Karin lives with hearing loss, and works as an international business coach and copywriter. She offers coaching to support other hearing-impaired individuals who need to build self-coping strategies. Learn more at karinweiser.com
Being open and honest has sometimes meant all eyes are on my ears – literally! At least until I move my hair to show my hearing device as the visible proof. On occasion, I’ve been spoken to slow and patronisingly, like a two-year-old. And I’ve had to defend my well-functioning, normal life to the medical profession who have let me know, once again: “You really don’t hear so well.” Discrimination against those with hearing loss certainly exists. My first permanent contract at a family-owned business in the late 90s turned into a confidence nightmare. I struggled with the phones, and was eventually ‘demoted’ to shredding paper. Neither my employer nor I knew how to handle my hearing loss. Suddenly my disability became the elephant in the room in all areas of my life. The psychological damage had been done, and I spent the next decade repairing it. Although I ended up at a large organisation with a HR department, with diversity and inclusion practices, I never felt protected or understood. Hearing loss feels like a solo journey. Help and support doesn’t knock on your door, you have to find it. And this journey is exhausting, especially when you’re young, climbing the corporate ladder, and just want to enjoy life. And not be slowed down by that elephant in the room.
70 | happiful.com
Living a life with hearing loss is a cocktail of situations that leave you feeling embarrassed more often than not. I’ve had to sit at the front of the room my whole life, ask people to repeat
While the world battles with mindfulness and fights for quiet time, I have found my calm things, and be in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. But like anything in life, you get used to it. My personal challenges have oiled my wheels of tenacity, deepened my self-awareness, and supported me to create a life with no limitations. I do the best I can with what I know. And I have fully accepted my imperfections and disability. I’ve become who I am today because of my life experiences, as well as my hearing loss. And I like that person very much. One thing I know is that I have a growth mindset and would gain a very high score in resilience. Plus I’m armed with the motto: “What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.”