Moving Past Judgment
By Saad Khalid
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When seeing someone who has a disability, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? Be honest. Do you think their life is harder? Do you assume they struggle more than everyone else? Or maybe people may feel a bit of pity? Most people do and that's exactly what the problem is. Judging people based on what WE see.
When I was born, the doctor didn't find anything wrong with me at that time, I was a healthy boy at that time. My parents didn't seem to find any problem with me; they saw me as a healthy baby. Time went by and one time I went to Pakistan to visit my family land, and my dad's brother noticed at that time that I didn't react to certain sounds or noises. So he tested if I could hear any noise, and he did a loud clap, called my name and anything that included volume. I didn't respond to any of those volumes, but the other kids did; this was very strange. After a couple of minutes, he figured that I couldn't hear anything. Everyone who was around me was very shocked and surprised.
After receiving the news, I couldn't hear anything. There were so many thoughts that came into the play. How will I learn the language? How will I get an education that most kids get? How could I move to a stage where there is already a barrier that most kids don't even face at an early stage? There were many factors that my parents were thinking about, such as money, education, and language. How could I, as a kid experiencing hearing loss, adapt to those “factors” very quickly. Well, here I am now in grade 12 at a high school with many friends and I have overcome those factors.
My message is simple- a disability such as hearing loss isn't as bad as people think it is. In fact, it comes with its own perks and advantages and I say that it's time to stop judging people based on something YOU don’t understand in the first place.
"My message is simple- a disability such as hearing loss isn't as bad as people think it is. In fact, it comes with its own perks and advantages and I say that it's time to stop judging people based on something YOU don’t understand in the first place."
"My message is simple- a disability such as hearing loss isn't as bad as people think it is. In fact, it comes with its own perks and advantages and I say that it's time to stop judging people based on something YOU don’t understand in the first place."
As someone who has hearing loss, I experience this almost everyday and I'm here to tell you that not everything you think is one hundred percent the truth. A lot of people may assume that hearing loss means that your life automatically becomes hard and they think that you struggle at school, you are beneath others and that communication is always difficult. But I would like to call these stereotypes.
Sure there are some challenges that are true, but that doesn't mean it's all negative. In fact, there are some benefits that many people don't even realize or think about that come along with hearing loss.
According to the National Library of Medicine, hearing loss is a common disorder in newborns. The prevalence of severe to profound (which is less than 70 dB) bilateral hearing loss (a hearing loss in both ears) in newborns is 1-3 per 1000. Profound in this case means that you absolutely cannot hear anything. Hearing thresholds of 90 - 120 +dB means that the normal conversation sounds are undetectable, only loud sounds such as a drum, loud machinery or sirens are potentially heard. For me, I can't hear any of those without my cochear implants; I'm beyond profound hearing loss. I could only feel the loud sound through the vibration of my feet. Cochlear implants are for people who have profound problems because they bypass damaged inner-ear hair cells, which directly stimulate the auditory nerve.
Now you might think this is bad for me, like "oh no, poor guy." But trust me, I have amazing perks along with it, so no need to feel bad for me.
One of the perks is that I can sleep without any disturbance. Just imagine sleeping in your room with no noise? Wouldn't you like to have that? I sleep almost every single day without any disturbance, while my family members may get awoken by loud noises. Me on the other hand? No, I don't get disturbed by that because I hear NOTHING at all, so that means I can rest peacefully. It may seem like a disadvantage but trust me it's one of the best things. Imagine going to sleep without ANY NOISE/DISTURBANCE.
Another advantage is that I have a built-in Bluetooth system through my cochlear implants. Because of the advanced technology, I have this ability to be connected to my phone 24/7. I can connect directly through technology in a way that many people can't. It's way more advanced. I can hear everything SO clearly through my phone because of the built-in Bluetooth. I'm also connected to my TV and not only that, but my family can also hear the TV at the same time while I have the Bluetooth connected on my TV. The advancement of technology is very astonishing!
This is probably one of my most favourite advantages, being able to control my hearing in a loud environment. Like you guys, if you were to be in a loud environment you wouldn't be able to control the voice volume, while I can on my phone through a designated app for cochlear implants. I can control the crowd's volume at any given moment if it becomes too loud or too quiet. I can adjust it whenever I feel like it.
Instead of seeing hearing loss as a weakness I believe we can also find hearing loss as a strength. Having a hearing loss has made me more aware of people, I have become more observant and more understanding. I pay attention to things that many people might ignore such as facial expressions. In some way that makes me better at understanding people and building a good, trusting relationship.
"Instead of seeing hearing loss as a weakness I believe we can also find hearing loss as a strength. Having a hearing loss has made me more aware of people, I have become more observant and more understanding. I pay attention to things that many people might ignore such as facial expressions. In some way that makes me better at understanding people and building a good, trusting relationship."
"Instead of seeing hearing loss as a weakness I believe we can also find hearing loss as a strength. Having a hearing loss has made me more aware of people, I have become more observant and more understanding. I pay attention to things that many people might ignore such as facial expressions. In some way that makes me better at understanding people and building a good, trusting relationship."
But all of these people just make assumptions. In my life I’ve had people who underestimate me before getting to know me just because of my hearing loss. They would assume that I can't do certain things because of these “disadvantages”. This is what needs to be changed, the way of looking at different perspectives and a way of understanding instead of judging more harshly or before even getting to know them.
Having a disability such as hearing loss doesn't mean that you're not smart; it just means that you're different. So, the next time when you may see a person with a disability, please don't jump to conclusions, don't assume automatically, don't feel sorry for them. Instead try to understand or learn that their way of living has been different than yours.
In the end, I hope that hearing loss doesn't seem as bad to you after reading this; it's just another way of experiencing the world.
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