My not so selective hearing

Gladys Russell

Copyright 2002

Fate dealt me a progressive hereditary hearing loss that I have accepted and successfully coped with for several decades. In home, work and social settings, I have dealt with countless misunderstandings about my hearing, contended with slights, insults and jabs with (what I consider to be) good grace. I usually try to turn the situation around, and provide some "spontaneous sensitivity training", and do not let it get to me personally.

There is one comment, however, that continues to get under my skin, and that is the unwarranted accusation that I have "selective" or "convenient" hearing. The implication is clearly that if I chose to, I would be able to hear what is being said. The extension of that charge is that I should certainly be able to hear at least as well as my accuser perceived I had heard during our last encounter. What these unenlightened individuals have no capacity to understand is that, like many other people with hearing losses, my hearing varies dramatically from day to day.

I set out to quickly list the factors that determine the fluctuations in my hearing from one given meeting or encounter to the next, and was surprised by the sheer number as well as the variety. The variables that came to my mind are:

  1. Have I had a drop in my hearing since our last meeting?
  2. What is the height of the ceiling in the room we were meeting? The higher the ceiling, the worse the situation is for sound containment and reflection.
  3. The condition of my chronic sinus condition that creates congestion and reduces hearing.
  4. Have my allergies flared up? More swelling and constriction.
  5. Does the speaker have an accent? I cannot lip-read unfamiliar lip patterns.
  6. Acoustical tile in the room? It absorbs the only frequencies of sound I have--high frequencies.
  7. Is this an unfamiliar topic? Unknown words to lip-read?
  8. What fans, air conditioners, projectors, etc. are running in the background? These will be picked up by my hearing aids before speech.
  9. Are people constantly turning pages of notebooks, rattling papers, thus drowning out the speaker's voice?
  10. Is the speaker tired, depressed, bored, not speaking clearly?
  11. Are other participants nearby whispering to one another, interfering with the speaker's voice?
  12. Are my hearing aids working properly and strong enough? Is one of them in the shop for repair?
  13. Have I been seated where I can see all the speakers to facilitate lip-reading? Are my glasses strong enough?
  14. How is the lighting? Is the speaker backlighted, which eliminates lip-reading?
  15. Does the speaker have missing teeth or poorly fitted dentures? If so, lip reading is impossible.
  16. Does the speaker have poor enunciation, "mumble mouth"?
  17. Does the speaker frequently turn his/her back, making lip-reading impossible?
  18. Is this a speaker who frequently holds his/her hand or a tissue in front of their face?
  19. Does the speaker have a bushy mustache, obscuring their lips and any chance at lip-reading?
  20. Is the speaker chewing gum, candy, a mint or lunch while speaking?
  21. Has my request for real-time captioning been honored? Is the stenographer capable?
  22. Did someone decide background music would be "relaxing" while we were meeting? Hearing aids tend to amplify artificial sound first, spoken words second.
  23. If there is a videotape or filmstrip shown, is it captioned?
  24. Is this a time when my tinnitus is flaring up, causing a constant ringing in my ears?
  25. Does the speaker refuse to use a microphone, saying, "I don't need that thing, everyone can hear my voice just fine without it?"
  26. Has my TMJ flared up, thus reducing my hearing by constricting my jaw muscles?
  27. If it is a large meeting with theater-style seating, has my request to be seated near the front to capture all possible sound been honored?
  28. Is the meeting in an inappropriately large room with no acoustical barriers?
  29. What is the table configuration? Long, tables with people seated on one side only allow me to lip- read the people on either side of me, not up or down the line.
  30. Is a cassette tape recorded message being used? Are transcriptions of the material available?
  31. Does the speaker have a fever blister or canker sore on their lip making lip movements different from normal?
  32. Is the speaker a "grinner" or a "laugher"--whether or not the topic is funny to anyone other than themselves? If so, very little lip reading can take place.
  33. Are written hand-outs available? Agendas? Overhead projections?
  34. Is the speaker sitting while speaking, where he/she can't be seen or heard?
  35. Is an outside person telephoning information into the meeting to be shared with all the participants? Is this information broadcast via speakerphone into the meeting room? There is no chance that someone with a severe hearing loss will be able to understand what is being said.


I would like to thank you all for allowing me air these thirty-five factors that have an effect on my hearing ability. I am curious as to how many of the points you can relate to. What other points would you like to add to this list?



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