I wasn’t born deaf. I became deaf as an adult. Deafness isn’t always caused by exposure to loud, noisy environments, or by existing health conditions, often assumed by people in my case. Deafness has numerous causes. I was told by an ENT Consultant and Audiologist that my ears simply just wear more than other people’s genetically, so I guess genes are the cause of my deafness.

I usually wear my hair down, not to hide the fact that I’m deaf, but rather because I’m too tired and in too much of a rush to get out to work in the morning having got out of bed at 5.30am to do any other hairstyle. My voice hasn’t changed since becoming deaf; just my ability to hear. As such, my disability is very much hidden.

I’m an open person when it comes to making people aware of my disabilities. In the case of being deaf, I need people to face me and speak clearly, so that I can hear them. As the name suggests, hearing aids are an ‘aid,’ not a substitute for hearing. This means that they help me to hear, but I do not hear in the same way and to the same level as a hearing person. 

I still remember the first time I ever wore hearing aids outside in the street. The sound of the tram sounded tinny and loud, accompanied by the loud and now unusual sounds of birds trilling in the background. While I could now hear better, I immediately detected a marked difference in how noises now sound, as hearing aids filter noise in a different way to the human ear. 

I also have to concentrate much more in order to hear, which leads to listening fatigue and yes, listening fatigue is very much real. I work in a busy, noisy environment, where I spend so much time focussing on people’s mouths and hearing that by the end of the day, I’m so tired and my concentration levels have just plummeted. One of the reasons I love going to my yoga class is that the teacher and students know and respect this. They leave me a space at the front. I’m usually too fatigued to listen to the teacher’s instructions that I watch and copy her instead. I still have lapses in concentration. My teacher knows this and quietly corrects me when I move into ‘downward dog’ instead of ‘upward dog.’ 

My hearing aids have Bluetooth functionality, so I can connect them to my mobile phone. This enables me to hear better or listen to music when I’m running. If I were to be granted one wish, I would ask employers to consider purchasing equipment that works for all employees. Desk phones do not work well with hearing aids. It’s still a struggle to hear, but mobile phones with a Bluetooth facility and other functionality that enable deaf people to hear, as well as full headsets that provide hearing to both ears for Teams’ calls, not just to one ear, are worth the investment. The day when we no longer have to make reasonable adjustments will be a win in achieving true equality for deaf people and other people living with disabilities.

Being deaf has taught me so much and made me a better person. It’s taught me to really listen and hear what people are saying to me. It’s also politeness and respect to give your full attention to someone speaking, rather than finishing your sentence as you walk away or looking at your phone while someone is halfway through having a conversation with you or delivering an important presentation. Being deaf has made me pause and be more of a thinker, reflecting and thinking more about what people are actually saying to me and what they really mean. 

I very much see it as my ‘superpower.’ I am proud of my ‘superpower’ and my ‘magic ears’ as Tasha Ghouri affectionally calls her cochlear implants. There is a beauty in being deaf and having disabilities through seeing, hearing, and experiencing the world through a different lens, with more appreciation and gratitude for the life that you live. 

This Deaf Awareness Week, I only have two favours to ask of you all: to always face and speak clearly to deaf people, and to keep in mind listening fatigue, especially if it’s the end of the day. Lastly, thank you for listening. 

Nadia Bousseau

Instagram: @runningwithnadia