Accessibility Services

A hidden silence - side effect of hearing loss

I was having dinner with my family in a busy, noisy restaurant last Saturday. While we were enjoying the Peking duck, I noticed a man in his early 70s sitting at a table across from us. He and his friends had just finished eating and everyone seemed to be catching up the latest news. His friends looked satisfied and relaxed after their meal.  They seemed like a fun group, with everyone engaged in enthusiastic conversation. Someone would say something to the whole table and the rest would smile and nodding their heads in agreement. However, while everyone else interacted, that older gentleman sat with his back straight, his hands clasped at the edge of the round table, and his eyes stared blankly ahead. He seemed neither happy nor sad, just resigned.

What was wrong with him? Was he sick? Was he anti-social? Why didn’t he participate? Why did he choose to be alone and “voiceless”? The answer of these questions was given away by one external clue – the hearing aid he wore on each ear.

He looked relieved when everyone decided that it was time to go home. He rose slowly but determinedly from his chair and put on his coat. I am sure this was what he was thinking: “Finally! It’s over!”

How could I be so sure what the man was thinking, you may ask. It’s because I am one of every four Canadians who, like him, live with hearing loss.

When I was one year old, I was seriously ill and was hospitalized for nine months. The illness passed but it extracted a price that was not detected until I was 30 years old – a serious hearing loss that greatly affected my ability to communicate. When I was in my elementary school, I often teased by my classmates as “tongue-tied” or for speaking Cantonese, my mother-tongue, with a funny accent – missed clue number 1! When I was very young, I consistently missed answering our doorbell – high pitched and weak in volume. I only started answering the door when my brother gave up using the doorbell and began pounding his fist on the metal gate (yes, I could hear that quite well as the banging sound is low in frequency and loud in volume). When I was nine, my brother actually diagnosed me though not very pleasantly: he got so frustrated and called me “deaf woman” – missed clue number 2!

Why was I mercilessly teased for being tongue tied? Why did my school mates and adults laugh at my mispronunciation, even though I was speaking in my own mother tongue? Did they not have empathy? Why didn’t his family or friends try to talk to the older gentleman during dinner? Did they not love or care about him? No! No! No!

The reason, I believe, is lack of awareness and awareness is the foundation of understanding and support. When friends and colleagues understand that people with hearing loss can’t hear normal conversation in a noisy environment, they are more inclined to accommodate their particular needs. Instead of talking loudly or yelling, they would opt to face the person they are speaking to, to repeat and rephrase as necessary and to modify the surroundings to maximize hearing ability.

Instead of resigning him or herself to alienation, the person with the hearing loss can adopt a more proactive approach by informing others of their condition, giving specifics of what they have or have not heard, by confirming what they heard and by requesting clarification as necessary.

So, the next time you speak to someone who seems to be “lost in transmission,” try to speak clearly, reduce background noise and be supportive. Along with a friendly smile and sense of humour, it can make a big difference.

Adult Fiction books featuring characters with a disability

Everyone likes to read books with complex and compelling characters that they can relate to, including people who are in some way affected by physical or intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and/ or hearing and vision impairments.  The following list is a sample of some of the adult fiction books available at the Toronto Public Library that feature a diverse range of characters.    

Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Physical Disability)

Animal’s People tells the story of a 19-year old orphan of Khaufpur who was horribly injured in the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster.  The effects of chemical exposure caused his bones to become severely twisted, forcing him to walk on all fours resulting in the nickname of Animal.  Despite his severe disability, Animal takes charge of his life rejecting sympathy and continually looking to improve conditions for himself, his pet dog Jara, and the crazy old French nun he lives with named Ma Franci. 

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (Mental Illness)

Dominick Birdsey is a 40-year old emotionally unavailable housepainter with an identical twin brother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. After a horrific incident of self-mutilation by his brother Thomas, Dominick is forced to take charge of his life and deal with his complicated past involving domestic violence, abuse, and his brother’s mental illness.   

House Rules by Jodi Picuolt (Autism/ Aspergers)

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger’s syndrome.  He is hopelessly unable to understand social cues or express his feelings and thoughts to others, including his devoted mother and troubled brother.  Jacob’s special interest and in-depth knowledge of Forensic Science puts him in the spotlight following the disappearance of his social skills tutor, and threatens to tear his life apart. 

The First Man by Albert Camus (Deaf-Mute)

The First Man is a partly autobiographical novel of Camus’ own life growing up in Algeria.  The novel was discovered amidst the wreckage of the car accident that took Camus’ life, and was later transcribed and published by his daughter Catherine.  The novel describes the childhood and experiences of Jacques Cormery, a young boy who develops a strong attachment to his deaf-mute mother, following the death of his father. 

Blindness by Jose Saramago (Blind)

A man is sitting in his car waiting for the traffic light to change when he is suddenly struck blind.  What at first seems to be an isolated case turns into an epidemic when a day later everyone who had contact with the man also suddenly becomes blind.  As the epidemic continues to spread, government officials panic by locking those who have become blind in a mental institution.  

Handle with Care by Jodi Picuolt (Physical Disability)

Charlotte and her husband are struggling to come up with the money needed to pay for their daughter’s mounting medical expenses.  After much deliberation, Charlotte thinks she has found a solution to their problems.  She will file a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn for not disclosing the fact that her child would be born with a severe disability.  The payout will cover all of Willow’s medical expenses, but it means that Charlotte will have to stand up in a court and say in front of everyone, including the daughter she loves more than anything, that she would have terminated her pregnancy had she known about the disability beforehand.      

 

If you have any questions about these books or other materials available at the Toronto Public Library, contact your local branch or call Answerline at 416-393-7131 (TTY 416-393-7030).