Yes, people (young people especially), often associate hearing impairment with not being intelligent. This is upsetting on many levels, especially in a work situation. As I speak up about my loss, I find it better to put it out upfront - I say to the person that I have hearing loss and need them to speak to me when facing me,... This generally works well and puts the burden of communication on the other. If they forget to face me, and I can't hear, I repeat my request, but at this point, the responsibility shifts so that I am not 100% responsible to hear everything regardless of the environment. Sometimes the other person is the one to feel "less than" for not communicating properly!