Disability brings business
Courtney Baker is well known around town for the unique and popular Flluske earrings that she creates.
When Courtney first began hand crafting earrings, her intention was not to sell them. She started designing and wearing them to encourage herself to feel more positive about her disability.
Courtney lives with a condition known as sensorineural hearing loss. Despite this, she has resisted wearing a hearing aid for many years.
“I am completely deaf in my left ear, and 40 per cent deaf in my right,” she said. “But wearing a hearing aid lets people know that you are deaf, and I guess for the majority of my life I have experienced judgement and rejection when people find out I am hearing impaired.”
Growing up, Courtney struggled to make friends with other children and was often picked-on at school.
The memories and emotions from these experiences stayed with her into adulthood.
After leaving school, Courtney expected more accommodating attitudes from other adults; unfortunately this was not the case.
She found her role in a busy office impossible, not due to any lack of ability on her part, but because the continuous background noise meant with a hearing impediment, Courtney was unable to hear other employees when they spoke to her or understand people on the phone.
“I asked my boss for some guidance and help. I wasn’t supported at all, they really weren’t interested in educating others on how to make the workspace easier for a hearing impaired person. It was a highly stressful situation for me,” she said.
Courtney became so stressed because of her inability to hear properly at work that she eventually quit the job.
“It made me question who I was as a person and made me feel bad about my hearing loss. I was shocked; I didn’t expect grown adults to have such a bad attitude towards my hearing problem. I think that’s the reason why some people are reluctant to draw attention to something or feel badly about something they have difficulty with.”
When Courtney finally decided to try a hearing aid, an audiologist recommended an expensive pair which was unsuitable for sensorineural hearing impairments.
She invested $7000 in the hearing aid, only to be disappointed when she found it did little to improve her ability to hear.
It was at this time that Courtney began creating what was to become known as Flluske earrings.
Friends noticed her wearing them and asked to buy them from her.
In the past two years the business has grown quickly from selling via a Facebook page to an online store and stockists in 10 countries. You can now find Flluske earrings in stores in America, India and the United Kingdom.
“The response I’ve had is just amazing. When I walk down the street I see so many people wearing them. It’s really cool!” Courtney said. What truly drives her though goes deeper than the average entrepreneur’s hunger for business success. “I love creating the earrings but the biggest thing I love is meeting so many different people who I wouldn’t have talked to before.”
She said one customer bought some earrings for her mum, who has a significant hearing loss and had never felt comfortable wearing earrings because she didn’t want to draw attention to her ears.
When she heard Courtney’s story, she began wearing them. Knowing of someone else going through the same thing helped her to embrace her hearing loss.
“It’s not just about having people like the product, it’s the people that I am touching as well.”
Courtney eventually went to see a different audiologist, and on that advice invested in another hearing aid.
“It has changed my life completely. I can hear individual sounds now instead of one sound. For example, rain to me always sounded like one noise. Now I can hear individual rain drops hitting the ground or the roof.”
Opening and shutting the fridge and peeling open bananas are some of the other sounds Courtney experienced for the first time in her life.
“I wish I had done it sooner because it has improved my quality of life so much,” she said.
Courtney wants to help people who are struggling in other ways as well. Last month, she addressed women and students at the Inspiring Young Women’s dinner, facing her fear of public speaking.
“That was the most terrifying moment of my life. I was glad I had a podium to hide my shaking hands behind! But I would really love to be able to do more talks to people with challenges in their life; whether that be disabilities, women who have experienced domestic violence, people who don’t see any hope for their future. Giving people hope is an important thing.”
She would like to see the world become more accommodating of individuals living with disabilities. She believes that sometimes not employing someone because of their hearing loss means missing out on someone with exceptional talent and ability.
Courtney also hopes to inspire others to go and get a hearing aid to make their lives easier.
“Don’t be shy,” she said. “I wear my hair up and people can see my hearing aid; I really don’t care. Embrace what you have.”