Jill's Jottings - August 2015

You will recall my comments in the July Hear Hear about the low level of awareness and understanding of the issues of hearing loss – citing comments about the Australian and British populations? I decided to continue that thought when the following article

appeared in the latest Deafness Forum Australia newsletter – One in Six.

The article, from the USA, begins with the question “Who are the role models since Helen Keller? “Nelson Mandela wore hearing aids but he is only known for overcoming apartheid in South Africa. Academy Award winner and actress Jodie Foster stood up at the Oscars to declare she was a lesbian, but never mentioned she wore a hearing aid despite its prominence.

There are 360 million people world wide with some form of hearing loss. How can an issue be so pervasive but with no recognisable role models? There are great advocates within the insular hearing loss community, but no person who captivates the world.

Why are people willing to discuss their race, religion, gender, age and sexual orientation but unwilling to discuss their hearing loss? Is hearing loss so stigmatised that we have created what Dr Julie Gurner, a leadership consultant, calls “a culture of shame”? She explains: “Prominent figures hide their hearing loss so perhaps other people feel maybe they should hide theirs as well.”

The media's handling of hearing loss and other disabilities is part of the problem. Their coverage is typically focussed on inspirational stories............ Just think of all the YouTube videos featuring children hearing their parents' voice for the first time as their cochlear implant is activated. The message communicated is: look how this amazing 'crippled' person overcame this horrible obstacle, and so now you too can conquer whatever is preventing you from achieving success. We might as well have the person wear a cape like a superhero!

The media also likes sensational photographs of people with disabilities. The most notable being when American activists crawled up the steps of the US Capitol to show it was the only way to enter a building that lacked ramps. The public seems to respond only to dramatic activism or a 'moment' rather than common sense.

We shouldn't need a 'moment' to engender the change that is so desperately needed globally. Hearing loss shuts people out invisibly. Their needs are just as pressing and should be addressed globally. Part of the problem is a lack of understanding that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to communication access. The following three-prong approach should be offered whenever there is live voice or recorded audio – assistive listening systems such as induction loop, captioning, and qualified interpreters.

For people with hearing loss, communication access is their “ramp”. We need to inspire the next great leaders and role models of our world.

(The writer Janice S Lintz is based in New York and is CEO of Hearing Access & Innovations, which works to improve accessibility for people with hearing loss. She wrote for FORBESWOMANAFRICA)

What do you think???

Jill