I don’t remember giving permission for you to tell my life story. Thank you for your advocacy.

Thank you for being an advocate! My 4 month old daughter got her hearing aids 2 months ago, with the help of family we were able to provide those for her. Otherwise the state of GA thinks we make to much money to get help.

It was a pleasure to share the stage with you. Thank you for raising awareness on this, Christy.

I was not diagnosed as having moderate impaired hearing by an ENT specialist until my mid forties. I was referred to the public hospital audiology clinic, tested, and had to buy hearing aids. Of the cost of $7000 the government subsidy was only $1000. I was on welfare for health issues at the time so it was a financial struggle. The hearing aids were the old fashioned flesh coloured ear canal type. I was embarrassed to wear and use them because I didn’t want to look like a 70 year old at 40. I became after my time on welfare, an English language teacher with foreign students - and so not hearing students some of whom were were still developing speaking skills. I was then able on my teaching salary to attend a private audiology clinic. By then the new smaller smarter ie microchip technology hearing aids were available but cost $10 to 12 thousand (government subsidiary still only $1,000. It radically changed my life socially, professionally and mentally - once my brain got accustomed to the intrusive sounds of footsteps, birdcalls, rustling turning pages of news papers. But I WAS finally able to hear the sound of rain on the corrugated roof - my favourite sound.

You described my life so much.makes me feel not so alone

Incredible talk Christy. Even better listening to it a second time now. Fantastic job!

Thank you for this video .I am a C I user and I know where you are coming from. I spent my high school years in the 1970s and was put in a slow learners class where at school we were called the Dunstan dummies . My teachers treated me as though I was Distracted and not concentrating on my school work at that stage I was put at the back of the class and got bad reports sent to my parents .

Christy, thanks for your insight on this topic of hearing and listening. Also, it was a pleasure sharing the stage with you.

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Ty for helping other kids who don't have a voice and to afraid to get help

Loved meeting you, learning from you, and sharing the red circle with you!

Thank you

❤❤❤ Thank you! I probably started reading lips long before I realized that was what I was doing. My audiologist said that they want me to read lips in addition to the hearing aids. That makes no sense to me. I think they use my hearing aids as another means of abuse. I am probably a 3 and 4 without my hearing aids. I’m better with them, but they’ve never been adjusted properly to my hearing needs. As a reading teacher (prior to my hearing getting so bad) I had to fight to get a hearing test for one of my students. It finally happened just before the end of the school year.

There was a topic given to write an essay for this world ear day on topic making let's make hearing a reality for all.I referred many websites,looking for resources , WHO websites .Importance that I learned from your words on hearing aids brought me so much meaning in topic and taught me so much than any other resources would...

Your description of rearing lose is similar to mine. In school the teacher would tell me to sound out the words and spell it, I could not hear the word well enough to do that. Fortunately, I made it through high school and late attended a technical school that helped me have a good job and life. My hearing has progressively gotten worst, I now have a Cochlear implant and a hearing aid, but it is still very difficult to understand conversations if there is more than one other person. Life is good but poor hearing makes many things very difficult.

Thank you for sharing your story. My hearing aids are under a $1000. They are not the greatest but they at least allow me to hear better than I can without them. I would love to see what an expensive pair of hearing aids would do to improve my hearing but I can't justify spending that much money on hearing aids that only last for a few years.

I was tested in elementary school and told that I was hearing impaired. Still to this day, at the age of 55, I haven't gotten hearing aids. From your description, I have an impairment level of at least three.

Sadly our culture is quite uneducated, prejudice, intolerant & unkind to individuals with special health care needs. As individuals we can offer education & practice a little more tolerance & kindness to each other. Our acceptance or lack there of, can make or break an individual’s day.

I am 25 years old and I still struggle to feel confident wearing hearing aids and I struggle to admit I have hearing impairment.

audiologists need to expand there scope on hearing. They mostly focus on hearing speech and i get it because thats how hearing aids are developed. Ive posted this question a few times in various places and never get an answer. We are told that normal hearing can withstand 80-85 DB a long timer before any damage is done. THE QUESTION is when you have damaged hearing with some severe to profound loss in both ears are you still safe at those levels or does that threshold now drop to 60 70 db or stay the same at 80 to 85 db

Thanks a lot for your video. I write from Barcelona. I have just found out this video trying to improve my English low level. It describes my case. I have the hearing impaired in grade severe. Several relatives of mine have the same issue. I am 70. I use hearing aids from year 1999, when I was 45. Before, I was excluded from promotions in my work. I left this company. Thanks my hearing aids I could work and earn a good living. Is Spain most of ENT doctors beside useless, are scoundrel. Some ones collect kickback fees from hearing aid sellers. Other difficult thing is founding out any hearing care professional that was able to adjust properly the hearing aids. I know several disasters. I suffered more than one.

Up to 6 thousand dollars! In Australia that is up to $30,000! My last set cost $11,000 ouch. Without them I can hear bass sounds well but very little in the high pitch sounds - just the range in which my wife speaks so she thinks I am just not listening to her. Listen harder she says, but when I put in the aids she expects that they will enable me to hear normally so she goes back to using he normally soft voice rapidly speaking duh!

6000$ for a hearing aid ? That's more than twice as much as the cost here in Sweden and we even get the greatest part paid by the public health insurance. I know that also farmaceutical medicine is much more expensive in the US than elsewhere. They scam you I think it is cheaper to buy a hearing aid in Canada or in Mexico.

I hate my hearing aids. Hate them so much. I’ll never wear them. Never ever ever. Deaf is not a bad thing. We are perfect the way we are. YOU hearing people are the disabled ones because you can’t use sign language and you don’t get to be a part of our amazing culture and community. Too bad for you.

😷 ☕ 🇺🇸

This is the most insulting TedTalk to the Deaf community

Mic is too close to your nose...can hear your nasal breathing.

Christy, thanks for your insight on this topic of hearing and listening. Also, it was a pleasure sharing the stage with you.