Following on from what has already been said, and so elloquently, isn't it a shame that people who are working in call centres, or are working as telephone receptionists, have a tendency to gabble. Has anyone else noticed this? I suppose their job might be a bit repetative and boring, but quite honestly, I dread having to make a telephone enquiry sometimes.
I am fortunate to have pretty good hearing, but find that these rapidly-speaking gabblers, cause me to keep asking for them to repeat whatever words they have just mangled - but do they slow down a bit, or make any attempt to speak more clearly........ not usually, no. Instead you hear the little sigh of impatience, and just know that they are labelling you as either being ga-ga or deaf. So if I - and others I've mentioned this to - find it difficult, then anyone with a hearing loss must find it downright impossible.
It is only a small point, I know, but wouldn't it be helpful if telephone staff everywhere, were made aware of their telephone-answering technique, and were perhaps taught to communicate more clearly?
Of course, it I wanted to be really critical, I could also cite the medium of TV. How often is speech drowned out almost completely by overly-loud background music and effects? Too often! Documentaries might be interesting, but how would we know... the narrator might have the clearest of clear voices, but he or she simply cannot compete with the tsunami/dinosaur/atmospheric 'music' with which they are in competition.
I'd better get off my soapbox now, but in conclusion, yes, I agree with everyone here, that greater awareness of all degrees of hearing-loss can only be a good thing.
