The DeafandHoH Blog

  • Why is the prevalence of sexual abuse higher in DHH children compared to hearing children? June 26, 2022 Why is the prevalence of sexual abuse higher in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH)community than in the hearing population? Research indicates that 50% of DHH individuals aremore likely to experience childhood sexual abuse than 25% of hearing individuals (Obinna et al.,2006). Several factors contribute to this problematic issue within the DHH community. The mostcrucial factor is language deprivation. Many DHH... Read More
  • The Importance of Early Language Acquisition May 12, 2022 Did you know the first five years of life is crucial for early language acquisition? During this short period of life, babies’ brains are like a sponge and can absorb so much information. By the time they reach 5 years old, their brains are 85% developed (Children’s Bureau, 2022). Early language acquisition is essential for cognitive and emotional development. I... Read More
  • Super Bowl ’22 March 30, 2022 There were countless articles which got the deaf community hyped up and on board for the Super Bowl. Many articles led us to believe that the NFL hired ASL performers (Warren Snipe aka Wawa and Sean Forbes) to perform with the rappers on stage. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar are well known to be the millennial’s... Read More
  • Mental health check-in February 18, 2022 Happy New Year! I hope that you are finding success in your resolutions this year. With the current pandemic and dinner table syndrome over the holidays, I wanted to take a moment to check in with you guys. How is your mental health looking these days? Mental health is just as important as physical health. During uncertain times, success in... Read More
  • The world’s largest movie theater provides open captions NOW! January 28, 2022 AMC theaters is the largest movie theater chain to provide open captions at 240 different locations in the United States (Treisman, 2021). AMC plans to continue moviegoer accessibility of closed caption screenings and electronic listening devices in many of its theaters (Treisman, 2021). Additionally, the movie theater chain will provide weekly showtimes for new releases to viewers who want to... Read More

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Why I'm Here

Senthil Srinivasan

I created this blog to express my inner thoughts, feelings, and stories about my hearing loss, with hopes of creating a great place that will benefit everyone.

For many years I had been wearing behind-the-ear hearing aids, and have kept my hair long to cover them. I didn’t want people to know about my mild hearing loss. I was very sensitive and uncomfortable about it. As of today, I wear digital hearing aids which make it hard for people to notice as much. So, I decided to change my hairstyle and it doesn’t bother me anymore whether people see them. Looking at my old pictures, I ask myself, “what was I thinking!”

I was not happy with the way I looked back in high school and college, and I have come to realize that the hearing aids were a major reason why I was and still am so isolated from the outside world, and the reason for not having many friends. I believe people didn’t see the real me and my true personality, and lacking confidence didn’t help. They always treated me and looked at me like I was an outsider or diseased in some way. There were also other reasons that played a big role, such as my shyness and not having an outgoing personality, but that too could have been due to the way I was treated. Rather than analyzing the past each and every day, I have decided to open up and share my life experiences and the path that led me to where I am today.

I hope you will visit often and participate by leaving comments, submitting stories or articles, and sending me feedback that could help you, me, and everyone else who has had similar experiences.