It’s other people who think that I am deaf.
Many people who have a hearing loss say that they don’t think that they are deaf. This is because it can take a long time to realise that we have a hearing loss. It frequently takes people 5-12 years to realise that they have a hearing problem.
This length of time is not your fault because deafness often arrives unnoticed. Recognising a hearing problem is not easy. However, if you start noticing problems such as not hearing things you used to be able to hear or you feel that other people are always mumbling, etc, then you could well have a hearing loss.
If you have a hearing loss, please remember that you are not alone. About one person in six has a hearing loss. People of all ages have a hearing loss including babies and children. Also, if it takes you a long time to realise that you are have a hearing problem, again, you are not alone and it’s not your fault.
Once we realise that we have a hearing problem, life can get less difficult and less stressful. After all, if we realise that we have a problem then we can do something about it. For some ideas about the help available, see Section 2 – Will anything help me to hear better? Will anything help me to manage better?