That's one reason why deafness is often called "the invisible handicap". You can see a wheelchair, or a seeing-eye dog, but unless a deaf person is signing, one's disability is not noticed. Even hearing aids today are so small you can hardly see them.
A dear friend of mine who was blind once remarked to me that she would rather have been blind than deaf. Surprised at the notion, I asked her why. She said that being blind, she can at least communicate with the world through her ears; she felt that deafness is a terribly isolating disability.
“A dear friend of mine who was blind once remarked to me that she would rather have been blind than deaf. Surprised at the notion, I asked her why. She said that being blind, she can at least communicate with the world through her ears; she felt that deafness is a terribly isolating disability.”
Helen Keller once said that she would rather be blind than deaf. She explained that “blindness cuts you off from things while deafness cuts you off from people”. Very true.