Can You Hear Me Now?

I am hearing impaired due to a medical condition that has caused a degenerative hearing loss over the past 10 years. The problem is speaking louder or turning the volume up will not help me hear. The hearing loss I suffer with is clarity. While some of it is volume, most of it is understanding what people are saying. I know people are talking to me but their words are muffled. I have described it several ways: 1. People's voices sound like the voices out of the drive-thru speaker at a fast food restaurant and 2. People's voices sound like a radio that isn't quite tuned in to one station-it's between stations and the message is distorted.
Some tips on speaking so ALL people can understand you, not just the hearing impaired.
1. Keep your hands away from your face-particularly your mouth. Facial expressions are a great indicator of what is being said and how it should be interpreted. Also, many hearing impaired people read lips.
2. Face the person you are speaking to at the time. Our voices being sent in a different direction make it hard to catch what is being said. It's also just good social practice to keep eye contact with the person you are speaking with whether he/she is hearing impaired or not.
3. Speak clearly and speak up. I have found more people than not mumble, don't articulate their words or talk so softly. Being hearing impaired takes a great deal of energy to listen. There are some cultural dialects that are more difficult to understand so be aware that someone that isn't from your region may need you to speak slower and clearer.
4. MOST importantly, if you are asked to repeat yourself, DO NOT say "never mind" or "it wasn't important." It brings on frustration to the person trying to "get" what is being said when the request to repeat is dismissed.

Make a hearing impaired person feel valued by taking the time to apply these four tips.