places that should have, per ADA, some sort of assistive listening system in place and/or available depending on the type of facility, and still don't. There was clarification to the ADA made in 2010 that made hearing access more clear and where it was required and in what situations. However, ADA relies on people to file complaints with the DOJ or even local authorities, in order to have their rules/laws enforced. Wheelchair ramps, elevators, handicapped stalls are all readily apparent. Unfortunatley hearing loss is the "hidden" disability. We have to be vocal, educate and advocate. As I noted in my other reply to @jdalylew, a great website to spend time reading through the information, and there a lot on the ADA as it relates to providing accommodation is, http://www.CenterForHearingAccess.org. The more we know about the ADA and what places should have it or be able to accommodate our request, them more we can speak up and first educate and if not corrected, push harder and file a complaint. Unfortunately, noisy restaurants aren't included in the ADA section dealing with hearing loss accommodation.

@h2h Thanks for your thoughts. The key ingredient missing is that unlike other disabilities it does not allow lawyers to sue establishments. Until that becomes common and lucrative for the legal community nothing will change. If it ever does the problem would be solved in short order. Venues would complain and say it is too costly but just like with the increase in minimum wages they have been forced to pay to their employees they would adapt.
The big difference here is my making their establishments more attractive to people with hearing loss would actually enhance their profitability and quickly pay back the money they spend. They could even advertise it. People that don’t suffer hearing loss have no idea how large our community really is because if they did they would eagerly accommodate us. That and being sued with the likelihood of losing would quickly get their attention along with all the lawyers who have been suing restaurants and office buildings for years.
Hopefully the ADA puts some teeth in their guidelines. Money or the loss of it is a great motivator.
Let’s go ADA.

@h2h and @daveshaw

Complaints are heard, but they have to be made to be heard. Sharing frustrations is good for the spirit, but it has to go beyond that to effect change. The Center for Hearing Access is a good place to start. See comments from @h2h.

Education should begin with the healthcare industry on diagnosis of hearing loss. That includes ENTs, AUDs, PCPs & HIS. If they don't tell people about technology that is available beyond what they are recommending or selling, people have no clue there is anything that can help them hear beyond the products that are sold to them; whether that be high quality prescriptive hearing aids, or over the counter (OTC) devices.

Technology that connects us to desired sound in venues where we need to hear to participate can and should be advocated for. It pays to get people with hearing loss to come together to advocate as a group, to be seen and understood. Numbers matter. That is where HLAA comes in. HLAA provides in person support group chapters in most states. HLAA chapters start when hard of hearing people decide to form one. It takes effort and commitment. Where HLAA is most active, communication access is common. http://www.hearingloss.org

Don't just share frustrations in support groups; get out there and be involved. The Center for Hearing Access provides a great deal of information on advocacy and availability. Learn what to advocate for and get out there and do it. Here's another link to their information on filing complaints. https://centerforhearingaccess.org/ada-complaints/

@daveshaw I'm not a lawyer, but I seem to recall hearing that someone could hire their own attorney to pursue an ADA violation. In fact, there was a recent one, I believe in Denver, where the person ended up hiring his own attorney to pursue the facility. My recollection is that he had asked for CART and they refused, but he took them to courtand won! I know there is someone who has participated in the past on this site that would have more details. Perhaps they will see this and respond.

@h2h I hope they see it and respond. The only way a lawyer would take it was if it was on a contingency basis.
When I checked lawsuits regarding violations by venues or restaurants were not established enough to go to court on and certainly costly to front the legal bills.
HHLA would be the vehicle to take that kind of action and contrary to what Julie thinks they appear toothless.
I would love to have someone prove me wrong.

You are correct, it would be on a contigency basis. And you are likely correct, there are probably very few cases involving private attorney's taking a case such as one of these on a contingency basis unless it was pretty clear the venue was in the wrong. And most of us don't have the money to hire one to pursue the case otherwise.
I'm not aware of any part of the ADA related to accommodation for hearing loss that would address noisy restuarants.
I have read about some HLAA groups around the country who have been involved on the front lines with legislation related to hearing loss issues. Washington State's HLAA group was at the forefront of working on getting a law passed requiring insurance to help cover the cost of hearing aids. Sorry I don't have other examples right at hand.

My name is Elizabeth. I am 62 years old and was diagnosed with age-related hearing loss after visiting an ENT to have wax cleared out of my ears last November. I have tinnitus in my left ear but I didn't pick up on this until I got home from the ENT. I have another appointment in April to have my ears cleaned again. My maternal grandmother had hearing loss and was virtually deaf by the time she died at age 90+. Her cause was not helped by the fact that she refused to wear hearing aids. I am wondering if it would be helpful for me to learn to lip read while I can still hear or what my next step should be.

I am new. Have SSHL. Can you tell me about the sensation of having my hearing loss ear feel like it is totally stuffed with cotton? My friend with hearing loss does not have that. Thoughts?

@solear26
Most people here will tell you to have your hearing tested by an audiologist. That will probably result in a recommendation to get hearing aids. The make, model, price, and type of hearing aids has all have a very wide range of choices. But of equal importance is the programming, fitting, and adjusting of the hearing aids. The Hearing Loss Association of America (hearing loss.org) has good basic information on that.

But keep in mind that hearing aids do not “fix” hearing loss. They only improve it, and how much depends a lots of factors. Your audiologist will advise you on that. So make sure that you find a good audiologist. With regard to lip reading (speech reading) that will not be a total remedy either. Some people are much better than others. But most of us with hearing loss pick up a surprising amount of ability without formal instruction. Don’t expect to be able to pick up more than about a third by speech reading. But in the end, with hearing aids working well, speech reading, and accessories like a portable microphone, TV streamer, and certain features in hearing aids that allow audio to be transmitted directly into hearing aids it can make a huge difference in your life.