My best friend recently lost most of her hearing and we're both pretending like nothing has changed in how we communicate, but our conversations have become stilted and surface-level because we haven't figured out new rhythms together. I think we're both afraid that acknowledging the shift will somehow make it about her disability instead of our friendship, but the avoidance is creating more distance than the hearing loss ever could.
More people experience this than they realize.
You're both protecting something precious by pretending nothing has changed, but the pretense is eroding the very intimacy you're trying to preserve.
“Where Are You with Disability & Accessibility?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.