Dr. Anne Panofsky is widely recognized for her work in testing & diagnosing effects of physical and emotional disabilities. This includes clients with ADHD, Learning Problems, Hearing Impairment and Brain Injury. Dr. Panofsky was one of the first newly admitted female hearing-impaired psychologists on the Westside. Because she had to go through her studies without any special help, she understands and has committed herself to making it easier for other people with disabilities. Dr. Panofsky has a wide variety of resources for her clients that include support groups, educational accommodations, individual counseling and access to organizational services to help with enhancing quality of life.

(Anne Panofsky, Ph.D. PSY 5325)

E-mail Dr. Panofsky at: panofskyphd@aol.com

“What?” By Anne Panofsky, Ph.D.   Not long ago a colleague asked me what it was like growing up deaf?  Trying to be politically correct she assumed that, because I am hearing impaired, I would want to be called deaf.  This statement confirmed my experience that the hearing-impaired are lost between two different worlds, not quite fitting in anywhere.   Hearing impaired people often feel isolated but it is not because they are alone.  10% of Americans are hearing impaired, 1% profoundly so.  What makes it unique among the disabilities is that it often remains hidden from view.  It is hidden not only by long hair that covers the aid, but by the vigilance many hearing impaired keep in order to hear and avoid being ostracized.  However, although there are many people with a hearing loss, the stigma of having a deficit and the constant fear of looking foolish is often suffered alone.   To help end this isolation, I co-founded a support group for working hearing-impaired women.  In this group many women first say other successful hearing-impaired people.  Some had already joined wonderful organizations such as Self Help for the Hard of Hearing, but they had never seen female peers who, in spite of their hearing loss, functioned extremely well in their roles as lawyers therapists, film directors, or broadcasters.  This experience can be inspirational as well as good modeling.   Even in this group, however, there was resistance to using all the technology available for the hearing-impaired.  “I don’t want to be covered with wires,” one woman said as she described her early years school being made fun of.  “I used to hide in the closet to get away from the ridicule.”  Many older people who need to wear hearing aids do not.  Afraid of aging, of not functioning, they deny their loss and do not use what’s available, thereby irritating their families with their constant demands for repetition.  Sometimes people lose their hearing prematurely due to noise on the jobs or loud music.   Often people refuse to wear hearing aids because they do not totally cut out background noise.  Brains in sensory neural hearing impaired people have lost the ability to tune out what is undesirable and focus in on what is desirable.  Technology has not advanced enough to make up for this loss and perhaps never will.  The other problem is that loudness is not enough.   Many hearing impaired people hear distorted sound when something is amplified.  Becoming discouraged, hearing-impaired people often retire early, or get fired.  Others do everything they can to hide their disability.  Although the Americans With Disabilities Act is designed to protect hearing-impaired employees, they still fear being fired in this age of downsizing.  For all these reasons, it is sometimes hard to recognize which of your co-workers, friends and relatives are hearing impaired in order to give them support. Here are some clues. They include:   Hearing aid in the ear. Talking louder than is customary. Continuous talking to avoid trying  to hear. Staring without blinking due to reading lips. Responding to things you never said. Turning one ear to you. Saying “What” a lot. Jumping in on a group conversation discussing a topic that ended minutes ago. Never hearing when you are not in front of them or when it’s dark. Having special trouble hearing people with accents.   You can facilitate communication with your hearing impaired friends and colleagues by:   Only talking to your hearing impaired friends when they are in front of you. Not talking in the dark or from other rooms. Finding places without noise in the background. In restaurants, trying booths away from traffic and music. Talking slowly and enunciating your words. If your friend looks puzzled, telling them what you’re thinking in another way. Vowels are easier to hear than consonants. Only inviting them to small parties with no more than 7 guests. Keeping the lights on and sharing romance in other ways. Using nonverbal cues such as physical affection and eye contact. Showing patience and continuing interest, perhaps one of the above conditions was not met.   Most of the things that facilitate communication for hearing-impaired individuals improve communication for everyone.  If we all followed these suggestions, you would probably never be without friends and companions.  Just be a little more aware of these points as you interact with your families, friends, employees, and coworkers.