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Published in Better Hearing Australia December 2007
Awarded the Walter Backholer Award - Prose in the 2007 LITERARY AWARDS. Adjudicator Ian Gullen wrote,"An interesting account of a world trip, which came to life in unexpected ways due to the magic of the Cochlear implant."
Transcript - Travelling without a Disability
I love travelling. Visiting famous places, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people; photographing world renowned icons excites me. But because I am deaf I had to accept I might sometimes miss out. I couldn't listen to movies or music while travelling on aeroplanes to help pass the time. The comments of our tour guides were lost to me making my experience less than it could be, while not being able to use self guide audio systems at tourist sites meant I didn't always understand what I was looking at. I certainly didn't expect to enjoy shows, plays or concerts.
Recently, my husband Rob and I took three months off and visited many exciting places around the world. Since I now have a Cochlear Implant I wasn't sure what I would hear and how rich my experience would be.
We started from Adelaide and travelled on 11 flights, many of the trips long and tedious. To my delight I found a number of the audio systems on these planes were compatible with my Cochlear Implant. I could plug the audio cord into the headphone jack on the seats and into my processor allowing me to hear not only the captain and crew announcements but also the movies and music. This helped to pass the time and relieve the tedium especially on those long haul flights.
Figure 1 : Rob using the self guide audio tour from the top of the Empire State Building
In New York we visited The Empire State Building. Rob received the self-guide audio device which held a pre-recorded story of the view, buildings and locations looking in different directions over the New York skyline. I expected to simply enjoy the magnificent vista and Rob would tell me what I was looking at, but I found, to my surprise, I could hold the device to my processor microphone and hear the commentary quite clearly.
We travelled on to Paris and in the Louvre our tour guide used a microphone which transmitted, on a dedicated short range frequency, to receivers each of us were given. I had to wedge the ear piece against my processor and while not easy to keep it in place, I still heard most of the commentary. However, in Pompei, the tour guide audio system was compatible with my processor and once again I could plug it direct, giving me sound, probably clearer than the rest of the group was receiving.
Before I went deaf I had completed many years of classical piano training so for me to visit the cities of the great composers was almost a pilgrimage. In Vienna our tour group attended a Strauss Chamber Orchestra concert. This was held in a chamber which had been specially designed for the performance of this kind of music and one in which Strauss had actually played. Once again I wasn't sure how I would find it, but the music soared around the room and fell on deaf ears but I could now not only hear but recognise these tunes.
Figure 2: Rob & Felicity outside Notre Dame, Paris
When my husband Rob told me he really wanted to see the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap in London, I wasn't sure I wanted to. What would I hear from a live stage performance? The Mousetrap is an iconic play which has run for more than 50 years. However, since we aren't in London very often (smirk) I decided I'd go just so Rob didn't miss out. At best I expected it to be boring to watch and not hear anything.
When we booked the tickets (which were around AUD$115 per person) I checked if the theatre had a hearing loop. The agent told me to speak to the theatre staff just to make sure it was working. A few days earlier we had seen a movie in Leicester Square and I found the hearing loop 'didn't work', so I wasn't expecting much from live theatre.
Figure 3 : The MouseTrap has been running in London for more than 50 years
A staff member brought me a box with headphones. This box, which I hung around my neck, picked up the sound from the stage hearing loop and transmitted it to the headphones. I tried my cochlear processor audio cord and discovered it fitted the headphone jack on the loop box. I was able to connect direct to my processor and to my delight was able to clearly hear everything on stage. (PS: I'm not telling you 'whodunnit'. You'll have to go and see for yourself.)
This time, travelling was a joy. The experience was enhanced because I could hear the tales, the stories, the folklore, the histories and gossip of the places we visited. Because I was able to hear, The Mousetrap was a wonderful surprise. I enjoyed it so much and this was, for me, a major highlight.
Biography: Felicity Bleckly lost her hearing gradually until around age 35 she had little or no effective hearing which could not be enhanced with hearing aids. She received a Cochlear Implant in 2003 which gave her, her life back. She is a member of the Cochlear Awareness Network, a team of people who proactively educate about how a Cochlear Implant or a Cochlear Baha can enhance the quality of life for people impacted with a significant hearing loss. For more information or to book a guest speaker for your group or club visit Cochlear Awarness Network