Rambles about Adam's hearing loss from someone with single-sided deafness
I was born completely deaf in my right ear and here are some things I think about with Adam's deafness. Might be helpful for fic writers or if you just want some angsty rambles.
Firstly, it's very difficult to hear when there's background noise. Focusing in on one thing at a time is necessary to hear things, but this takes a lot of energy and Adam is already chronically exhausted.
Where you sit in class matters! I always sit in the front and/or with my good ear facing the teacher when I'm in lectures. When I was in elementary school, I actually had a teacher who spoke into a microphone specifically for me. I can't help but thinking Adam would hate these kinds of special treatments or considerations.
Adam Parrish would NOT wear hearing aids (in my personal opinion) Even with insurance, they are extremely expensive, require seeing an audiologist regularly, and are hellish to get used to. For ssd (single sided deafness) the aid on the deaf ear functions as a receiver and transmits the sound into the hearing ear. They are very hard to get used to. Everything sounds so loud, crunchy and overwhelming. Some people are able to get used to them and find they work with their lifestyle. Personally, I hated them. I have never felt so hindered and reminded of my deafness than when I wore them.
People will think you are a bitch or ignoring them. Misreading social situations because you missed something is common and it sucks. When it's loud, I just have to guess what people are saying based off a few words because it's embarrassing to ask them to repeat themselves constantly. It can get really frustrating and for someone like Adam who is already hard on himself...
The Pig sounds like a nightmare scenario for someone with ssd. The loud engine, music, and four people talking. Adam likely only hears a third of what anyone says in there.
Adam is deaf in his left ear, so it's probably difficult for him to hear while sitting in the passenger seat. Ronan probably lets him drive, or never has music on when they are talking because he's considerate like that.
He is probably a heavier sleeper because of it when he sleeps on his good ear. It's like a built in mute button.
People WILL whisper in the wrong ear. It's hilarious.
Parties, clubs, and bars: you will not hear a word people say unless they are yelling directly at you.
Most people with ssd don't use sign language. Reading lips can be helpful to fill in the gaps though, and it's something I've practiced over time. I could see Adam picking this up quickly.
If you get an ear infection in your good ear, you are deaf for a few days. Common sense but I figured I'd mention it. Could be a good prompt. This was actually how I found out I had ssd as a kid.
It was certainly a huge adjustment. I was born with ssd and still, I notice the effects daily. I can't imagine if this had suddenly happened one day, especially the manner in which it happened. For a while it was probably a constant reminder of his past.
