she

New here and I'm starting to commute again ...as soon as I get my bike. I'm harding of hearing but without my hearing aids I'm deaf. In the summer I can't wear them while biking so I have 2 large mirrors that I use. In the morning its easy as traffic is light but evenings means I plan another route to get home or even ride the sidewalks. I usually end up walking a bit but thats ok (nutin wrong with walking!)So I was wondering if anyone else here has this situation?

green427

Yep, I am 100% deaf while I am riding either my bicycles or motorcycles. I am about 80% hearing when I wear my CI's. Welcome!!

I wear a small mirror that hangs from my helmet when I ride on main roads. I don't bother with the mirror when I am in state parks, trails, etc.

FYI, some cyclists on board here think deaf people are nuts for commuting...see this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...phones...what-!


Yeah, I've been run off the bike lanes by irate drivers, and many left-turners don't wait for me. I avoid sidewalks unless I absolutely have to use them.

3speedslow

Not completely but Have lost most off my hearing in the right side. Good enough on the left to hear most of the traffic sounds.

3SS

she

OMG I can't believe they compare people with earbuds to people with hearing aids. I am super duper observant on the road compared to people with earbuds. Did you know its legal to drive a car in NYC if you are deaf? Not many people know that.
Any ways do you have any funny stories about your hearing and riding. Heres one to start. HEHEHE i was riding my bike locally coming from the library. I was passing a car on my right hand side just glancing so no doors were gong to open as I saw people inside. Just as I got up to the car they decided to have fun and blast there horn...loud. Which sounded like a hurt puppy to me(yes I can hear horns weakly)I turned to laugh at them cause I didnt even flinch. OMG the look on their face!!! They were a bunch of teens BTW.

green427

I have lots of funny stories from back in the days when my deaf friends and I did a lot of mountain biking. The fun stopped after we got married & had kids.

I've had a few embarrassing moments in the woods when I realize someone had been behind me yelling at me to get the f* out of the way for awhile before I looked to see I've been holding up people.

she

Yeah I get that tons ....more when I'm walking then riding. I saw on the bus once a deaf man get shoved because he didn't hear the fella behind him say excuse me 3 times.

MVclyde

I've lost most of the hearing in my left ear. Right ear is still pretty good. I can usually hear traffic, etc., but sometimes I get disoriented because I can't tell what direction the noise is coming from. No mirrors... I've gotten accustomed to keeping my head on a swivel.

Slightly off topic, but my biggest concern is balance.....my ear condition causes dizziness/vertigo. I've had some pretty interesting rides.

dcrowell

I don't have any hearing issues, but one of the first bike commuters I ever met was totally deaf. She didn't think it was a big deal. Now blind would be interesting....

MikeyBoyAz

single sided def (left ear unfortunately). Can't hear almost anything on the left side of me (including cars) without my baha which I can't fit on while wearing a helmet @ MVclyde no acoustic neuroma I hope! ( symptoms I had before I found out I had that tumor )... once it came out it only got a little better... still stumble sometimes and run into door frames if I am too close and/or its too dark, cycling has been a challenge with some intermittent weaving, but all in all pretty good lately.

RI_Swamp_Yankee

I know a few people who were born deaf, and have been raised in "Deaf Culture" - They are intelligent and erudite, and in one case an immensely gifted artist, but their writing is poor and difficult to understand by hearing-standard English speakers.

It turns out ESL is very, very, very different from spoken English, and the rules of grammar only really make sense to most people if they can "hear" them, either through language or sign - so ESL-native speakers come across as semi-fluent to us, and we to them, despite both of us claiming to write in English!

531phile 

I'm partially deaf in one ear(only 20% hearing). I wear passive noise canceling ear buds for my mp3 player so I might as well be considered deaf when I ride. One gets 90% of info from your eyes so I really don't use my ears when biking. Some cyclist will frown upon wearing headphones while biking, but I see no difference between doing this and driving a car with the music on.

I'd suggest making sure you a supremely visible for your safety and when you are faced with a certain area that you are not sure about, just walk it. I walk many intersections that are really busy mainly because the lights change too quick.

Also follow all traffic laws and be predicable. All standard safety recommendations.

1242Vintage

One of my kids is severely hearing impaired. Still remember her first bike rides without training wheels up and down the street in front of the house. We live on a hill. She was coasting down the hill and I was worried she was going too fast on her little bike. I signed "slow". As she went flying by the house on her bike down the hill she had one hand on the handlebars and was signing "NO" to me with the other.

She is now a teenager and we cycle together occasionally.

green427

I know what you are saying, just be aware that it is a sensitive subject. Many are like that, but not all. I live in the 'deaf culture', and am fluent in ASL, ESL, and SEE, and you cannot tell that I am deaf by listening to me. There are quite a few of us, but we blend in and keep to ourselves.

Riverish

I'm not, however my father is. He's deaf in one ear (the inside was completely scooped out due to a parasite he caught in the ocean and let live in his ear for the better part of 30 years), so he cannot tell where sound comes from, like if you were to yell "Hey I'm over here!" he would have no idea where 'here' is, and if there are multiple sounds going on, he cant easily distinguish which is which. Anyhow, I digress, he commutes to work with a trailer on his bike even, and he relies on three mirrors, and depending on the street he may walk a bit.

green427

If you slip on sand or gravel, you don't want to land on your head with the baha in place. For HA wearers or CI wearers like me, all we hear is the wind hitting the microphone, which is annoying and masks all other sounds, so there is no point in wearing it. Plus, hearing aids are $2K apiece, and CI processors are $10K apiece, something else to consider.

bikegeek57

am deaf. have been commuting for several years. when I first started this I was worried about not hearing but quickly realized it is not a problem. do what every other rider does. be proactive about your safety. drive sanely, light up your bike, wear bright clothes, stay out of the way. I modified my route to avoid the busier streets not because I can't hear but because it's safer generally. so an extra mile or two? more exercise better for me anyway. besides the quieter streets are prettier. I commute all year around. I don't ride in lightening but otherwise everything else is fair game.

I actually like riding in the dark. Car lights give me a big heads up they are approaching front and rear. I did mention light up your bike? lots of lights. but that applies to anyone riding in the dark. The more the merrier and yes I look like a circus going through town. so.... for me it's all about safety. They can't possibly say they didn't see me unless they really were not paying attention. won't go there with the driving climate as it is.

Most of us who are deaf accommodate by being more observant other ways. Nothing changes there.

Someone posted a device to shield your hearing aids from wind noise. have not tried it. might be something to consider. Product: Hearing Aid Sweat Bands search Bike Forum for it.

Just be safe and pay attention.

BarracksSi

Cute!

I'm not deaf, but I ride as if I were, and it's been keeping me pretty safe so far. I think a lot of hearing riders would benefit from using the same kind of awareness.

she

Such wonderful responds!! I agree with hearing loss we all have different responds because of what we actual hear or not. Riverish I also have that kind of hearing loss. Very annoying not to know where the sound is coming from when riding. Thats why I have 2 mirrors on my bike. I want my surroundings in my sight.
Bikegeek I know what Hearing Aid Sweat Bands is I had them before I like to call them mini condoms LOL. I also like to ride in the dark. Its easier just all around in getting around. 1242Vintage good for your daughter! I love that! very independent. Wow so glad I found this forum

opal

I agree, especially in city environments where streetlights are plentiful. The only problem is other bicycles without lights! Cars aren't typically driven "ninja" at night (at least, not that I've heard/seen about) - it's not beneficial to the driver whereas something like speeding or running lights/stop signs can be dangerous but well at least you get the benefit of maybe getting to where you're going faster.

garagegirl

My story exactly, and it's just happened in the past few years. Not being able to place where sounds come from can be very disorienting. Usually I'm aware that something is approaching from somewhere, but sometimes cars pass me or honk at me and I had absolutely no idea they were there. I look around a lot and don't use a mirror. I would certainly use a mirror if I were deaf in both ears.
I'm lucky that I've only had one bad bout of vertigo and my balance has always been very good, but I've already decided that if the vertigo comes back I will sacrifice my remaining hearing to be vertigo free.
I can't imagine wearing a hearing aid, I already have to wear glasses and wouldn't want anymore crap on my face. Nothing anyone has to say is that interesting anyway

Sundance89

I'm deaf in my right ear due to a very large brain tumor (5cm acoustic neuroma). It makes riding in a paceline interesting. Sometimes as I'm pulling through, other riders make small talk and I hear nothing. Early on though I told them what was up to not seem like a hard ass. Now they might just touch my right arm and I can turn my left ear towards them for a quick exchange.

I know others on this forum have had this type of tumor and we can tell you that having your vestibular system removed on one side of your brain presents a great challenge for balance. You must learn how to walk again, drive again, etc. by teaching your left side of the brain to handle it all. And locating sounds leads to some embarassing 360 degree turns sometimes when someone calls your name. But, you learn to laugh at it.

green427

That might be true in some cases, but, when it comes to being treated equally, it is not pleasant. There is a reason the majority of profoundly deaf people are on government assistance....private employers view us as a big inconvenience. Forget the ADA crap; it doesn't apply to hiring.

MVclyde

garagegirl - I agree! I would gladly trade the hearing loss for no more vertigo. The nuclear option for my condition is to snip a nerve that would cause total hearing loss. I would seriously consider the procedure if vertigo got really bad. I'm lucky it's only one ear, though. Might be different story if it was both ears.

I figure if the dizziness gets too bad, I could always buy a three wheel recumbent.

MVclyde

You should see me in the elevator lobby at work. 3 elevators on either side. I push the button and hear the "bing" but can't tell what direction it came from. Inevitably I spin around until I see the doors open. I must look pretty silly. It cracks me up every time

Hippiebrian

Am I the only one a little freaked out by this?