02/02/2026
“I can hear you. I just can’t understand you.”
So people do what they think helps.
They get louder.
They repeat the sentence
but louder.
sharper.
faster.
As if volume is the problem.
For many deaf and hard-of-hearing people, it isn’t.
Because louder doesn’t mean clearer.
It often means:
• more distortion
• more background noise
• more effort
• more fatigue
Sound doesn’t arrive neatly.
It arrives crowded.
Words overlap.
Consonants blur.
Important pieces drop out.
Turning the volume up doesn’t fix that.
It can actually make it worse.
That’s why someone might say: “I heard you” and still miss the meaning.
It’s not confusion.
It’s processing.
Clarity comes from:
• facing the person
• speaking naturally
• slowing down slightly
• reducing background noise
• using captions or visual cues
Not from shouting.
Volume assumes the ears are the issue.
Clarity understands the brain is doing extra work.
So when people keep turning the volume up, many deaf people stop correcting them.
They nod.
They smile.
They let it go.
Because explaining again can be exhausting.
So if someone says, “Can you say that another way?” or “Can you slow down a bit?”
They’re not asking for more sound.
They’re asking for access.
©Talking Deaf Kid, 2026
