[WildHighlander57]

I agree with you, NCSUgirl4ever.

It's horribly isolating & normal-hearing people don't have a clue how to deal with it, and they don't make an effort to do a work-around on communicating.

I'm in the middle, born with hearing loss that has slowly gotten worse; am not quite a candidate for cochlear implants, so am in a race against time w.r.t. retirement... will my hearing last another 2 to 5 years?

I don't have a social life; all the chitchat and small talk and jokes go right over my head.

[NCSUgirl4ever]

I am in the same boat with you, WildHighlander 57. I don’t find family gatherings enjoyable anymore because just about everyone is talking over my head.

But please don’t limit yourself to hearing friends and family. Learn American Sign Language (ASL) and once you learn it, you will enjoy conversation with some very smart Deaf people! Some hearing people have learned ASL and it has been great conversing with them, too! Some community colleges offer beginning ASL. Please go and open up a whole new world for yourself!

[Svartalfiar]

It's horribly isolating & normal-hearing people don't have a clue how to deal with it, and they don't make an effort to do a work-around on communicating.
So, the government should come in and force everyone else to accommodate you? How does that in any way make sense?