Knit or Nit Wits

I encountered my first disability hearing loss unawareness nit wits this week in a Shetland Lace Knitting class that I signed up to recently. I was really looking forward to it.

I had brought the very expensive pure wool and got the knitting pins and here we go....... first class since lockdown and we can do this....

First of all the enrolment form on the local leisure learning class had nothing to alert them of my disability. So deep breaths we can do this... I arrived early to get a good spot and let the co-ordinator and also told the tutor and explained that she needed to lower her mask when she was speaking.

The class started with you guessed it, she forgot to lower her mask, she did tell the other pupils that I was hard of hearing. They just turned round and starred at me like I had three heads like the photo here.

She was going on and on and on and I had no idea what she was saying.

So again I repeated, can you please lower your mask so I can hear what you are saying. Again, the sheep in the class just starred as if I had the plague and didn't engage or chat to anyone . I was getting more and more upset and angry at the incompetence of all involved. Along with the constant hammering rattling around in my head from the furniture restoration who looked like they were having a lot of fun. Why didn't I sign up to that one.?

It was near the end and she was going on about how hearing aids pick up every sound, you guessed it with her mask on... Flippin heck tucker. Come on people it is not rocket science. So I said, look you are doing it again, I can't a word you are saying.

I am afraid I decided I was wasted my time and walked out of the class very near the end. Driving home I was re-evaluating what had happened. I have had counselling and was getting my confidence back and this stupid silly class could have destroyed it.

Instead I wrote a very calm email and sent it over. I decided to ring the office the next day. Oh dear, it got worse. I was extremely calm. But the admin decided to tell me that they were far too busy and could I phoned back next week. She didn't listen to a word I said and just said random yes oh dear words.

I had a couple of hours to think about it and that hard cheese if they were busy I had been treated very badly. So I phoned up the manager who was apologetic but couldn't believe the tutor was like that... Hmmmmm I am not a lying tigger....

Apparently as they are a CIC they don't have to follow the equality law :) oh really! The moral of the story is I got my money back, will not be returning, but a little consideration goes a long way x