How hearing aids work
This is intended as a writing guide, but anyone is welcome to read it to learn more about the different aids used by deaf people.
Please remember that these are based off my experience as somebody who was born deaf in the uk. Other deaf people will have vastly different experiences, and I would encourage you to look up other guides like this
Hearing aids are not always available, particularly if you live in a country without free healthcare. They can be very expensive, both to buy and to take care of
If your character is a deaf child or young teenager, they will need new hearing aid moulds every so often as their ears grow. This only involves going to the hospital for a few hours, and isn't really a big deal. You can get different colours of mould, sometimes sparkly ones, or with tiny embedded designs
Hearing aids cannot get wet, so we take them off to shower, swim, etc. We also take them off to sleep
Hearing aids do not fix hearing loss, and many deaf people still need to lipread and use sign language while wearing them. Please don't try to compare them to glasses!
Some people choose not to wear hearing aids at all, which is a perfectly reasonable and valid decision. Sometimes it is too overwhelming to be exposed to so much noise, sometimes people just prefer to sign or use other non-verbal communication
Not all people with hearing aids know or use sign language
If your character is wearing hearing aids for the first time, they will probably become a lot clumsier while they get used to it
That's all I can think of for now! To any hearing writers reading this, I'm glad you're making an effort to write diverse characters thoughtfully and respectfully!
