STARTING HEAR
Society aims to aid those who are deaf or hard of hearing
Helping others top priority for society.
Today I thought I would highlight some stories through a compilation of individuals which profiles the kind of work we do.
A community facility called the office because they have a client Sarah who is deaf. According to the caller, Sarah is able to read lips, but they want to see if she knows any sign language. She has been attending this facility for some time with help from her hearing family member and they had been communicating by writing and with “gestures.” One of our staff goes to meet with Sarah. As it turned out, Sarah is fluent in sign language, but because neither the family member nor the professional know her language, her gestures were misinterpreted and there was a lot of miscommunication. It is a common assumption that deaf people can lip-read. Contact the society to learn more.
John came into the society to borrow a tinnitus masker from our devices loan program. He is bothered 24/7 by a loud constant ringing in his ears. He was desperate to try anything that could relieve the high piercing sound in his head. He was highly anxious, frustrated, at wit’s end and in need of help.
Lucy had lost her hearing over the years. It reached the point that hearing aids were of no value to her anymore and she could only “hear” certain people if she was face to face with them. She was frustrated and upset that people were getting frustrated and upset with her. Because her responses were sometimes appropriate, they didn’t seem to understand that she couldn’t hear them. When she didn’t understand something, they would all yell or repeat to her at the same time that she didn’t know where to look, once again missing the message. She was at the point of despair and didn’t want to be around family or anybody for that matter.
Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians employ two full-time staff members who are skilled and trained to work with you in accessing appropriate services, and programs. At the society, we offer American Sign Language/English interpretation, communication classes, one to one consultation, hearing aid Bank, assistive devices loan program, devices sales, and community intervention/accessibility. We will also partner with community resources, organizations, and services to assist you with your needs.
Society of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Nova Scotians is located at 762 Victoria Road in Whitney Pier. Clare and I look forward to hearing from you. Please call 902-564-0003 or email cbdeaf@ns.sympatico.ca.