To mark Deaf Awareness Week, a 40-year-old woman has been sharing how she has learnt to cope with her condition.

For Claire Hutchins-Lee, a data specialist at Oxfordshire County Council, living with hearing impairment has become a part of her day to day life.

She uses a series of techniques and technologies to manage her hearing impairment both at home and in work.

Ms Hutchins-Lee uses a bone conducting headset for calls and uses transcriptions during video calls at work.

She also uses a hearing aid with Bluetooth connectivity, which even allows her to listen to music when not engaged in conversation.

However, it was not always so easy for Ms Hutchins-Lee to manage her hearing loss.

Seven years ago, after a struggle to hear her young son talk led to multiple GP appointments and hospital tests, she was diagnosed with partial hearing loss.

She said: “Leaving the hospital with my hearing aid on for the first time was really strange and, to be honest, a little disorientating.

"It took me about a month to get used to wearing it and training my brain to block out the background noise and focus on the conversation.”

Adapting to life with a hearing aid was made more challenging due to the reactions from others.

She continued: “Very few people noticed I wore one, because my hair was long, but when they did or I mentioned it in conversation, there was a lot of surprise with people saying they didn’t realise I had a ‘problem’.

"As a result, I was a little bit shy about drawing attention to it.”

Over time, she has found ways of coping with her hearing loss, including getting an improved hearing aid.

She said: “The new hearing aid is a million times better suited to me and my hearing loss and I really like it.

"It reduces the background noise, has better sound conduction and lots of geeky Bluetooth features. It felt like going from the dark ages into the 21st century.”

Today, Ms Hutchins-Lee is more open about her hearing impairment and talks to more people about her experiences.

She credits Mark Hopping, her line manager at Oxfordshire County Council, for his support.

She said: “Mark made it clear that if there was anything I needed to help me do my job, I only needed to ask.

"He’s also given me the confidence to talk openly about my hearing issues and challenge any negative stereotypes I come across.

"I feel that the council is very accepting and supportive of staff with disabilities and it makes me proud to work for it.”