Ear Plugs Demonstration

Demonstrate the challenges of hearing loss by introducing ear plugs at your next dinner party!

Idea at a glance

Use your next dinner party to inform your guests about the communication challenges associated with hearing loss by doing a quick and easy demonstration with ear plugs.

Purchase a couple sets of earplugs at your local pharmacy. After dinner, let everyone try out the earplugs and experience what it is like to communicate as a hearing impaired person. People can share their experiences with each other, noting how difficult it is to hear people and carry on a conversation with the earplugs.

After the demonstration, you can refer your dinner guests to a number of different websites, where they can learn more about hearing loss. You can also refer the guests to Ideas Worth Hearing, so that they can be inspired to raise awareness in their own community.

Keep in mind that using earplugs as a demonstration does not fully reproduce the experience of living with hearing loss. Hearing loss often causes sounds to become distorted, rather than just muted.

Inspiration

To show students the deadly consequences of driving while intoxicated, schools often use impairment goggles. The goggles simulate the effects of being drunk, including confusion, visual distortion, slowed reaction time, and lack of coordination. By wearing the goggles, students can experience first-hand how difficult it is to manage situations while drunk, such as riding a bike or simply crossing a road.

Potential impact

Ear plugs are an easy way to demonstrate communication challenges associated with hearing loss. When wearing the ear plugs, people at the dinner party will not be able to communicate with each other.

While imperfect, this experience could help people empathize with hearing impaired persons and realize the importance of regular hearing checks.