I think it can be very tough for people with normal hearing to understand how it's possible to communicate as a hard of hearing person. Just last week I was asked skeptically how I could "hear anything" at a crowded public event where it appeared that I was conversing easily. Ha! What people don't get is that making sense of unclear speech is what I have to do all the time - unless I happen to be in close proximity to someone in a very quiet space.
When I read online about a new hearing loss demo, I thought perhaps it could help me explain how I manage. I played the Loss of High Frequencies clip for one of the people who had asked me how I could hear anything. She could not make out what was being said at all. She was surprised when I said I could get most of it. I told her that kind of speech is what I'm used to hearing. Then I played for her the No Hearing Loss clip. What a difference! Crystal clear clarity. It was quite easy to tell what was said. My friend was amazed. I hope that now she understands a little better that I may get by, but it's not easy.
