Amplifying Voices: Celebrating Deaf Awareness Week

Did you know that 12 million adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus (a ringing, buzzing or whooshing noise that doesn’t come from inside the ear)?  

Hearing loss brings unique challenges to the day-to-day lives of many people. Increasing the visibility of these challenges and the ways allies of the deaf community can make a difference to the interactions they have with individuals who have a hearing impairment, is what Deaf Awareness Week is all about. 

Our RSAbility Employee Resource Group (ERG) recently caught up with Gail Martin , UK&I Claims Control Leader and member of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, to find out more. 

Over to you Gail… 

How have you been impacted by hearing loss? 

I have otosclerosis, a rare condition that causes hearing loss, and sometimes tinnitus and dizziness. It happens when a small bone inside the middle ear fuses with the other bones in the ear, which all need to vibrate to hear well. People with otosclerosis can develop mild to severe hearing impairment, typically affecting both ears, but one ear is usually worse than the other.  

I was diagnosed with otosclerosis in 2020, when I noticed a sudden loss of hearing in my right ear. I currently wear a hearing aid in my right ear, as my hearing loss is worse there than the mild hearing loss in my left ear.  

My hearing loss is mostly impacted by lower tones, so without my hearing aid I struggle to hear my husband! But I can hear my son and daughter going ‘Mummy?’, ‘Mummy!’ much more easily, as they speak in higher tones. I also regularly get tinnitus, but my fancy hearing aid has a tinnitus setting (ooooh!) to help offset it.  

What adjustments have you had to make in your personal and working life? 

To start with, it did feel isolating. Doubly compounded unfortunately by COVID and lockdown happening at the same time. Living with otosclerosis has meant adapting (‘subtitles on’ for TV shows) and acceptance that as a progressive condition, it will bilaterally worsen over time at its own speed.  

But luckily my Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Consultant kindly informed me that a stapedectomy (the operation to help restore hearing) was his favourite of all the surgeries he does – ‘Great!’ I replied. Sidenote: the surgery will adversely impact my higher tones and therefore my hearing must be substantially reduced for the surgery to be worth the trade-off.    

With work, homeworking suits very well as using a headset for phone calls through Teams provides bilateral sound that can be volume controlled; plus working from home means I can happily use my earphones to listen to music or sound therapy to chase the tinnitus away when not in back-to-back meetings (like the ‘getaway driver’ in the film Baby Driver, just with less robbing of banks).  

Being in the office environment can be more challenging, simply because you aren’t in control of the noises around you (the amplified sound of a hand dryer being the number one incredibly uncomfortable noise).  

Engaging with people is fantastic, but people understandably will revert to their behavioural way of talking, and if you are in the ‘low tones camp’ or the ‘quiet talker camp’, additional effort on my part is required to follow the conversation and acceptance that I’m simply not going to hear every word that is said. Ingrained politeness dictates that there are only so many times I can ask someone to repeat themselves! 

On the positive side it is manageable at this stage of my hearing loss; and my steady hearing deterioration also provides time to continually adapt, which is a blessing in disguise.     

What advice would you give to leaders who may have an individual who has hearing challenges on their team?  

Strong communication and regular engagement with individuals in your team should mean that you are already having those open conversations of support and direction. So more of the same to ensure any medical condition, not just those with hearing challenges, can be discussed and any adjustments made so that everyone can deliver and contribute to a ‘best in class’ performance.     

How can people be an ally to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community?  

One of the most helpful ways to become an ally to the deaf community is to learn and promote British Sign Language or BSL. There are currently around 151,000 BSL users, 87,000 of whom are deaf. Learning straight-forward and common BSL signs could simply help open communication. There are lots of websites and online apps that can help – even if it’s just to learn the alphabet and how to sign your name!   

For me personally, learning BSL is definitely on my ‘To Do’ list.