Bullying makes the news these days – probably because social media makes it easy to record and share these experiences. But bullying is not new, especially for the Deaf.

“How do I know if I’m hearing impaired or a deaf? Is there a cut off point which is ‘identified’ as deaf?” There is so much misunderstanding about deafness and this question came from the position that the term hearing impaired implies only slightly less than normal hearing.

Not all sounds are pleasant and I’ve spent a good part of the past two weeks in hospitals.

We’ve just had Christmas and today it’s New Year’s Eve. Like most people we’ve had parties and dinners. For about 20 years I blundered through these things, using the ‘hope I’m smiling right’ smile so I didn’t look too stupid or hopefully to indicate I was understanding and being part of the group.

One issue which comes up so often for the Deaf and hard of hearing is getting a job.

Being deaf or hard of hearing (or for that matter having any kind of disability) usually means you are way behind in the job stakes.

A new job is always a challenge, for anyone – hearing, hard of hearing or deaf. Recently I won another part-time position and as someone with Cochlear implant I always feel that I am on trial in a way I never used to feel when I was fully hearing.

Do deaf people have a disability? Are there degrees of disablity? How do I feel about my deafness? Are deaf people disabled?

We have to sell ourselves and being in the best position to do so can be difficult especially these days when first interviews may be conducted by phone. I don't have any answers. Here's my recent experience.

When you have lost your hearing focussing on what you can do and not what you can't may be the answer to accepting the limitations with technology.