Going suddenly deaf is a scary, weird, life-changing experience.  As someone unfamiliar with the Deaf community, I was not given a guide on how to manage my new situation, my new life.

Since going deaf, I have gathered resources and culled them.  Find these resources and more on NeoHear.com.

Here is a prioritized checklist of what do if you should go suddenly deaf.  I broke it down into three phases – Immediate needs, connecting with the community, and embracing deafness.

Go down the list at your own pace.

Phase 1 – Immediate Needs

Find a good medical team.

ENT
General Practitioner
Specialist if applicable

Download a speech-to-text app.

Google Live Transcribe
Ava

Buy a fire alarm.

Flashing lights and vibrating pod for the bed

Buy alarm clock.

Wear on wrist, or vibrating pod in the bed

Buy a captioning phone or download a captioning app on your phone.

See
“Technology”

Find a therapist.

Work through the stages of grief.
Be aware of the signs of PTSD.

Phase 2 – Connecting with Community

Join an online support group.

See “Community”
NeoHear.com Slack group
Facebook groups and pages

Join an organization.

There are several international and national organizations with local chapters.
See “Community”

Find a community event.

Your organization’s local chapter may host events.
See “Events”

Take a speech-reading course.

NeoHear.com offers.

Phase 3 – Embracing Deafness

Take a sign language course.

NeoHear.com offers

Attend a conference.

See “Events”

Learn about Deaf Culture.

NeoHear.com offers a course.