Just to make things clear: This is not a victim story. I never planned to be a pilot or anything. Reduced hearing isn't a huge hassle in your everyday life. I've worked in restaurants and customer service with no problem. I've always mentioned the ear thing to my bosses when I start a new job, but within a week they've completely forgotten about it. In over two decades, precisely one person has figured it out on his own, and he was a trained nurse. You learn to adapt: Some rudimentary lip-reading and tactical positioning will always win over a slight impediment.
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It's very difficult to tell by a glance whether this thing works or not.
The thing about all of those "survival" tactics I just mentioned is that they work only when I concentrate ... which is difficult when you're so used to the condition that you sometimes just forget about it. And that's when people will think you're a dick.
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