#Hearing aids

[bellqmione]

wheelchairs and canes and glasses and hearing aids and every single other disability aid should be free btw and if you disagree i hate you

[critterbitter]

Sometimes, it's lonelier when you're in a crowd you can't understand. Elesa, who struggles with the language divide and being hard of hearing, solves this by simply refusing to engage.

BONUS! The twins did not get their starters yet. They think Elesa’s so cool and stoic. This is a hilarious misunderstanding.

Want something funnier? Here's my submas masterpost!

[crybaby-writings]

if you want to learn sign language of any kind your one and only reason for it should be proper person to person communication. not because it's "so beautiful", not so you can talk shit and nothing else, not so you can say swear words without other people knowing.

if you're learning sign language your one and only reason should be to communicate with people who use sign language. learning sign language means learning about an entire complicated, extremely important culture and the people who are a part of that culture.

you can not learn sign language without learning about d/Deaf culture in depth. it also means learning to stay in your lane on d/Deaf issues. learning sign language and learning about d/Deaf culture does not mean you get to speak on d/Deaf issues, and a lot of hearing people don't realize that.

this has been a notice from a d/Deaf person

[bodhrancomedy]

A little update and explanation (even if I’m late since I was dealing with a personal matter) on Mr Beast’s Deaf video and why it severely pissed off a lot of D/deaf folks. Including me.

[thedeafzoologist]

How hearing aids work

This is intended as a writing guide, but anyone is welcome to read it to learn more about the different aids used by deaf people.

Please remember that these are based off my experience as somebody who was born deaf in the uk. Other deaf people will have vastly different experiences, and I would encourage you to look up other guides like this

Hearing aids are not always available, particularly if you live in a country without free healthcare. They can be very expensive, both to buy and to take care of

If your character is a deaf child or young teenager, they will need new hearing aid moulds every so often as their ears grow. This only involves going to the hospital for a few hours, and isn't really a big deal. You can get different colours of mould, sometimes sparkly ones, or with tiny embedded designs

Hearing aids cannot get wet, so we take them off to shower, swim, etc. We also take them off to sleep

Hearing aids do not fix hearing loss, and many deaf people still need to lipread and use sign language while wearing them. Please don't try to compare them to glasses!

Some people choose not to wear hearing aids at all, which is a perfectly reasonable and valid decision. Sometimes it is too overwhelming to be exposed to so much noise, sometimes people just prefer to sign or use other non-verbal communication

Not all people with hearing aids know or use sign language

If your character is wearing hearing aids for the first time, they will probably become a lot clumsier while they get used to it

That's all I can think of for now! To any hearing writers reading this, I'm glad you're making an effort to write diverse characters thoughtfully and respectfully!

[wolfsteax]

my Sims game gave Jake hearing aids when he was born so I decided to just make it canon

[batterwing]

literally begging yall this disability pride month to remember the phys. disabled deaf people. draw them with transcription computers, draw them wearing colorful CIs and HAs, draw them using FM systems, i've never seen anyone draw them and i'd love to see representation of that. i cannot count the number of times i've been excited to see disability art only to see them all using mobility aids and feel disappointed afterwards because fuck knows when the last time you saw your disability aids.

this disability pride month include Deaf/HOH people that don't solely use sign language, who wear colorful disability aids, who use things that only their own community seems to know about

(if anyone has art of those things i mentioned i wanted seen tag me pleaseeeee)

[microsofttothemax]

one of my fav hcs for leo

[mothyandthesquid]

I think I may be experiencing near normal hearing for the first time in my life thanks to the NHS. These are seven generations and 16 years more up to date than the 1st gen digital aids I was using until two days ago, and they are also tuned to my current hearing loss rather than what I had 12 years ago. Since putting them in my ears I have had innumerable remarkable experiences entirely new to me and of such depth I have been brought to happy tears.

I have heard my children’s voices in all their beautiful nuances, I have discovered classical music, I have watched TV without needing subtitles, and realised that the uneven gaps between songs whilst streaming music is not a connectivity issue - there is actually sound there. I’ve been to a lecture and understood every word without effort, I’ve listened to birds, and I’ve also discovered people convey subtle emotion through voice that I was previously unable to detect.

I’ve also been asked to describe what it was like to my philosophy class and found myself lacking the words to explain to hearing people what it is like to enter their world as a novel experience. Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out analogies. So, imagine you have contact lenses that made your vision tetrachromic while you were wearing them or a drug that gave you a high heightening one of your senses to superhuman levels while it was in your system. Either of these would surely be a magical experience.

I am super excited about all the things I am now going to be able to hear in the future. I want to listen to all the things! That’s something I never thought I’d say. Unaided, people’s voices are partially audible for me and I must work hard to make up the difference. With my old aids, they became more comprehensible but also unpleasant and almost painful to listen to, so I hated wearing them. Now, they are the most interesting type of sound.

The underfunding of the NHS has, obviously, imposed years of unnecessary disability upon me through neglect and out-dated technology. Some say money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy hearing aids and similar cool things for disabled people. If you have one, use your vote wisely.

[rattusn0rvegicus]

DEAF/HOH PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS COOL STORE FOR HEARING AID JEWELRY

they're kind of expensive but I'm sooooo saving up

They have cuffs and rings and cute charms and cochlear implant covers! Go forth and be cool as hell my guys

[gayaest]

She is a part of the Deaf community, but she is the Manager of paravolley due to her unique connection to the Disabled community. 🩷🌸

Thank you to the Deaf and HoH people that helped me learn more about Deaf history and culture!

[cripplecharacters]

I would like to know what you think of magical aids for disablilities in a fantasy setting! Things like: A prosthetic that is enchanted to be capable of fine movements. A wheelchair that can levitate. Hearing aids that are powered by a user's innate magic. Blind people with animal familiars that have a magical connection that allows the person to see through the animals eyes. Thank you!

Hi,

I think that magical aids, in general, can be interesting! But the few options you listed point to some issues.

First of all, the blind person magically seeing - don't do this. There's no point in having a disabled character just to make them abled. Consider this post by blindbeta instead, where they go over fantasy/fictional guide animals. Your blind character shouldn't be able to see, that's just disability erasure.

The same point applies to the prosthetic - is magic just the in-universe excuse to give someone a Cool Robot Arm/Leg that is technically a prosthetic but has little in common with the real world equivalent? I recommend going through our #prosthetics tag, but the two important posts you might want to consider: this on upper limb prosthetics, and this on lower limb ones for what people with amputations actually want - and yes, there are major differences between those two kinds of prostheses outside of being different limbs.

As a cane user, I would enjoy a magical cane that can fit into my pocket when I need it to, or one that I could summon out of thin air when my leg or back decide to make me barely able to walk when I'm out. But to be honest, I'm rather boring and to me, it's important that these fantasy/sci-fi equivalents don't turn a cane unusable in other ways. Prime example, canes with those awful "doorknob" handles... that takes me out of the story more than a teleporting cane. Or those canes with swords hidden in them (opinions heavily differ here, me personally I'm not a fan), like structural stability of the thing aside, if I'm using the cane then I'm definitely not in a condition where I could swing a sword, lol…

A cane that doesn't need changing the damn tip so often, or self-cleans every time I step into something gross would be great too. Or maybe one that is harmless to the user but bites people who touch it without asking!

mod Sasza

I don’t love the idea of a wheelchair that can levitate. Why should disabled people have to change our aids rather than the world becoming more accessible. Don’t get me wrong! There are still fun things you can do with wheelchairs in fantasy. For example a wheelchair with a spell that makes terrain (grass rocks etc.) a typical wheelchair would have trouble navigating flat. A power-chair that doesn’t use a battery but some other form of magic etc. I would challenge you to get creative and think outside of just levitation!

Mod Patch

I love the thought of magic aids. I agree with Sasza of the aspect of aids automatically cleaning themselves or having parts that you don't have to replace constantly. I know for me wiping down my wheelchair was always a hassle and the rubber handles on my breaks wore down constantly (my dog ate them one time) and were very hard to use with wrist that easily subluxed.

Aids that are battery powered running on magic or some other fantasy power source as a sorta battery would be so cool. A Port that magically accesses/de-accesses itself at the person's will? Oxygen Cannulas that never need changing/change themselves? A VP Shunt automatically adjusting its pressures to what the person needs? So many endless things you can do with them!

Mod Virus

I’m not entirely sure what is meant by hearing aids powered by innate magic. If that means never having to deal with replacing the batteries, sign me up! If it means anything other than that, I want more information on what exactly it entails.

Magic aids that function the same as not having a disability at all are erasure, plain and simple.

Mod Rock

[onyx-got-clowned]

i just saw this super cool detail! (sorry the quality is so bad, i was watching on my tv)

look! The character behind Hilda has a hearing aid! -Hilda (Netflix) ep 7 6:36

[clownrecess]

Something I want everyone to know is: if it helps you, then use it.

"I dont want to take recourses away from full-time AAC/wheelchair/cane/other disability aid users!!" You arent. You arent! These aids exist to help those people, yeah, but they exist to help you, too.

If it helps you get through the day, why shouldn't you use it?

There isnt a list of requirements of who should use these aids. There is only one box, does it help you? Yes? Then use it!!!!!

[pecuchoo]

[strawberry-lullabies]

i like you! gives your Alphonse Elric hearing aids