Elaea Purmalietis Reflects on Her Experience As a Person Hard of Hearing

In a recent Minnesota Daily article titled “Hard-of-hearing students, staff reflect on daily life with hearing loss,” university community members share their challenges with hearing impairments. Elaea Purmalietis reflects on her own journey and discusses her unique type of hearing loss, which limits the benefits of hearing loss from traditional hearing aids due to the limitations of devices capable of resolving low-frequency hearing loss that are intended to amplify high frequencies.

Purmalietis highlights the nature of her condition, noting that the absence of a visible hearing aid often leads others to overlook her struggles. She emphasizes that ignoring others who try to initiate a conversation is not intentional rudeness but rather a consequence of her difficulty in hearing things around her in the environment. Individuals may not know they should get her attention by tapping her or making sure Purmalietis can see them before they start talking.

Nevertheless, Purmalietis remains resilient, stating, "I refuse to let it define me negatively or isolate me. Instead, I proactively inform people about my hearing impairment." She highlights the importance of seeking support from resources like the Disability Resource Center (DRC), which facilitates appropriate accommodations to enhance accessibility in academic settings.

Elaea Purmalietis is a post-bacc researcher in the Auditory Perception and Cognition Lab (APC Lab). In Fall 2024 she will start her graduate studies in Psychology, advised by Andrew Oxenham.

Composed by Madison Stromberg, communications assistant.