I finally decided to wear my hearing loss rather than hide it – I was just exhausted | Nick Button

As a child it was a secret I worked feverishly to hide, and then adult life brought more humiliating encounters

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I was born deaf. When my mother held me as a baby I would put my fingers around her chin, pulling her face towards me so that I could read her lips.

An early visit to an audiologist confirmed my parents' suspicions. I had congenital, high-frequency hearing loss in both ears.My hearing loss was described as moderate to severe.

Nick Button is a mediator based in Melbourne