Library Kids Make It Easier to be Hard of Hearing

I wear a badge at work which tells people I have hearing difficulties. It’s useful – if not always effective – to point to when I ask someone to repeat themselves for the third – or tenth – time in a row. There was a library user the other day who acknowledged the badge. “You have hearing difficulties?” they said, “Well, we all lose our hearing at some point.” Very true, sir, but unfortunately most people coming into the library don’t think about how the young woman at the desk might be struggling to hear them. And this has previously led to awkward and uncomfortable conversations (when working in the adult library at least).

The reception area of the library I work in is quite echo-y. It is also right by the entrance/exit with many people coming and going. All this equates to a noisy environment, even if it does not initially seem like it. So when customers approach the desk, there is background noise making it harder for me to hear, even before they’ve opened their mouths to speak. Luckily, there are frequently asked questions – things I can predict they might say – which certainly makes things easier. In these cases, I can be listening out for particular sounds and words and then, even if I didn’t quite hear everything, I can create the illusion that I heard them perfectly well. This trick has also previously helped me have conversations with people my colleagues find difficult to understand, so that’s a win! And when I’m talking to someone I know well – a regular at the library or a colleague – I will know their voice and can tune into them better, too. It’s when I’m talking to someone new that I will often struggle. Their voice is unfamiliar and they might not know the things that help – facing me when they speak, for example – so I may either need to ask them to repeat things multiple times (which some people get annoyed about) or get them to write things down instead.

For me, sound is mostly either too quiet or too loud, with very little in-between. A lot of the time I can hear when there is a sound, but I can’t make out the details. This isn’t simply a case of asking people to speak louder. Increasing the volume can help, but it can easily also become too loud, which sets off my tinnitus and limits my hearing in other ways. It also doesn’t guarantee that I will make out any more of those necessary details that allow us to differentiate between words. Ultimately – given people don’t walk around with subtitles I can switch on – talking to customers, particularly managing the reception desk, is an energy-draining task for me. I can do it, but if it’s easier for my colleagues to do, why put myself in that position on the regular.

Having said all that, you might think that working in the children’s library where kids are being loud and unpredictable was somewhere I’d struggle even more. But I actually find working with kids a lot easier than adults. Unlike adults, they don’t mind being asked to repeat themselves a hundred times. And if I attempt to repeat things back to them, kids will either be pleased I got it right or find it hilarious that I got it wrong. In a way, kids accommodate me without even realising it. They will occasionally point to my badge – like that other library user did – but I never feel afraid to tell them what it means. You can just be different around kids without judgement. Having hearing difficulties, therefore, is an unexpected reason to add to why I like working in the children’s library.

Being hard of hearing has its challenges, but it certainly doesn’t stop me from being good at my job. And library kids with their patience and humour, make it that little bit easier.