Times change, just
like my hearing aids that had got better microphones and better processers over
the years to keep up with me. One pet hate for me was paying for things at the
till and being asked questions while the cashier has their face in a computer
screen to the side. All the things I could not hear in one go. Face turned away
from me so I could not lip read, voice directed away so that I could not hear
and gaze not directed at me so that I was not sure if they were even talking to
me.
Then the usual
exasperated face from a disinterested cashier who had to repeat the question
but would have preferred to be somewhere else (by changing the words a little,
the difficult ones to understand can be exchanged for easier ones) but that
would not be in the script!
So when I went to
Norwich a few months ago to do a talk involving archaeology I thought I would
take the opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t on an unknown journey
with only one person at the end who knew of my problems (and who didn’t care
about my hearing anyway, they invited me for what I had to say!).
The journey.
Firstly was the
local bus to the station. My bus pass meant I didn’t have to ask for anything.
I could see the light go green and I was on my way, the driver didn’t care
where I was getting off. The buses are always noisy so I switched off my
hearing aid and enjoyed the peace. No conversations needed and none wanted,
either from other people on the phone or just gossiping, nor any crying babies
or frustrated children.
The next issue was
the train tickets. The station ticket-office has been a particular problem.
They have safety glass in front of the man and he sits further back than
most cashiers. The loop system was useless for my degree of hearing loss. He
also had a quiet voice and it always seemed to be the same person. I got used
to knowing in advance what I wanted and what he was going to ask. So I gave him
all the information straight away and he didn’t have to say anything. But what
if there was engineering on the line or a station closed or delays? Then I
would have to listen to his explanation and just nod and hope it didn’t involve
me!
But now, on this
occasion, I had on-line booking and travel information to choose from in
advance. I knew what times the alternative trains would be and what platform. I
could work out the most likely challenges in advance and look up the map of the
station to see the route I would have to follow to my venue. I could wave to
the man on my way past this time without stopping and smile at the people in his
queue! The times and delays were on the board and so were the platform details.
I had no need of announcements, which are unintelligible to hearing people as
well sometimes.
On arriving at my
stopover destination a text message told them I was ready to be picked up from
the station. Any complication or delays could be dealt with in the same way. I
could switch on again when my lift arrived to exchange hellos.
The venue.
The same was to
happen for my continued journey next day. The venue was in walking distance
from the station and it had become so comfortable and unnecessary to hear that
I forgot about it. The pedestrian crossing had green lights (didn’t hear the
beeping!) there were no emergency vehicle sirens to miss and get run over and
it was well into the welcoming sentences when I remembered. I had walked
through the door and lip read the welcome words automatically. The person (that
I did not know) had moved in front of me smiled, paused and greeted me with
simple familiar words. She waited for my acknowledgement and carried on by asking
if they could help me. It was because I could not hear my own voice, not hers, that
I realised I was not switched on. Was she alerted by my badge? I don’t know,
but the seamless communication meant something was working.
The talk passed by
in a very relaxed manner and I was then at the most problematic part of the
day. It was question time! I had arranged in advance and reminded them on the
day that I would need someone to relay the questions to me as I would not hear
them from afar. It would be best done at the end when I would be free to
approach the enquirer and answer them directly. To my surprise, the room acoustics
were very good. A carpet on the floor, wooden furnishings, glass walls and a
very well disciplined young audience. I even managed to reply to a question
from the floor during the talk because the person didn’t interrupt but signalled
with their hand that they wished to speak and got my attention. I could then
devote all my faculties to them without any other distractions as the audience
listened patiently for the reply. There were no alternative conversations going
on, nor shuffling of chairs in the background.
Afterwards.
I was invited to
lunch afterwards by my host and we were joined by another friend who was there on
that day to do research. The venue’s visitor restaurant was busy but by
selecting a table to one end in good sunlight and away from the chatter (no
awful music overhead) we could converse across the table very well. Eating and
lip reading is not usually a good mix. Needing to look up when someone is
speaking not down at the plate, then speaking in turn rather than chewing,
makes for very slow mealtimes. The rest of the day was my own and there was no
problem asking for tickets and programs when sightseeing because it did not
require any questions or answers. All information was displayed both in advance
in the queuing area and at the tills.
Coming home on the
train I was in a world of my own without any other sounds to distract or annoy
me. If I had forgotten to take my hearing aid I would still have managed. All
down to advanced planning, sensitive and understanding people who wanted me for
what I am and not bothered by the difficulties I might bring. Added to that were
the advantages of modern electronics making the day a great success.
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