Disclosure - letting others know

Failure to inform people of your hearing loss may result in misinterpretation of your failure to understand or respond as:

• disinterest
• low intelligence
• social/personality psychological issues
• laziness
• unfriendliness
• aloofness
• uncooperative
• incompetent

 --paraphrased from "Staying in Touch"

My failure to respond has resulted in hurt feelings. My father said something to me but my back was turned so I didn't respond. He told my sister that he was hurt that I ignored him. Good thing my sister explained to him that I wasn't ignoring him, that I really do have a serious hearing loss. Sometimes people really don't realize how much someone can't hear until something like this happens.