Hi all, fairly new on TSR, have been registered for a while but don't really regulate the boards too much...!
I'm a gap year/resit student with hearing loss. I'm deaf, beyond help, in my left ear and wear a hearing aid in my right ear. I grew up learning to lip read people and as a result It's become a very bad habit, a bit like biting your nails or whatnot!
As a result I usually need to look at people while they're talking and using the phone is non existent in my life at the moment. It's annoying because my hearing problems stem from a reliance on lip reading rather than a "lack" of hearing, if that makes sense. I can hear things fine, it's not due to a lack of volume, just do to a lack of coherency as a result of depending on lip reading for so many years.
As a result it does affect life and education a fair bit, listening exams, using the phone (pretty much the primary method of communication in todays society) and understanding people who are not facing me or conversations in large groups. I feel this stunts my ability to socialise a fair bit, I find it hard to keep track and contribute when large groups partake in discussions or conversations...
But on the whole, I'd say I'm pretty lucky and things could be a lot worse.
Cheers.