I’d just come off the Internet after a long conversation with a friend and my youngest asked me something. For a fraction of a second I was confused, I mean; his lips were moving but no sound came out. I was about to shake my head, the way you do when you have water in your ears and want to clear them, when I remembered that I am deaf!
Talking via the Internet is the closest I get to have conversations without barriers, apart from a little time lag between questions and answers. The other person has the same handicap as me – having to type. You can even chat with several people at the same time.
I discover these facilities when lost the ability to understand the spoken word. I became isolated, a hermit even, not able (I believed) to take part in anything.
However when I started to greet Rob as he came through the door after a day's work with tales of how it had taken me ages to defrost the fridge and that I had washed the dog and he had shaken himself and soaked me; I realized something had to be done.
I joined countless forums and networks; many to do with hearing loss.
But Facebook is where I struck gold. Within days I was reunited with four sisters and a number of long lost friends. And over time I have acquired many new friends who share my passions and interests and even my sense of humour!