Disability Awareness for All

2. What is a disability?

2.2. Case Study

Read the case study below: what can we learn from Alanna’s experience and how does it reflect the previous except?

My Testimony – a case study - Alanna

I am hearing impaired. I have had sensori-neural hearing loss since birth in both of my ears. I prefer to attend noisy events, whilst I find them challenging, I enjoy challenging the misconceptions of deafness/ the idea that I shouldn’t be invited to events since I struggle to hear. I want to show that we, the deaf community can overcome the adversity and difficulties that we face. However, I also acknowledge that I have found it embarrassing and tiring having to ask people to repeat themselves. But I use this to my advantage, I use these noisy and challenging events to try and overcome the stigma that it is embarrassing or shameful that I cannot hear everything or often mishear. I try to be patient with myself, as if I can’t be patient with myself how can I expect others to be. Everyone has different communication needs, and the solution is creating an environment where everyone can be included, people should not be excluded from situations just because of their impairment.

 I would like to highlight that my experiences are vastly different to others with more, less or the same amount of hearing loss, it even differs to those who have lost it as they have aged, through illness or if born with hearing impairment.

 Even though I am deaf I still want to participate, it isn’t for others to decide whether a situation is too challenging for me, it is up to me as the individual to decide if it is too difficult, I don’t want to be excluded just because others think I will struggle.

 I would like to note that many testimonies contradict each other, this is exactly what they are meant to do! It shows just how much disability can affect society as no two people are the same and no two people have the same experience. This is why it is so important to get people to start talking. If churches do not talk to individuals, how can anything be made better?  For some, disability isn’t something they like to talk about, but for others it is! And this is ok. To me, disability isn’t a taboo subject, and it isn’t shameful, but we must understand that for some, disabilities are deeply personal and can be a hurtful topic. Therefore, when doing these discussions and conversation starters, we must encourage churches to be inclusive but mindful.