AI
This year, let's include in our count of the blessings of living in America the technological wonders that help us hear.While this is the most magical time of the year, it is also a challenging time for people like me who are legally deaf. Legally deaf means technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants help us to hear. Without it, we would not hear much, if anything.
Yet, festive parties, with lots of people talking and loud music playing, are difficult as all the sounds morph together. Hmmm, is the person offering more eggnog or calling me a big hog? Did they ask me to play with the dreidel or get away from the table?
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) ages 18 and over report some trouble hearing. Between loud music and earbuds, many people will be surprised when their hearing starts to deteriorate.
Today, few people even notice someone wearing hearing aids since technology has made the devices very small, especially for those with mild hearing loss. Besides, so many folks live with earbuds “permanently” stuck in their ears that my bulkier behind-the-ear aids seem a normal part of the landscape.
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Image by AI.
I bet you know at least one person who won’t consider wearing hearing aids.
That kind of thinking makes no sense! If they didn’t see well, would they walk around squinting and finding excuses for not wearing glasses or contacts? Of course not! They would go to an optometrist and get tested—and wear the glasses or contacts!
My story
My father had a profound loss that was assumed to be from scarlet fever that he had in his teens (circa the late 1930s). It wasn’t until both my younger brother and I were diagnosed with hearing loss that it was recognized as hereditary. My parents learned about my loss from an astute summer camp counselor.
In 1961, I was a 6-year-old happily enjoying summer day camp where girls often played the popular “Telephone” game. Sitting in a circle, one girl whispered a phrase to the next girl, who whispered it to the next girl, who whispered it to the next girl … until the phrase had been repeated by everyone.
Then, the girl who originated the phrase announced what she first whispered. For example, “I can’t wait to be a teenager.”
We would go around the circle with everyone repeating what they heard. By the time we finished, “I can’t wait to be a teenager” became “The guy is late and in danger.”
Ha-Ha-Ha…everyone giggles because the two phrases are not even close. We go around the circle with everyone telling what they whispered to the person next to them.
Ha-Ha-Ha…Robin always ruins the sentence and makes the game really funny!
Fortunately, the head counselor realized something was wrong. On Parent’s Day, she shared her concerns with my mom. “Whenever we play the telephone game, Robin is the one who doesn’t hear the phrase correctly. You might want to have her hearing tested.”
At the time, my loss didn’t require aids, but I needed weekly speech therapy to learn how to pronounce certain sounds. For months, I struggled to say, “wristwatch.” When I finally could pronounce it correctly, Mom took me out for a delicious ice cream sundae, and I told everyone at the luncheonette that they had a nice “wristwatch.”
You must help yourself
Most people will happily assist someone who needs help if the person has made every effort to help themselves.
Let’s say a friend refuses to wear eyeglasses or contacts. How many times would you socialize with them if you always had to read the restaurant menu or meeting agenda aloud? After a while, you might get annoyed that they aren’t doing the most they can to improve their situation. On the other hand, if they wore glasses or contacts but still needed assistance reading something, you would gladly help.
What about a friend with walking issues who refuses to use a cane? Instead, they insist on holding onto your arm and walking at a much slower pace. After a while, you might get annoyed that they aren’t doing the most they can to improve their situation. However, if they used a cane and still required assistance at the curb or by steps, you would gladly help.
It’s the same with someone who has a hearing loss and expects others to speak louder. Or wants the television volume so LOUD it annoys everyone else. Or they constantly ask others to repeat. Perhaps they purchased cheap over-the-counter aids when they needed stronger hearing aids through an audiologist. Or maybe they have hearing aids but need a cochlear implant. After a while, you might become irritated that they aren’t doing the most they can to improve their hearing loss situation.
Plus, studies show that people with hearing loss are more likely to get dementia.
Technology has greatly benefited the legally deaf. Almost all TV shows are captioned. There are devices to read captioning at your seat in movie theaters and live shows. Phones with caption options are available, along with an array of voice-to-text apps. Interestingly, people learning English rely on captioning to help master the language.
Most hearing aids and cochlear implants come with a telecoil (aka T-coil) setting. More places are now “looping” so that a magnetic signal converts the sound, and it is directly sent to the hearing device. That means an announcement over a PA system at a bustling airport or a speaker at the podium in a huge conference hall would go directly to the aid or implant. A legally deaf person would hear as well as a normal hearing person at a church service, in a train station, during a conference, or at an airport, to name a few places where it’s extremely difficult to hear.
In addition, most hearing devices have Bluetooth, which means you can watch videos, Zoom, Facetime, or take calls, and the voice goes directly into your aids. Ditto for television viewing and computers.
That’s just a partial list of the available technology that makes life better for those with profound hearing loss. There is much more out there! Visit the Hearing Loss Association of America for information and suggestions for dealing with the holiday season when you have a hearing loss.
I wear my hair short so everyone can see my sexy hearing aids. With so many people having earbuds, my aids aren’t even noticed.
As the year ends, I want to thank American Thinker for giving conservative writers like me a platform to share our views. Special thanks to my outstanding editor, Andrea Widburg. To those who read my columns, thank you so much.
We’re just a few weeks away from the inauguration that will save the United States of America. I believe God is with President Donald Trump and the America First agenda. Just as God was with our Founding Fathers, Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and others who made America great throughout our nation’s history. In 2016, when Trump was first elected, Christmas and Hanukkah were on the same day. Now, in 2024, when Trump was re-elected, Christmas and Hanukkah again fall on the same day. This is God’s hand.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and God Bless America!
Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at [email protected].
