Silent endeavors
Journalist’s memoir deals with everyday struggles
Journalist Noel Holston finds humor and grace in memoir about his sudden hearing loss and its aftermath.
Journalist Noel Holston, who had manageable hearing loss when he went to bed one night, found himself deaf in the morning. He documented his odyssey with sudden deafness in the book “Life After Deaf: My Misadventures in Hearing Loss and Recovery.”
Holston, who lives in Athens, Ga., will talk about his experience at a captioned Zoom event on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. The talk is sponsored by the Albany chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), along with the Albany Public Library. Those wishing to attend must preregister at albanypubliclibrary.libcal.com/ event/7443072
In an email interview, Holston, a former television critic for Newsday and current Peabody Award staffer, talked about his 2019 memoir and what society could do to accommodate those dealing with hearing loss: Your sense of humor really seemed to help. Why is that an important strength when dealing with a disability or a similar challenge?
Well, first of all, don't forget that a lot of what happened to me was funnier in retrospect than it was at the time. As I say in the book, "That which does not kill me makes a good story." But maintaining some sense of humor, recognizing the absurdity of situations, really is essential to keeping your sanity, whether you've lost your hearing or a limb. Never underestimate the value of gallows humor.
I use closed captioning a lot since I have some hearing loss, but when it’s not done right it’s enormously frustrating, which you address in your book. As a former TV critic, what suggestions do you have for producers/writers?
SLOW DOWN! Captions on movies and TV series that have been meticulously subtitled for sale and rent are always better than captions on TV shows that are being added quickly for immediate telecast. But even as the technology for captioning programs has improved, a lot of that gain is being wiped out by the increasingly faster pace of the conversation. The rapid-fire dialogue of "The West Wing" was a rarity in its day. Now, that kind of breathless pace is commonplace in dramas and sitcoms. And don't get me started on newscasts. I want to slip David Muir (anchor of ABC World News Tonight) a Valium. It's very tricky to read zip-zap-zing talk and watch video at the same time. Can you also talk about how people with hearing loss are portrayed in film and TV. What improvements should be made?
I seldom encounter hearing-impaired characters in the series I watch, and TV movies about people "triumphing" over any kind of disability are far less common than they once were. I would love it if more shows just included hearing-impaired people routinely, mirroring how they function (or don't) in everyday real life.
The world doesn’t seem to be set up for people with hearing loss. What changes would you like to see? What do lawmakers have to address? (I’m thinking about your Moth presentation regarding the insurance company.)
Pretty much every business and office could improve the communication options offered to hearing impaired people. It's maddening to, for instance, try to use an automated system to check a credit card balance and have it cut you off because you didn't make your menu choice quickly enough. And here's a great, absurd example: I had a medical appointment the other day. Because of their COVID precautions, I couldn't just walk into the office. I was informed by a sign by the door to phone their number first and speak to the receptionist. I hear very poorly on the phone, so I ended up having to bang on the door until someone finally came out. And this was the office of, believe it or not, an audiologist. How do you handle Zoom presentations and other interactive activities?
I do pretty well with Zoom, whether it's an event like the upcoming HLAA meeting or talking to my kids and grandchildren. I don't think of myself as being particularly good at speech reading, but if I can see people's mouths, my word comprehension improves.
Can you talk about how technology has changed (since you wrote the book) to accommodate people with hearing loss?
Companies like Cochlear Americas and Advanced Bionics are constantly tweaking their technology. I "upgraded" from Cochlear's Nucleus 6 to an N7 a little over a year ago. It made little difference in my bionic hearing. My personal experience is that while there are frequent new add-ons — a better Bluetooth mic, a smaller processor — the basic apparatus improves incrementally. The part of the implant that's inside your head is what it is, and it doesn't get upgrades.
What do people with hearing loss tell you after reading your book?
They most often tell me that my memoir made them realize their struggles weren't so unusual. My "misadventure" has some unique aspects, but there's plenty that's universal. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from someone who says something like, "Finally, somebody who 'gets it'."