Deaf Awareness Week runs this week, and the Manx Deaf Society is using the theme Right to Understand to highlight how hearing loss affects daily life on the island.
Members of local lipreading groups have spoken openly about the challenges they face, from the shock of sudden hearing loss to the strain of trying to follow conversations and the frustration of being dismissed when they ask for something to be repeated.
Their message is simple: they want equal access, patience and inclusion.
Two events are planned during the week. On Friday (May 8), Manx Deaf Society CEO Lucy Buxton will deliver Deaf Awareness training for charity leaders.
On Saturday (May 9), the Here to Hear Group will meet at Milntown Gardens for a relaxed social afternoon.
A personal account shared for the week also describes distorted sound, constant tinnitus and the emotional impact of hearing loss, while recognising the support available through Noble’s Audiology team and the Manx Deaf Society.
The Society is encouraging the public to take small steps that make communication easier, getting someone’s attention first, facing them, speaking clearly and never brushing off a request to repeat something.
These simple changes, they say, help ensure everyone has the same right to understand.
