A more pertinent query: why has the father not asserted his reaction to his wife and other children behaviour?
aside: the Canadian Hearing Society/Toronto has courses/discussions: Dealing/coping with YOUR Hearing loss. Being "helpless" is NOT of their suggestions. I have taken their courses back in the nineties. Even part of a York University/CHS study on how one "uses their courses in real life. Duly published in the Journal of Aural rehabilation.
They also stressed it is up to YOU how YOU interact in the above mentioned circumstance. "helpless"?
aside: I have made no study on why SOME hearing persons interact in such manner.
I don't connect "racist" to "audism"
Interesting that London-OP hasn't made much comment on subsequent thoughts.
Await his conclusion after requesting others' thought.
Till then