It’s 7:14 on a Saturday morning, and Ally has already checked the weather twice: Sunny, high of 63. It’s hard to do any better in Colorado in October.
For the past 48 hours, she and her hiking group have been endlessly debating plans in the group chat. Kevin wants to take the longer trail. Miranda suddenly remembers a brunch reservation. Then Trevor sends the ominous text, “Can someone call me?” Apparently, summiting a mountain in the Rockies is the easy part. Getting four adults to the same trailhead at the same time? That requires a whole other level of endurance.
Ally, 42, has worn hearing aids since grade school. She knows what works for her, and she doesn’t hesitate to say so. On a hiking trip, that might mean asking the trail boss to face her when they’re talking or moving closer when the group stops to sort out directions. But there’s no way Ally’s going to choose a smaller life.
Real-time captions keep everyone on course
So she makes the call to Trevor. With Rogervoice on her phone, she sees live, real-time captions of the conversation. She catches Trevor’s suggestion for a new meeting spot, the changed start time, and the important detail that it’s Ally’s turn to bring the pre-hike coffee.
Excellent. Civilization survives.
Then the phone goes back into her pocket – and that’s the point. The app does its job in the background so Ally can get on with her morning: boots on, water packed, coffee ordered, trail ahead.
A week later, thanks to a fierce rainstorm, Ally’s Saturday is bringing different kinds of challenges. There’s no outdoor hike to coordinate this time, but the climbing gym is ridiculously loud as soon as she makes it through the door. Music pumping from, well, everywhere. Shoes squeaking on mats. People calling beta from halfway up the wall.
Ally plans to meet a few friends, but there’s zero chance she’s spending the afternoon treating hearing loss like the main event. If she needs her friend to repeat something, she just… asks. If seeing someone’s face helps, she moves. If the group changes dinner plans, she deals with that, too. For Ally, it’s all about knowing what makes things work and then getting on with your day.
Later, when the restaurant calls to move their reservation, she uses Rogervoice to handle the call. Real-time captions make the logistics easy to follow. New time confirmed. Friends notified. Done. Back to the important question: tacos or fajitas?
When communication takes a little more thought
There are always environments where communication takes a little more thought. Windy trails. Busy gyms. Running clubs. Airports. Ski lifts. Concert venues. But the answer doesn’t – and shouldn’t – have to be lowering your ambitions until life becomes conveniently quiet.
Use the tactics. Use the tools. Say what you need. Then keep moving. That’s the strategy to make sure your hobbies are about the things you actually want to do: the next trail, the harder slope, the weekend trip, the pickleball rec league you finally joined.
Hearing loss doesn’t make the choice – you do.
