Andrea Kozak-Oxnard
New York
The writer is a staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates.
To the Editor:
I applaud The Times for devoting a special section to disabilities. But it was disappointing not to see any coverage of the daily problems that accompany hearing loss for the millions of people with the condition. I would not claim that hearing loss has the same impact as some of the disabilities discussed. Yet severe hearing loss can present many challenges.
I lost my career as a performing musician. In my work as an educational researcher at a university, it compromised my ability to function in meetings. If I go to the doctor or to the hospital, I may miss important communications, particularly when doctors and staff are masked. Hearing loss complicates speaking on the phone, going to dinner in a restaurant, using public transit and many other daily activities.
At the Hearing Loss Association of America, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the A.D.A. and the rights we have gained that have improved our lives. But even those gains required a fight and would not have been accomplished without the advocacy of our predecessor organization, Self-Help for the Hard of Hearing, which led the struggle to have hearing loss covered by the A.D.A.
Jon Taylor
New York
The writer is president of the Hearing Loss Association of America, New York City chapter.
To the Editor:
I very much appreciated Andrew Solomon’s essay “Invisible Disabilities.” I wholeheartedly agree that, at the 30th anniversary of the A.D.A., we need to make the most vulnerable of us visible in order to enforce the application of the A.D.A. to this population.
The A.D.A. itself, as Mr. Solomon describes, can too often be a “blunt tool,” but for those with autism, learning differences, mental health issues or neurological issues, there are often no instruments at all.
Because of the stigma commonly associated with invisible disabilities, making those affected leery of disclosing them, it is even more important that there be base-level support available. The history of the A.D.A. has also taught us that the accommodations designed for one community frequently support others. For example, ramps were created for wheelchairs but also support those with strollers and walkers.