Martha
Mattox-Baker
Copyright 2001
When we talk about mountain climbing, we are usually talking about a literal upgrade. But we have mountains to deal with every day with our hearing losses. We have mountains to climb to talk or hear on the phone. We have mountains to climb to try to understand our family members. We have mountains to climb for dealing with work problems. We may have mountains to climb to deal with tinnitus or vertigo. We have to climb mountains to "prove" we CAN do things and we are not "dumb". We are in a constant uphill struggle to try to understand what people are saying.
The question is, "How can we climb all these mountains?"
We must take it one rock at a time. If we look
at the whole mountain, we will be overcome with the situation.
But if we take one step at a time, we can overcome it.
If we get so we can't hear on the phone, we can try assistive
devices. Assistive devices may be amplifiers, TTY's, or VCO phones.
Or we can use a TTY and a relay system. We can cut down that mountain
so it's not so high. Slowly bring it down to our level. There
may still be frustrations but not quite as big.
Family situations are always hard to deal with.
They involve more than one person. Will family members be willing
to try to communicate or will they drift off? Finding a way to
communicate with family is important. Whether it is with sign
language or pen and paper. Others may choose the cochlear implant.
Trying to show coworkers and others that we aren't "dumb"
is a big mountain. But we can do our jobs and show we are capable.
When the going gets rough and that mountain gets too tough, we
can call on a friend to help.
All of us here have found that help. Here on SWC, we find ourselves
helping one another and uplifting one another. When one person
says, " I can't do this," others are there to say, "Yes,
you can." We are blessed here to have a support system that
not all hard of hearing or late deafened adults have. We can grow
and find new ways to try to help break these mountains down. Not
by explosions, but by one rock at a time. We can make a difference
in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Thanks to all of you who have been rocks for me in times when
I get shaky!
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