What are the biggest difficulties deaf or HOH people face nowadays?

I missed a connecting flight to Washington D.C. one time due to a change of gates. The flight was delayed, and then the gate was changed. I totally missed the announcement about the gate change. Thankfully, I was able to catch another flight without penalty. It was a lesson. After that, not only did I tell the attendant about my hearing loss, I also told whomever I was sitting next to that if anything changed I'd appreciate them telling me. People tend to be kind and helpful. I never had any other issues, except for the few times when I was asked if I needed a wheelchair. 🙂 Lots of misunderstanding about hearing loss. Like many others, I've also been asked if I would like a braille menu. 🙂 FYI: HLAA members in many major cities and some smaller ones have advocated for hearing loops and captions in airports. Many of them have those accommodations. Let them know what you need. That is how they learn.

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Good questions. First, I encourage you to understand that while the Deaf population and the hard of hearing population have some overlapping issues, their difference are very significant. "Big D Deaf" identifies the Culturally Deaf population that considers their deafness a 'difference' rather than a disability. They use manual communication almost exclusively. I say 'almost', because some of them have been taught to use some oral speech from childhood, but even then, most prefer not to use speech. American Sign Language is their first language. They loudly claim they do not want to be 'fixed'.

Among the hard of hearing population there area variables that create differences. A lot has to do with the age of onset of the hearing loss. When it happens after the onset of language development it's very different than if the partial deafness is there from birth or early childhood. Language development is a key to communication with both the spoken word and the written word. Data from the National Institutes of Health indicates that there are over 48 million Americans who have hearing loss. Approximately 2 million of that number are culturally Deaf. Yet, because they are visible, due to the manual communication they use, many believe they are the majority.

Hard of hearing people who lose hearing as adults, often spend more energy denying and hiding it than they do finding a way to remedy it, Consequently many do not get the help they need, or they wait years before becoming so frustrated they seek help. Other statistics indicate that 75% of the people who could benefit from hearing aids don't get them. Stigma and denial are among the primary reasons for that, but the high cost of quality hearing aids is a huge barrier.

You ask what technology helps us. All of the populations with hearing loss benefit from visual support. Captions make a huge difference for all of us. Masks worn currently, due to COVID19, create a huge barrier to all of us because we all depend on facial expressions and lip movements to supplement whatever means of communication we use. Cochlear implants have been miraculous for many people who wish to stay in the hearing mainstream. The culturally Deaf population does not like cochlear implants because when successful, they have removed people from the Deaf Culture Community. Hard of hearing people who get cochlear implants consider them miracles. Hearing aids are also miracles for people with degrees of hearing loss that can be helped by them. The advances in hearing aids have been remarkable in the last few decades. Hard of hearing people in the know, know that technologies that connect with those modern hearing aids can keep one in the hearing mainstream. The key word is 'connect'. Not all hearing aids will connect with hearing loops or BlueTooth devices. Both means of connection are extremely important. This writer believes that all quality hearing aids should include both means of connection. That means both telecoils and BlueTooth components.

Caption phones are life saving for many people with hearing loss. They have come a long way in the last two decades. Hearing Loops and other assistive technology in theaters, work places, performing arts centers, meeting rooms, worship centers, libraries, etc. are extremely helpful to the population that wants and needs to hear. ASL interpreters are in demand by the Deaf population. Both are necessary to provide full 'communication access'.

I am a bimodal user of a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, My brain has become accustomed to using both technologies. It is amazing. I love the hand held BT mini mic that relates to both devices. It helps me in noisy settings such as restaurants, social gatherings, etc. I love the telecoils that connect me to room installed technologies and also make it possible for me to connect simply and inexpensively to my laptop, my cell phone, other audio devices, etc. I cannot imagine not having access to all of these technologies.

The key to living well with hearing loss is to know what is available and what will work for YOU. Far to many from the hard of hearing population have been led to believe that nothing can help them. Far from the truth, but one has to be open to talking about it and learning about it. HLAA has been my guide since 1983. The chapter meetings and national conferences provide opportunities to meet other people. UNfortunateluy, COVID 19 is preventing HLAA from holding in person meetings, but there is a lot of information available at the website. And, we will get back to real meetings soon. Meanwhile, Zoom and Google Meets have provided get together options. Just learning I wasn't alone back in 1983 was life changing. HLAA is the tool for learning. http://www.hearingloss.org

Julie O

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The problem with lip reading is that many people especially in a crowded environment will be wearing masks. My husband has that problem because he reads lips in loud areas and public places when noises blend together.

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I was in the Toronto subway and there was an emergency stop for the train and many announcements about what to do. Needless to say I understood none. Really - all systems should make announcements visually as well as speaking them! I submitted that suggestion to the Toronto Transit Commission.

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@catladyde9
Hi,
Cell phones don’t have tcoils ...hearing aids do . I think you meant what basic flip phones will work with the tcoils in your hearing aids. All cell phones should have a M3 or better an M4 rating to be compatible with the tcoils in your aids. T-Mobile has some flip phones that are basic but also have some smartphone features and some cheap plans. Alcatel my flip has an m4 rating. Nokia and Kyocera are fairly basic. You will have to do some research on the tcoil rating modes of these “basic” flip phones. I can guarantee you that most people who work for the carriers won’t know what a m3 or m4 rating means.
You may be able to find a really basic flip but it may not work for you because it doesn’t have a tcoil mode. You may have to settle for a step up from the basic flip but not actually a full smartphone.
And that’s about what aI know. We have some tech savvy people here who can help.

FL Mary

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@imallears, I would like to clarify your response to @catladyde9. Cell phones have both an M and a T rating. M stands for Microphone compatibility and T stands for Telecoil compatibility. The values go from 1 - 4, with the higher number being the most compatible. Yes, we need to choose a phone that has at least an M3/T3 rating. An M4/T4 is ideal, but I am happy with my M3/T3 iPhone. You may not even find an M4/T4. Surprising, probably due to the advocacy efforts of HLAA members, the sales folks in the the phone carrier stores have become more aware. The M/T ratings are advertised more. If you do not see the M/T rating listed on the packaging or display kiosk, ask the sales person. They may have to go in the "back room" to find the answer, but you need to request this information. If it's not available, then do not buy that product (and tell them why) and consider yourself an advocate for others with hearing loss. Cell phone manufacturers are required by law to have a certain percent of their products accessible.
Tony in Michigan

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@tonyinmi
Thanks for correcting me. I know you would contribute to this discussion. My Samsung is a M3/T3 also and I don't plan give it up until it dies. The microphone is fantastic. It has been over 3 years since I bought it so I hope you are right about salespeople being more informed. I went shopping with my deaf friend about 2 years ago and the people at 2 places were clueless about the rating. She was an IT person at a local library and pretty much knew here way around things. One guy tried to sell her a hotspot device which would have added to the monthly cost. That she did not know about this being her first smartphone so I was glad I was there to tell her differently.
I got the impression from the hotspot guy that he thought he was talking to two hard of hearing older women who maybe didn't know much. Another layer of discrimination and assumptions we older folk (especially women) come across. The young guy who sold me my Samsung at Verizon told my son in law (right in front of me) that he would put the "easy" home screen on for me. I put his nose out of joint.

Thanks Tony....FL Mary

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