34 years old, HoH/deaf for 32 years, BTE in both ears, severe to profound loss, lip reader but not proficient in ASL

I work in a non profit food bank in the Seattle area and we’ve been open during the entire pandemic as we’re considered essential. With that comes the masks. I understand and appreciate the need for them but these last couple of weeks have been the hardest weeks since my one hearing aid is out of commission due to a faulty wire and the loss in my other ear has progressed from bad to worse.

I’ve had a couple of break downs at work because it’s so freaking isolating. I’m left out of conversations, jokes and I struggle to understand people behind the masks. I finally put a sign on my office door asking people to remove their masks and social distance when speaking to me.

I feel like people get frustrated/roll their eyes/do that sigh when they can’t be bothered. I can’t replace the hearing I lost, I can’t turn off the ringing in my ears due to the tinnitus, I can’t stop the world from spinning due to vertigo related to tinnitus.

Why are we always having to do the work for others to catch up to our capabilities?