HUDSON, Fla. — For many people with hearing loss, the struggle goes beyond personal frustration and can impact their ability to keep a job.
A Florida program is helping some residents stay in the workforce by providing services and technology they might otherwise be unable to afford.
WATCH: Florida program helps workers with hearing loss remain active in their careers
Kevin Haggerty works as both a mortgage broker and a pastor, careers that depend heavily on communication.
“Between ministry and mortgage, I’m always in a crowded room, and I can’t hurt the other person right in front of me,” said Haggerty.
Haggerty said he did not realize how serious his hearing loss had become until he took a hearing test.
“I didn’t know I had hearing loss until we did the test, and I was like, ' Oh my goodness, that’s not good,” said Haggerty.
Experts say common warning signs of hearing loss include constant ringing in the ears, difficulty understanding conversations, and frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
Haggerty received hearing aids at no cost through Florida’s Vocational Rehabilitation program, which helps people with disabilities find, maintain or advance employment.
At Florida Audiology Associates in Hudson, audiologist Dr. Leigh Smith said many people are unaware that the program exists.
“Basically, what we would do is a hearing test,” Smith said. “We send that over to the county. They’ll meet with a job counselor. They’ll verify that they are either employed or looking for employment.”
In addition to hearing aids, the program can provide job training and assistive technology.
“There are a lot of people who are working who maybe can’t afford hearing aids privately, who don’t have the ability to get them through insurance," Smith said.
For Haggerty, better hearing has improved his ability to connect with clients, coworkers, and members of his congregation.
“You don’t realize you don’t have hearing loss until you don’t have hearing loss,” he said. “When I take these out at night, it feels like somebody put a bucket over my head. When it goes back to my normal hearing, it’s dead compared to how I feel the rest of the day.”
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