Disability in Trinidad and Tobago

Like my mother, I am hard of hearing. Decades on, I face the same problems she did:

‘Daily, I encounter visible discomfort when I refer to myself as [Hard of Hearing]; whether it be in the public or professional sphere, a rideshare driver or a colleague. With the former, it doesn’t matter how many times I say, “I’m hard of hearing, I need to read your lips”, drivers insist on launching immaterial questions over music from the radio, traffic noise, facing forward, then expect an answer. I get that, culturally, Trinidadians love “smalls” (small talk) and so at times I make an effort, but more often than not my response is an unimpressed blank stare.’ (2024, the Guardian)

Situation Analysis of the rights of persons with disabilities. (2022, UNPRPD)