The Secret Deafie is a series of anonymous columns written by different writers. Today’s Deafie tells us about an incident from his teenage years that led him to stop wearing his hearing aids.
I wore hearing aids when I was growing up, and even though I was at mainstream school, I didn’t really see myself as being any different from everyone else. Until one day when I was 14.
I was on work experience at the time, for two weeks away from school. Every day at lunchtime I walked around the small town, usually buying a sandwich and sitting in the local park in the sun for an hour. It was a nice break from the office.
One day, I was walking through the town when I saw two pretty teenage girls walking past me. They both looked at me and smiled, and I smiled back.
As they walked past me though, just as they passed my side, I heard one of them say “yuk!”
When I think back now, they could have been talking about anything. Maybe a bird had pooed on my coat. But at the time, I was sure this was her response to seeing my hearing aids.
From then on, when I went out for lunch, I took my hearing aids off. Even though it made it harder to buy things in the shops.
I got into trouble on the last day when my boss accused me of ignoring him in the town – he’d called my name and I didn’t hear him!
That was the start of years when I would take my hearing aids off at every opportunity. I feel sad when I think about it, because now I’m much more proud of them. I don’t care what anyone thinks.
But when you’re a teenager, you’re less confident.
Do you have a story or experience you’d like to share? If you’d like to write a Secret Deafie column, just email thelimpingchicken@gmail.com
The Limping Chicken is supported by Deaf media company Remark!, provider of sign language services Deaf Umbrella, the Deaf training and consultancy Deafworks, the RAD Deaf Law Centre, and BID’s upcoming 5th anniversary performance by Ramesh Meyyappan on 12th October – don’t miss it!
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Diane
September 24, 2012
Your experience mirrors mine. I went through the same phase as a teenager when a boy at school made a comment about my hearing aids. I’m over it now, although it lasted for years, I now know that any one who makes such comments is just stupid and ignorant. I’m now proud of my HAs and dress them up in Ear Gear and nail stickers.
barakta
September 24, 2012
I’ve never had this experience but I know older folk who have needed hearing aids, gone through the whole process to get them, started the long and difficult adjustment time to be turned off by one of their friends saying “Getting old now?” or something equally crass. The hearing aids then go into a drawer and either don’t come out again for years or ever again.
As a deaf young person I got lots of older folk telling me these stories which I always found sad and indeed anger making. How dare other people make it harder for us to use things like hearing aids to fit in! I think we need to keep up education for people of all ages and make hearing aids less abnormal and weird. I think modern funky earmoulds and BTEs help getting away from institutionalised NHS beige *shudder*.
I don’t usually wear my hearing aid outside when I am alone because I can’t hear very much over things like wind and traffic noise and I much prefer the virtual silence and rest for my brain. That’s a different thing though because I am definitely not ashamed of my hearing aids.
Karen Putz (@DeafMom)
September 24, 2012
Yeah, that was me as a teen, too. I had my hearing aid stuffed in my pocket or on a shelf at home. Now I wear ‘em proudly with blue glitter earmolds. And I think the only reason people stare at me today is because they’re just not used to a 47-year-old wearing glitter. Yeah, that.
Amanda Thomas
March 1, 2013
Wearing hearing aids in public is such a hurdle. I can relate to that. I used to only wear in the ear digital hearing aids even though I couldn’t hear as well. Then when I became ‘out and proud’ I wore blue ones. I can understand it being difficult as a teenager. We all just want to fit in – we are all so diverse anyway. We need to celebrate our difference. Thanks for sharing your story.