Help needed regarding Single-Sided Deafness and Driving...

I did not think it was unrelated. It helps know communication. Is she turning her head to see passengers sign?? Is she looking for ASL driving classes?

I do care. That is why I asked something, not assume something. You come in making typical hearing person's sarcastic remarks. If you do not understand the part of the question was related to communication in driving

Post 1 - gets anxiety when someone is on the right side, her deaf side, when driving
Post 7 - being deaf and unable to hear her passenger talk to her i.e. driving instructor, or friend

No one wants her hurt, but communication was introduced by the poster herself. I say "talk" when I have actually "signed". Just curious. Besides, ASL is face to face not at her side. (not while driving!) Face to face communication is easier.

Anyway, I expect this from some folks.

Lexii, hope you get the answers you need or want.

FJ........ ech




I remember being hearing. I have been in both areas and somewhere in between.
Hugs to Lexii, and hoping you find your answer.
 
I agree with others that all that is necc. to drive safely are oversized rear and side view mirrors and being observant. (FWIW, I use regular size mirrors and so do my HH friends, and we never had any problems. I just know that oversized mirrors are recommended. But probably that would be a good idea for anyone.)


If you want to be able to hear your passengers also ... hmmm

Here are some options:

* I have heard of some people going all out and installing a hearing loop inside their car.

* I looked to see if this is still available and couldn't find it. I use to use a direct audio input microphone ... think it was called Oticon mic 30. That worked very well. It's a small very sturdy mic -- the only thing I found that it couldn't hold up to was having a cup of coffee poured over it accidentally. It plugs into the hearing aid that has the direct audio input feature and you need to get a "boot" that will fit the hearing aid and allow the mic to be plugged in. This IS NOT a wireless solution and the sound quality is extremely good.

If you want to use this mic or another direct audio input mic, you will probably have to do some research.

* I had tried using an FM system but I didn't like the quality of sound inside a car. I liked using an FM system outside of a car, but not inside one. Perhaps other people had different experiences.

* Oticon is selling a different kind of mic called the ConnectLine that works wirelessly with their streamer. I have never tried it and I don't know how that would sound inside a car. Also, unlike the other mic, it will only work with their streamer which will only work with some of the Oticon hearing aids.

I think the main reason Oticon may have stopped selling the mic 30 (think that was the name, not sure) or at least stopped advertising it was because it use to cost less than $200, it could work with any brand hearing aid with the direct audio input feature, and most manufacturers prefer to sell more expensive solutions. Another possibility is that not enough people were willing to use a wired solution to make it worthwhile for them to continue to sell it. Finally, its possible that Oticon is still selling it but just not advertising it.

If you're interested in following up on the hearing loop or wired mic solution, post back, and I'll post some places where you can get started on getting more info.

If you're interested in getting an FM system or ConnectLine mic -- there are a lot of ads and you should have no problems finding a place to purchase one.

I'll make one comment though in case you are interested in looking into an FM system, while I know most people are told to buy FM systems where the receivers are small and connect via boot to the hearing aid -- I think that it would be more cost efficient to buy a larger receiver that connects to the hearing aid via neckloop or direct audio input. An FM system can last for years, much longer than any hearing aid. Purchasing a pair of receivers that can only work with your current pair of hearing aids is a more expensive solution, IMHO. Unless money is no object, I would suggest buying the larger receiver that can work with any pair of hearing aids as long as the hearing aid has a telecoil or direct audio input feature.
 
If it makes you feel any better, deaf people have better driving records than hearing people because we're more observant.

Driving is not contingent on hearing, it's contingent on you paying attention to your surroundings. The fact you get very anxious when people are on your deaf side tells me that you need help dealing with that, not with driving.

Once you learn to deal with that, then driving will be a piece of cake.

When I'm driving with passengers, I keep my eyes on the road and talk to them only at red lights.
 
I completely understood where LDNanna was coming from.

I would also refer you to Caroline's post and emphasize it a bit.

I would ask myself this question "Do I really need to hear to be able to drive?" If you're unsure, feel free to test your driving while blindfolded.

I think you'll find that you rely 99.95% on your eyes to drive. For that reason, since I am assuming both your eyes are functioning fine, I would think you have no reason to be nervous. :)
 
posts from hell said:
I completely understood where LDNanna was coming from.

I would also refer you to Caroline's post and emphasize it a bit.

I would ask myself this question "Do I really need to hear to be able to drive?" If you're unsure, feel free to test your driving while blindfolded.

I think you'll find that you rely 99.95% on your eyes to drive. For that reason, since I am assuming both your eyes are functioning fine, I would think you have no reason to be nervous. :)
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I agree with you and Caroline, but I can understand Lexii's desire to hear people in her car if that is an option for her. After all, it can be convenient to hear someone ask if you can make a stop, and she also mentioned wanting to be able to hear her driving instructor in post #7. And in some states you may still need to take a live driving test when you are getting a driver's license for the first time. Anyone know if that is true? And if it is, are there any suggestions for how Lexii could best manage that? My guess would be to ask for all instructions in advance before starting the test.

Is there anyone here who learned how to drive while deaf but didn't know sign language at the time? Maybe you could share some hints on how that worked.
 
Jazzberry said:
I agree with you and Caroline, but I can understand Lexii's desire to hear people in her car if that is an option for her. After all, it can be convenient to hear someone ask if you can make a stop, and she also mentioned wanting to be able to hear her driving instructor in post #7. And in some states you may still need to take a live driving test when you are getting a driver's license for the first time. Anyone know if that is true? And if it is, are there any suggestions for how Lexii could best manage that? My guess would be to ask for all instructions in advance before starting the test.

Is there anyone here who learned how to drive while deaf but didn't know sign language at the time? Maybe you could share some hints on how that worked.
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I took a driver's course without sign language. I got really lucky with my instructor because he was a very cool guy who was the one who told me that 90% of driving is visual and I'll be fine. He would just tell me up front what to do before I started driving and as we drove, he would indicate left or right or straight ahead. If he had to tell me something, he would indicate for me to pull over. No stress, no worries. It really helped that he was very relaxed and positive and actually saw my deafness as something that gives me an advantage over hearing drivers.
 
:wave: Ah, this thread brings me back to the "good ol' days" when I only had one HA on my left side. Driving and talking was absolutely exciting. When I couldn't understand, I would turn my head to get my "hearing" ear more in front of me while keeping my eyes glued to the road. The thought was I would pick up their voice better by the sound reflecting off the front windshield. The truth was, if I didn't understand, I could have stuck my ear in their mouth and still not understood!

What did I do? sometimes we just agreed to not chat. sometimes we switched drivers and chatted. sometimes I did all the talking :) I really liked this one!

There are some options... if you have a telicoil in your HA, then you might use a wired mic to a audio loop around your neck.

Perhaps a "personal amplifier" that you might have seen advertised on late night T.V. (the commercial usually shows a group of older adults all sitting around a restaurant table talking with one person holding the personal mic and nodding with a huge grin on her face. guess who is the only one not eating? :laugh2: Sorry way off point...)

My favorite option is to have someone you do not particularly like sit in the passenger seat. Every once in a while he/she will suddenly start screaming. You stop the car, punch them in the arm. Then go on. After a while either you get tired of it, or they do. then you don't need to worry about them talking any more! I didn't say this was a GOOD idea, just a casual friendly AD suggestion! :D
 
Cheetah said:
:wave: Ah, this thread brings me back to the "good ol' days" when I only had one HA on my left side. Driving and talking was absolutely exciting. When I couldn't understand, I would turn my head to get my "hearing" ear more in front of me while keeping my eyes glued to the road. The thought was I would pick up their voice better by the sound reflecting off the front windshield. The truth was, if I didn't understand, I could have stuck my ear in their mouth and still not understood!

What did I do? sometimes we just agreed to not chat. sometimes we switched drivers and chatted. sometimes I did all the talking :) I really liked this one!

There are some options... if you have a telicoil in your HA, then you might use a wired mic to a audio loop around your neck.

Perhaps a "personal amplifier" that you might have seen advertised on late night T.V. (the commercial usually shows a group of older adults all sitting around a restaurant table talking with one person holding the personal mic and nodding with a huge grin on her face. guess who is the only one not eating? :laugh2: Sorry way off point...)

My favorite option is to have someone you do not particularly like sit in the passenger seat. Every once in a while he/she will suddenly start screaming. You stop the car, punch them in the arm. Then go on. After a while either you get tired of it, or they do. then you don't need to worry about them talking any more! I didn't say this was a GOOD idea, just a casual friendly AD suggestion! :D
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If my friend has a driver's license, I usually ask them if they would like to drive my car so we can chat. It works out well :)
 
DeafCaroline said:
I took a driver's course without sign language. I got really lucky with my instructor because he was a very cool guy who was the one who told me that 90% of driving is visual and I'll be fine. He would just tell me up front what to do before I started driving and as we drove, he would indicate left or right or straight ahead. If he had to tell me something, he would indicate for me to pull over. No stress, no worries. It really helped that he was very relaxed and positive and actually saw my deafness as something that gives me an advantage over hearing drivers.
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That's a great story!

Mine is a so-so one. My parents made it very clear that I was not to tell anyone that I was HH but I was suppose to do well in school anyway. I never challenged them or anyone else on it at the time; I suppose this is good proof that anyone can be brainwashed without too much trouble. Just get 'em while they're young.

I took Driver's Ed in high school* and I don't recall telling the instructor that I was HH. My speech was horrible at the time, so my guess is with hindsight that most adults either thought that I was HH or mentally retarded. Since I was in a school that didn't have a program for MR kids, I assume he knew I was HH.

I was an excellent driver, but IIRC, I didn't always hear his driving instructions all the time. But I knew all the rules of the roads, had no trouble with making a left turn, merging into a busy highway or parking on the street, staying the correct amount of distance behind other cars, or anything else.

At the end of the last lesson he had comments to make to everyone. He told the others how they could improve but said he was passing them anyway. Then he said to me, "What are we going to do with you Miss Jazzberry?" I was stunned. As far as I knew, I was an excellent driver -- but apparently he was still considering not passing me.

There was a long pause and then he signed my papers anyway.

Lexii -- my story may be off topic but I decided to post it anyway. I did everything wrong in the sense that I didn't tell the instructor that I was HH and we did not discuss how the lessons were going to work as a result. Yet I still passed because I obviously knew how to drive and driving IS visual.

So, if I could do it as a brainwashed 16 year old who followed my parents instructions to the letter to never mention my hearing loss to anyone -- you can definitely do it! :)





* Note: We learned the rules of the road in a class and afterwareds had a few lessons on the streets and highways -- 3 students per driving instructor and car.
 
Driving and SSD

This is probably more empathy than an answer to your issue. I am currently working with an engineer to come up with a way to easily (conveniently) amplify passenger conversation through a cars speaker system. I am deaf on my right side so saying "what?" is wearing me and my passengers out. Biggest challenge (danger) : knowing from which direction an emergency vehicle is coming.
As mentioned by others - rely on your mirrors, passengers (when along) and go slow. Easy to say but if you have already developed a great amount of anxiety about driving, you may need to be "re-trained" by a skilled driver's ed. instructor who is experienced with hearing impaired clients (as pointed out in another post). Other challenge: Road noise. Low-tone vibrations are picked up in my deaf-ear and seem amplified. Some road surfaces are better than others and some lanes on freeways are better. I have searched for the "quietest car" on the road but it usually comes down to tires. I am also looking into after-market sound insulation to reduce road noise. But all these interventions are minor compared to reducing your anxiety about driving. If anyone has suggestions on how to outfit your car to reduce road noise and amplify passenger conversation-- let me know.
 
FogRider said:
If anyone has suggestions on how to outfit your car to reduce road noise and amplify passenger conversation-- let me know.
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Go to your nearest Japanese or Korean brand dealership and ask them if you can special order a vehicle with the steering wheel on the right side. I know Subaru does, as many small-town mail carriers have them. Problem solved!
 
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