This short film follows one person who kept their hearing loss secret at work for thirty years. It shows what changed when they chose to tell their team.
Transcript
For 30 years I have kept a secret. I lip-read, I sit near the head of the table, I nod and I smile and I fill in the gaps. And it worked. Until the company moved to open plan and video meetings. Suddenly the faces were small, the voices overlapped and my tricks stopped working.
I started missing things, important things. I was terrified. I was a senior manager. What would they think? I thought I would be pushed out. I thought I was the only one. I thought nobody would understand. I thought it was all over. I was wrong about every single one.
Then one Monday I stood up in front of my team. I said, I have hearing loss. I have had it for years. I should have told you sooner. Nobody laughed. Nobody looked away. One of them said, thank you for telling us, how can we help?
We had a workplace assessment, captions in meetings, a headset, agreed ways of working together. And I felt lighter than I had in 30 years. Now I say it loudly. And I say it proud. I have hearing loss and I am a good manager. If this is you, you do not have to keep the secret.
In the film, the right support came from asking what would help and then putting practical adjustments in place, such as captions, a headset and agreed ways of working. A workplace assessment looks at how someone actually hears in their own meetings and workspace, and recommends what will make each day easier. If you or someone in your team is deaf or has hearing loss and would like expert, tailored support to stay productive and comfortable at work, visit https://visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com/workplace-assessments/hearing-loss-workplace-assessment/ to arrange a hearing loss workplace assessment.