In my first Top 5 Pet Peeves post I wrote about the top 5 annoying things people do to me because I use a wheelchair. For this top 5 Pet Peeves post I decided to list the top 5 most annoying things people do without realizing I am hard-of-hearing.

1. Talking to me during a movie we are watching in theaters
I don't always wear my hearing-aids so I can't totally blame people for this, but when I am not wearing them (which is 85% of the time) - I am relying on lip reading. If you are going to talk to me in a dark place when I am actually listening to the sounds that are blasting at me from the big screen, just know that I am going to nod my head and say "sure."

2. Mumbling
Just don't do that if you are talking to me, please. It sounds like someone gargling over static airwaves on the radio. It also sounds the same to me if you're going to put your hand in front of your mouth when you talk.

3. For best results, face me
People who have their faces turned away from me, or at an odd angle don't always get the response they are looking for from me - if any response at all. My lip-reading works in part due to context clues. So many words sound the same on your lips i.e. "mat" "bat" that without being able to see or hear the other words... well, there can be some pretty awkward consequences! "What? You want me to put the bat back on the floor? What bat? Where?" 

4. Do not scream at me dumbly
You are the only one who will look dumb. And also because I am also in a wheelchair there are many strangers who will kneel down and yell in my face. In case they hadn't noticed I am unable to jump into the air and do that mid-air split no matter how much they yell into my face, I just won't. My EARS are broken not my BRAIN. But just because you see a hearing-aid in a person's ear doesn't mean you treat them like they have no ears at all - they DO have a very expensive piece of technology in their ear that is meant to amplify sound after all.

5. You're not at a spelling bee so spell at a reasonable pace please
No one is about to rush you off the stage for taking an inordinate amount of time spelling a word. So if I ask you to spell a word like "opthalmology" - do not rush through the letters like you're sprinting to that last "y." Honestly, if you rush it I'll only make you repeat it again anyway. (Remember, I am the one with the power wheelchair..)