Kimja Muru unexpectedly and inexplicably lost her hearing. The months in silence before the cochlear implant changed her life and revealed how the world is built around the needs of the hearing. Although solutions that promote accessibility ease life for everyone, they are still not accessible to all.

– These things sometimes happen. If hearing is lost in the other ear as well, it's like winning the lottery twice, the doctor described the rarity of the situation.

Working as a web developer at Crasman, Kimja Muru was a high school student when she inexplicably and without warning lost hearing in her right ear. In its place came tinnitus, balance issues and unilateral hearing. Nevertheless, she learned to live with these.

Then hearing began to deteriorate in the left ear as well. A hearing aid helped the situation, but it soon had to be replaced with a stronger one. 

With only a quarter of normal hearing remaining, Kimja began to prepare for further deterioration. And then came the day before Christmas Eve in 2019.

Hearing impairment challenges environmental accessibility

In Finland, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into effect in June 2016. It highlights various barriers to equality within society, preventing equal participation for all individuals in various societal activities. 

For those with hearing impairments, accessibility allows full participation in communication situations based on speech. Media content is accessible through subtitles or sign language. In addition to technical implementation, clear, general language content is important because there are thousands of people in Finland who exclusively use sign language as their native language. 

In online commerce, accessibility means ease of use, better Google visibility and attracting new customer groups. Accessibility also offers significant competitive advantages. 

The EU's Accessibility Directive was incorporated into the laws of member states in June 2022, and there is still much to do.

Although the so-called accessibility law mandates actions from the public sector, the broader benefits of accessibility in digital services are not always recognised. The user base is considered too small, and thus the workload and cost are perceived as too high. However, there are nearly a million people in Finland who benefit from accessibility.

– Accessibility is unfortunately often seen as an additional consideration, addressed only after all other technical implementations are complete. I see it differently: The costs associated with accessibility can be significantly influenced by planning and foresight.

Came deafness, came the coronavirus lockdowns, and came a long silence

At Christmas in 2019, Kimja awoke to a peculiar yet familiar feeling. Hearing in the other ear had vanished entirely.

In the first week of 2020, hearing was attempted to be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and steroids. Steroids injected directly through the eardrum only produced pain, without providing any relief. 

A hazy and unpredictable period of a couple of months began. After research by many different doctors, it became clear that the only option for restoring hearing would be a cochlear implant.

– Still, no one knew for certain the timing of the surgery or its outcome. Would it be beneficial for me, and if so, how much?

In the same week, Kimja read on Twitter that the coronavirus had been detected around the world.

Kimja went on sick leave awaiting the cochlear implant. The wait became arduous, as in March the world shut down due to coronavirus, restricting gatherings and not holding adjustment training, for instance.

Social life vanished nearly completely, as communicating with people in the usual way was no longer possible. Text messaging as the sole means of communication was burdensome.

– Finnish language has been modelled and studied so little that aids such as phone speech recognition were of no help. Everyday speech simply does not convert to text.

Effective electronic transactions enabled much

In the first coronavirus spring, Kimja had a suspected case of coronavirus. The situation occasionally took on absurd dimensions.

– As a deaf person, it was difficult to get instructions. Chat instructed to call. When I said I was deaf, it was suggested that I ask a neighbour for help, even though contacts were meant to be avoided due to symptoms. The instruction was nonsensical and revealed how phone-dependent this world is. 

Smooth electronic transactions from start to finish earn praise from Kimja. 

– For instance, shopping at an online pharmacy was easy and I greatly appreciated that such a service was made accessible to me.

In Finland, the Regional State Administrative Agency monitors accessibility requirements and for example, emergency communication improved its accessibility in 2017. Although it is now possible to make an emergency notification via text message, it is difficult for a person who uses sign language to obtain interpreting assistance in a treatment situation around the clock.

– I have been in the information technology sector for 20 years, and awareness of accessibility has been growing constantly. Progress has been made, and there is always room for improvement. Legislation aims to improve accessibility, but it does not apply to all actors.

Time from deaf to hearing again brought a new life

The life of Kimja, who was completely deaf, moved online. There she found peer support from both people with hearing impairments and those using cochlear implants. Later, Kimja also joined the Hearing Association.

The left cochlear implant was finally installed in August 2020. Hearing had to be learned anew.

– I listened to Yle's simplified news at half speed and understood it. It was truly a mind-blowing moment. 

The right ear was operated on slightly over a year later. 

– For the first time in over 20 years, I have stereo hearing again, and it was extraordinary.

Many things slowly returned to normal, but much had also changed. In hindsight, it's easy to say that deafness cleared the calendar. There was space and time to ponder meaningful matters, and this became a watershed moment before and after deafness.

The employer took the hearing impairment well into account

When Kimja returned to work, the employer's reaction was warm and considerate.

– It was wonderful to receive such a reception.

At Crasman, attention was also paid to work methods, such as acoustics and assistive devices.

– The employer bought a microphone that allows me to receive the audio signal clearly and hear online meetings well. This enables me to have face-to-face discussions as well. 

– The microphone has greatly reduced the gap; colleagues are engaged in this and know how to use it.

Accessibility and accessibility are for everyone

Curbed street paving is a traditional example of how help originally intended for people with mobility impairments has eventually become a natural part of everyday life for everyone. Subtitles for videos also serve everyone, and the popularity of audiobooks has exploded.

Kimja Muru says that accessibility is also a comprehensive approach to digital services. The more user-friendly the services are, the broader the user base and the greater the benefits.

– When looking to create business on websites, why not lower all barriers that can be lowered?

Do you want to map the current level of accessibility for your online services? Contact us!