Sometimes you think it is difficult being
the trail blazer.
You feel like you
are always the first person requesting accommodation for hearing loss.
Wouldn’t it be easier if there had been
someone before you.
Not
necessarily.
What if their
accommodations don’t work for you?
I
try to be careful in explaining that I can use a sign language interpreter
because I happen to sign.
I explain that
many hard of hearing people do not sign and I even simplify it and say that I
sign because my sister is Deaf.
But I
know that the next person will probably have to explain why they need
captioning.
Not only are there variations for me in different settings, but there is
variation within the same setting.
I
have trouble explaining why I can talk on the phone but I want remote
captioning for a teleconference.
I
have trouble explaining why I can participate in the weekly meeting with just
my hearing aid but I want extra equipment for for the all-day customer
review.
It is hard to explain that “it
depends.”
The first issue is the length of the meeting.
I explain that hearing is an active sport for me.
Yes, I can run for 20 minutes on the
treadmill, but that doesn’t mean I can sign up for the Boston Marathon.
Just because I can listen for an hour
without dropping from exhaustion doesn’t mean I didn’t take an aspirin as soon
as I left the meeting.
When I start a problem I need a conference microphone to be able to understand
anything at the meeting.
Within a
month or two, I can work with my hearing aid.
I explain that when I get used to people’s voices I can understand them
easier.
I also explain that when I
learn who does all the talking, I find a better place to sit.
I have worked on a variety of programs involving British, Australian, and even
Russian scientists.
I have to work
very hard to understand a new voice, and an accent makes it almost
impossible.
I learned early to request
extra accommodations when there was an accent involved.