I've accepted that I'm HoH, and that I simply can't do everything that someone with perfectly capable hearing can do. It's a little upsetting, but I've decided to focus on all of the things that I *can* do instead.
Somewhere farther back in the post, someone used the examples of not being able to serve on the front lines, or be a commercial pilot, as ways society disables us. I agree that society can be a b***h sometimes, and there's plenty of examples of discrimination or ignorance keeping someone from getting a job for no good reason. However, I disagree with those examples given.
I would have loved to join the military and serve. That was something I looked forward to for most of my life, and I was seriously let down when I found out I couldn't. But I can understand their reasoning. Out on the front lines, with guns blazing, people shouting, and massive confusion around, you need to have multiple channels of communication open, especially hearing. I would be a danger to myself and others if I didn't hear someone coming up behind me, hear a grenade land next to me, hear someone shouting for help, hear an order given, etc.
As for the airline pilot, because of the reliance on radio communication, that's another one that's simply going to be out of reach for me. They can't take the chance that a dhh pilot misses something crucial on the radio, or can't hear some alarm, etc. Until a new method of easily transmitting information rapidly is invented and implemented, hearing-impaired pilots will have to stick to private aircraft, because we could end up inadvertently becoming a liability to the safety of our passengers.
So yeah, there's definitely some alleys that aren't accessible to us because of a certain aspect. Just like my brother can't do some things because his vision is too horrible. Amputees, blind, deaf, mentally disabled/challenged, whatever type of "disability" you have, there's always something that you're simply unable to do, or unable to do well.
But you know what? There's plenty you *can* do just fine. I'm a better guitarist, mathematician, reader, student, wrestler, cook, and humorist than many hearing people that I know.
So by definition, legally I'm hearing impaired, and as such, disabled. But from my own standpoint, I'm not disabled in any way that really matters. I have my struggles, but so does everybody else. Others may not have to deal with a hearing impairment, but still have their own personal problems. We all live, love, laugh, and sometimes cry, alongside one another.
