I was working in an office environment last year, which isn’t especially loud, but had a lot of people on phones, and I only comprehended the extent my lack of ability to hear certain people was any sort of pattern while I was working there, especially when listening to music—despite being difficult for being HoH, the job had a relaxed atmosphere, so earbuds were allowed.

Might be my autism, but it took me forever to have the empathy or insight that people were getting annoyed with having to repeat themselves to me, only really getting it when my supervisor pointedly told me to turn the music in my earbuds down so I can hear her.

I went to an audiologist and got diagnosed with HFHL, probably from lots of punk shows/my music when I was younger, and I realized that most of my team were women with voices in a range I have trouble hearing. Talk about an oopsie. I turned my music way down or off at that job from that point on, and it made things a little better.