Hearing is A Gift - A message from my colleague, Ruth

This, I need to record in here to remind myself to have shukr to Allah for lending me senses and not to take my ability to hear and listen for granted. Lest I forget. 

Her cries and laughter are music to my ears

Dear Colleagues,

Many of you will be aware that Ruth suffered a sudden, dramatic and permanent loss of hearing last year. As she finds ways to adapt to her disability, she is learning what helps and she is recognising when she needs to rest and withdraw as being exposed to noise can be incredibly painful for her. Ruth has been overwhelmed by the kindness of her colleagues in the support that she has received.

However, there is no going back to 'normal' for Ruth in terms of her hearing and she would like to share some further information with you about what living with her disability means and what strategies are proving helpful to her and others in terms of communication. Please bear these in mind when you are communicating with Ruth. Please take some time to read Ruth's message below.

Best wishes,
xxxxxx

In Ruth's own words:

In summer 2021 I suffered an illness resulting in around a 70% hearing loss, and life, as you might imagine, has changed considerably. Without my hearing aids, I could now only just about hear a man shouting a few meters away, so at school I am completely reliant on some brilliant pieces of hearing technology. However, even wearing my hearing aids doesn't actually mean I can always hear! I am enjoying being able to be back on campus and I have greatly appreciated everyone's support and encouragement.

Here are just a few things that will assist me enormously with my adjustment to having suffered such hearing loss and my readjustment to a hearing world at work. In the home, we use a lot of ASL, which we have been avidly learning since August.

Hearing itself is not an easy process for someone who has suffered hearing loss, it takes an awful lot of concentration, and can be quite challenging depending on the person talking and the environment around them. Whilst it is great to chat to staff and students, I may just need a bit of time to work out how best to hear you; whether that is asking you to use a microphone that connects to my hearings aids, or even asking if we can change location.

Please be patient as I work all this out, and it's best to assume I can't hear you unless I have confirmed that I can! My microphone can take a minute or two, to connect, and you need to clip it securely to your shirt or top, near your mouth so it picks up your voice for me to be able to hear. If it's too far away or on a desk unfortunately I still won't be able to hear you!

Even with all this, I may still need you to repeat words, or I may have to interrupt you, and make an alteration to my tech and ask you to start again, so please do bear with me! Finally, hearing can be painful and I do need breaks, so there may be times I am simply unable to converse, and my ears need a rest, I promise it's nothing personal!

I would be more than happy to talk to anyone about my experience suffering hearing loss; it is quite a journey. If anyone is interested in learning ASL I would happy to share how we, as a family, have been learning, which has been an essential part of my experience in dealing with hearing loss. We love using https://www.handspeak.com/word/search/ and the App "ASL Pocket Sign".

Overall, please be patient with me and my tech, and take the time to make sure I can hear you!

Thank you,
Ruth.