My first post!

Hi people! So this is my first post on my first blog. I've started to read up a lot on topics/discussions about hearing loss and deafness. There's some really interesting stuff out there! I thought it was about time I started a blog to keep track of this stuff, reflect on it and get feedback from like-minded people.

I probably should be sociable and introduce myself.
I'm 23 and if you want to get technical, I have what's called *takes breath* "Profound Congenital Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss".
Cool name right? but what does it mean? In simpler terms, I'm profoundly (completely) deaf in my right ear due to nerve deafness and have been since birth. How come you say? Nobody knows. All I know is that I have a busted inner ear (cochlea to be specific). Ok anatomy lesson over.

Since 2006 I've been wearing wireless CROS hearing aids (Contralateral Routing of Signal). They are behind-the-ear hearing aids (one on each ear). Basically they take the sound arriving on the right side of my head (my deaf side) and feed it into my opposite ear. When I have the aids in I can now hear just enough on my bad side to alert me to some sounds, and thus I turn around to see what's happening on that side.

I consider myself "half-deaf", "hard of hearing", "deaf" or that I "have a hearing loss" interchangeably. Depends on how I feel at the time. I personally don't like using the terms "hearing impaired" or "hearing disability" as the latter words are negative and place an emphasis on what we can't do rather than what we can. Some people use these terms for themselves. It's all about what you feel comfortable with really!

I'm gonna leave you with a little quote I like...

"Deaf people can do anything a hearing person can, except hear." — I. King Jordan