As a child it was a secret I worked feverishly to hide, and then adult life brought more humiliating encounters
‘An early visit to an audiologist confirmed my parents’ suspicions. I had congenital, high-frequency hearing loss in both ears.’‘An early visit to an audiologist confirmed my parents’ suspicions. I had congenital, high-frequency hearing loss in both ears.’I was born deaf. When my mother held me as a baby I would put my fingers around her chin, pulling her face towards me so that I could read her lips.
I was in prep. A group of six kids were playing in the big yard, a massive slab of bitumen that hosted games of cricket, soccer and rounders, and was also a site for the brutal resolution of conflicts. I’d joined the pack of powerful boys. I wore my aggression like a mask. I wasn’t like that boy. I desperately didn’t want to be that boy.The memory makes me wince.One day in grade 6, a well-meaning teacher told me in front of the class that I needed to sit in the front row, taking me away from my best friend.Humiliated, I stormed out of class and went home. Looking back, I know that she was looking out for me.
For most of that first term the plan succeeded, until one day the teacher caught me talking to another boy. He pounced. In response to a question, I’d embark on an ethereal rant that I would later discover had no relationship to the conversation. The Bendigo magistrates court is a testament to Victorian architecture, a building that carries a sense of grandeur. But its wooden floors and walls make it a difficult place for anyone who struggles to hear. Some years ago, I appeared as an advocate on behalf of a client who was pleading guilty to a string of offences. My plea in mitigation went well for him and he avoided jail. But as I made my submissions, the magistrate challenged my assertions. I could barely hear him.
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