More than 36 million people in America alone have a hearing loss, with an estimated 278 million worldwide according to a World Health Organization (WHO) survey in 2005, ranging from moderate to profound. Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in America, behind only arthritis and heart disease. A small group of people who were hearing impaired started an organization back in the early days of the internet on AOL called the SayWhatClub (SWC). As the club grew, they needed a way to get in touch with those not on AOL, and they made use of a listserv to add members.
The internet is the ideal way for those with a hearing loss to communicate. Here we never have to ask for repeats. The SayWhatClub welcomes newcomers and loves to answer their questions about hearingloss, as their own questions were answered when they first joined. But we also enjoy just “chatting” with each other about news events, personal events, and anything that comes to mind because it’s so difficult for us to do that in “real life” anymore. Everyone understands why we’re here, and what we go through daily as people with a hearing loss.
The internet has opened a whole new experience for many of the isolated hard of hearing in the world. The SWC has members from Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Canada, India, several other countries, and of course, the U.S.
By using the internet to both reach out to and help people with a hearing loss, the SayWhatClub hopes to grow and continue to help folks in an immediate way, and in a way that is ideal for people who have trouble communicating via being able to hear. We hope anyone with the slightest interest will try us out. You have a lot to gain, and nothing to lose.
www.saywhatclub.com
Categories: ADA · ASL · Accommodations for Deaf · Hard of hearing culture · Hearing Loss · Hearing aids · Relationships · aging
Tagged: communication problems, disabled, hard-of-hearing, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, hearing loss support groups, internet clubs, Late-Deafened, Say What Club, social impact of deafness
I HATE when people just don’t get it. Hearing people that is. I use to hate when people with hearing loss are in denial that they are losing their hearing and these are bright intelligent people, who rather suffer and pretend than look into wearing a hearing aid.
I don’t want to hate hearing people who don’t understand or people with hearing loss who are too vain. I want to yell at the top of my voice, do u have any idea what its like to hear you all muffled? or people who think its funny to open their mouths wide and exaggerate their words. I have a guy at work who thinks its so funny to refer to me as being deaf. I’ve pulled him aside on several occassions to have a talking to. He still doesn’t get it.
I started doing staff developments at work and have received a very positive responses. I made them all wear ear plugs that gave them only a 35 decibel loss while I spoke. Several pulled them out after a few minutes and you could just see the disbelief on their faces screaming, “thats a 35 db loss?” It certainly scared them enough to ask alot of questions. I did a whole power point on how many children and adults have hearing loss in the U.S. alone. How many parents admitted to not aiding their children and how many children were failing school due to a lack of access to communication and hearing properly.
Sometimes I just want to yell from the top of the Empire State building, PEOPLE WAKE UP…..WHY ARE U ALIENATING US, WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF US? Are you afraid you might become one of us? Well, the truth is, you just might one day, but it wont be because you caught it from us. However, what goes around, comes around. Treat me badly and that will come back to haunt you.
There are approximately 1 out of every 6 people walking the streets in the U.S. with a hearing loss. I suspect those numbers are going to change very quickly over the next decade to something like one out of three. We are a techno smart society but most just can’t understand hearing loss. Lets hope the baby boomers will drop the vanity, refuse to pay $3000 for the best hearing aid on the market and advocate for understanding rights to hearing that doesn’t cost us our life savings. Lets hope people can stop thinking old age when they start losing their hearing, and stop stigmatizing their own children who have hearing loss and refuse to aid them….that is definitely and should be illegal.
Categories: ADA · ASL · Accommodations for Deaf · Cochlear Implants · Deaf · Hard of hearing culture · Hearing Loss · Hearing aids · Lip Reading · Relationships · aging · audiogram
