Review: Living with Hearing Loss and Deafness: A guide to owning it and loving it (BSL)

When Samantha Baines was first diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of 29, she admits it came across as a ‘bit of a shock’ as she says she felt ‘utterly prepared to be a thirty year old deaf comedian, actor, writer and broadcaster.’

This book, therefore, is what Samantha wished she could have read in the days following her diagnosis. Living with Hearing Loss and Deafness is incredibly practical as it takes the reader step by step through what really happens following the diagnosis days, including the first hearing aid fitting and discovering the deaf community.

It covers all the questions that a newly diagnosed deaf person or person with hearing loss may have including ‘what caused my deafness?’ ‘what is sign language?’ and offers grounded ways to deal with things like tinnitus or noisy workplaces.

It was refreshing to read non-biased explanations about the varying terms associated with deafness such as Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing etc and the supportive manner in which Baines encourages the reader to simply find a term to identify with that they feel most comfortable with.

There’s a whole section of the book dedicated to different aspects of living life with deafness; ranging from travelling tips, advice for workplaces and even quashing the misconceptions that deaf people cannot drive nor… have sex!

Baines writes in a very warm, honest way, which feels similar to sitting down with a friend as she tells you all about her deafness, whilst sprinkling her stories with good natured humour and a dash of cheekiness.

It would be easy to assume that this book may be just for newly diagnosed or recently deafened people but as I personally found, it was enjoyable to read and learn about all the varied ways that deafness is encounter

I also found myself learning a few new facts! I wasn’t aware that despite there being 12 million people in the UK with some kind of deafness, only 125,000 of these use British Sign Language!

The fact that Baines feeds the opinions and experiences of other deaf people throughout her book is also very telling – she offers the reader such a balanced perspective of the deaf experience that they’re allowed to feel positive about themselves however they identify or fit into the deaf community. As Baines states so fairly ‘it’s down to the individual.’

My personal favourite part of the book was the chapter titled ‘Support.’ Usually in literature about deafness, we see deaf people being told to be their own advocate and we read about things that we can or should do to help ourselves.

However in the ‘Support’ chapter, Baines has turned things around. She invites hearing readers to consider how they can support a deaf person if they work in a wide range of settings ranging from education, interior design, health or if they simply want to know what to do when they meet a deaf person.

Such a chapter enables hearing readers to become informed and encouraged to meet deaf people half way. There is an accompanying chapter that is also extremely useful as it highlights what you should NOT say to a deaf person. I found myself nodding in agreement here as Baines gives straightforward yet considered explanations for each phrase she used. ‘We don’t want your pity’ is the one I emphatically agreed with!

I thoroughly enjoyed how non-judgemental this book was and how wholly supportive it felt. When discussing deafness and mental health Baines even touches upon the topic of grief – as in the grief that someone may initially feel after a diagnosis of hearing loss.

Baines goes on to assure the reader that they can move at a pace that feels right for them and when discussing whether or not to wear a colourful hearing aid she states, ‘rebel or stay quiet, you do you, but please never be ashamed of who you are.’

One of the strongest statements Baines makes is one that I couldn’t agree more with. She says, ‘ it’s important to say there is no one way to be deaf.’ The book is littered with similar statements, all urging the reader to find their own way and their own identity. Self-acceptance and also acceptance for other peoples journeys – however different they may be – are key themes throughout.

On the whole, I would say that Baines’ book is delightfully entertaining and also surprisingly informative. As someone who has lived with deafness for over 30 years its easy to assume I’ve read everything there is to know about deafness, but Baines has somehow managed to take the entire spectrum of deafness and the deaf experience and portrayed it in an insightfully balanced way.

By Rebecca A Withey

Rebecca Anne Withey is a freelance writer with a background in Performing Arts & Holistic health. She is also profoundly deaf, a sign language user and pretty great lipreader. She writes on varied topics close to her heart in the hope that they may serve to inspire others.