Hearing Loss Hiding A Hearing Disability
Hearing Loss: Hiding A Hearing Disability
— Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts Like most hidden disabilities, hearing loss comes with baggage that contributes to people’s reluctance to be open about the condition. Historically, hearing loss has been considered a sign of old age, impairment and . Those with mental conditions, even when those conditions are controlled with medication, face similar worries about revealing their hidden health issues. But this secrecy can have a deleterious effect on professional and personal relationships, affecting job performance and mental and physical health. I wrote about this in 2013 in a New York Times article headlined, “.” Keeping a secret like this, living every day pretending you’re something you’re not, is debilitating. It undermines your confidence. You wonder if the disability is and, if it is, if you’re the only one who doesn’t know it. You worry your employer or your colleagues will find out and you’ll lose your job. Firing someone for a disability is forbidden by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but employers find ways around it. There is also the stress of having a condition that may get worse. With hearing loss, the progression is often unpredictable. I first lost my hearing in one ear when I was 30. I never dreamed that by the age of 60 I’d be profoundly deaf in that ear and close to it in the other. Because the cause of my hearing loss is undiagnosed, I also live with the worry that it may be a symptom of an as-yet-undiagnosed larger medical condition. See Also:
The Stress of Hiding Your Hearing Loss
People worry about revealing a hidden disability
iStockphoto Sometimes those with hearing loss are reluctant to be open about the condition. New York’s second annual Disability Pride Parade on July 10 included representatives of various national associations. They marched because hearing loss is a disability, but more importantly, because hearing loss is a hidden disability. We can never remind people too often that people with hearing loss need accommodations as much as someone in a wheelchair.Hearing Loss
— Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts Like most hidden disabilities, hearing loss comes with baggage that contributes to people’s reluctance to be open about the condition. Historically, hearing loss has been considered a sign of old age, impairment and . Those with mental conditions, even when those conditions are controlled with medication, face similar worries about revealing their hidden health issues. But this secrecy can have a deleterious effect on professional and personal relationships, affecting job performance and mental and physical health. I wrote about this in 2013 in a New York Times article headlined, “.” Keeping a secret like this, living every day pretending you’re something you’re not, is debilitating. It undermines your confidence. You wonder if the disability is and, if it is, if you’re the only one who doesn’t know it. You worry your employer or your colleagues will find out and you’ll lose your job. Firing someone for a disability is forbidden by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but employers find ways around it. There is also the stress of having a condition that may get worse. With hearing loss, the progression is often unpredictable. I first lost my hearing in one ear when I was 30. I never dreamed that by the age of 60 I’d be profoundly deaf in that ear and close to it in the other. Because the cause of my hearing loss is undiagnosed, I also live with the worry that it may be a symptom of an as-yet-undiagnosed larger medical condition. See Also: