Originally Posted by
flyquiet
Do other deaf flyers ever get the sense that people think you need help and advice with basic things just because you're deaf? I get offered a lot of "helpful advice" (including here on FT) on account of being deaf that is really, really basic. (Including, literally, a seat-belt fastening tutorial on board the flight where I crossed 50K that year.) I don't fly as much as some of the real road warriors here, but I fly internationally all over the world on business multiple times a year, routinely take public transit in strange places, and a good portion of my work is in connection with tourism. Hearing people are always asking me for travel tips. My problem is not that I can't find a way around. My problem is that the barrier should not be there. I will continue to be resilient and find my way to where I need to be, but I'll be damned if I am going to accept that it's my duty to accommodate the barrier. Unfortunately, some people hear that as a "cry for help" and then we have that awkward moment when I am not as grateful as they would like me to be. Just me?
Not particularly. I tend not to advertise it unless it really becomes an issue. Haven't had an issue on here, I mostly reside in the BA forums where folks seems to be reasonably intelligent.
Most of that awkward moments have been confined to mostly Asian airlines who go way OTT in my early days of travels when I was figuring out out different airlines worked. I may have not looked or acted entirely grateful, perhaps smiling through gritted teeth.
There was a slightly awkward moment a couple days ago when a purser who had recognised me from a flight the previous month, did an awkward hug on realising I am deaf. Not sure what to make of it, I was a bit like that straight-laced lady P L Travers in Saving Mr Banks (which I was watching at the time on the IFE).
Seat-belt fastening tutorial?
