Deaf Awareness Week 2026: Myth Busting with Jack
- DATE WRITTEN:
- READING TIME: 5 minutes
- AUTHORS: Sophie Walker (Assistant Community Engagement Officer)
Please meet Cotswold Archaeology’s “Duracell Bunny” – Jack Tobias – a field archaeologist with a background in zooarchaeology. I recently met up with Jack on site and we had a cosy cabin chat about deafness.
So Jack, how do you relate to the word ‘deaf’?
Whilst the term ‘deaf’ isn’t one that resonated with me initially, I’ve recently come to recognise and acknowledge its presence in my life. Deafness is a spectrum and like any spectrum, it can be hard to place yourself at the right point. And truthfully, a lot of the time I actually forget I’m deaf – can you believe that? Others are usually surprised to find out that I am deaf, but that’s doesn’t negate the fact that certain aspects of my condition come with challenges, especially at work.
What kind of challenges do you meet at work?
First and foremost, standard PPE – personal protective equipment like hard hats and hi-vis – may not be compatible with my hearing aids. I find the band of my hard hat can physically obstruct my hearing aids, and my safety glasses can push them away from my ears, which causes a lot of feedback noise (essentially whistling/screeching sounds that hearing aids make to warn you they’re not in properly). This is obviously not helpful and is irritating, especially if you’re trying to write a context sheet or focus on tidying up a section – distracting!!
To help with these issues I’ve found items like winter hard-hat liners are helpful to reduce feedback and provide a buffer, however this produces its own problems – by muffling sound, which can mean it’s more difficult to hear…!
What’s your experience of hearing aids, have you found them helpful?
Since I was young, I’ve had hearing aids to aid my hearing ability. As a child I found this aspect of life a little annoying, especially when I had to use ‘radio aids’ for school. They were heavy and mostly didn’t work very well – not a fan!
I’d say I hear well with my hearing aids, but this doesn’t mean I can hear as well as a hearing person. Noisy machinery or even simple things like wind can render my hearing aids useless – not particularly helpful in a fieldwork environment. For such cases I do partially lip-read, like many Deaf people, and in these scenarios I find it most helpful for people to face me – if you’re looking at the sky, we’re all confused!
Would you like to help me bust some myths about deafness?
Heck yeah!
Jack, I hear hearing aids will ‘fix’ your hearing – myth or fact?
Big Myth! This is not true at all, hearing aids are (and the clue is in the name) an aid. They’re designed to be used to increase the remaining hearing ability in one’s ear(s) – they are not a cure, just a tool. They only amplify sound, which can actually be very unhelpful at times!
You don’t sound deaf, you speak really well, so surely you can hear just fine? – Myth or fact?
Myth – what is ‘deaf’ supposed to sound like? It’s my ears that are affected not my mouth. Not all deaf persons or people who have hearing loss have what’s commonly referred to as a ‘deaf accent’. Lots of people learn to speak before they’ve lost their hearing or attend speech and language classes to develop their speech. Remember deafness is an invisible disability, it doesn’t have a look or a sound.
If I just shout or speak really loud that will help, right? – Myth or fact?
MYTH! If you shout it doesn’t make the sound clearer, it actually makes it more difficult to figure out what’s been said. My hearing aids work like tiny computers with microphones, and much like normal microphones, loud noises distort the sound and are often translated as incomprehensible sounds.
What myth about deafness do you want to bust?
The idea that deaf people can’t be smart or intelligent – it’s an absolute myth! My intelligence has nothing to do with my deafness. Deaf people can absolutely be smart and intelligent – there is nothing wrong with our brains or comprehension. This misconception has ancient roots. Aristotle wrongly linked deafness with intelligence, and the first written description of someone being labelled “deaf and dumb” was recorded by Pliny the Elder around 77 AD. These outdated (and flat out wrong!) ideas have lingered far longer than they should have. Patience and understanding go a long way when talking to a deaf person. Okay… so it takes a little longer to have a conversation, but why the rush?
Any parting words you want to leave us with?
I would just say, throughout my time working for Cotswold Archaeology I’ve found that every person I meet is extremely understanding of my deafness. However, just because I don’t seem to struggle as much, or ask for more support, does not mean others don’t need it or don’t struggle. With deafness, it isn’t immediately visible and that, by no means, means every condition or disability is created equally! Everyone needs different accommodations; you’ve just got to ask what is best for each individual – I’m sure they’ll tell you!
#NoOneWayToBeDeaf
