Hearing aids are medical devices, falling into the same category as wheelchairs, canes, and other adaptive equipment that helps individuals engage more fully with the world around them. But too often, people don't give this equipment the respect it requires.
Disabled people's adaptive tools get lost or broken by people who decide to treat them like toys.
Replacing misused equipment costs thousands of dollars.
A teen with a hearing loss turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback after his older sister decided to play with his medical devices.
MotorCod1846 asked:
"AITA for kicking my sister out of my room because she broke my hearing aids?"
The original poster (OP) explained:
"Uh, hello! here's the background: I'm 17(male) and I recently got hearing aids cuz my hearing is degrading. My sister (21, female) came back home for the summer, she sleeps on an air mattress in my room."
"Her old room is being used by my Uncle. He moved to the US and needed a place to stay for a while."
"We never told her about the hearing aids, so it was a shock to her. She continually stared at my hearing aids and took them while I was showering without permission. I've told her to stop multiple times already."
"Yesterday was her birthday and our family went all out for it. She invited all her childhood friends to celebrate."
"I barely slept the night before because I was playing games with my friends until 7 am, maybe 8. I didn't feel tired until 11ish. Yes, I know how dumb it looks now that I'm typing it."
"I didn't really know when the party began, so I thought 4 PM would most likely be the time it began. I thought I could squeeze in a quick, 3-4 hour nap before getting ready for the party."
"I ended up waking up at 3 PM, and with my blurry vision, saw my sister and her friends scurry away from my room. It instantly woke me up because I was, and still am, embarrassed at people watching me sleep."
"It didn't take me long to realize that the party already started. I took a bath and I was about to pick up my hearing aids from the table until I realized they weren't there."
"I thought, 'Huh, that's strange, I swear I put them-' I look at the ground and I see my hearing aids on the opposite side of the table and they were broken."
"I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed in my room until the party was over. Maybe a good 3 hours passed and my sister came in. I didn't even know she was in the room until she tapped my shoulder."
"She apologized for breaking my hearing aids. She said that her friends wanted to see me because it's been a while, so she took them to my room and also showed them my hearing aids."
"In her words, they slipped, and she caught them by slamming them to the edge of the table (how does one slam the thing they're trying to catch against the edge of the table to catch it??) I couldn't hear most of when she was saying, so 90% of the stuff spoken was 'HUH?'."
"She began to beg and even said she'll buy me new ones in 2~ weeks. I crashed out right there and told her that from the day she walked back into the house, I told her not to touch them, especially when I was sleeping."
"Not only did she not listen, she brought her friends to my room while I was sleeping, took my hearing aids out of the case to show her friends, and ended up breaking them. I took her air mattress and put it in the living room. I think she tried to defend herself, but again, I could barely hear sh*t."
"One thing I did manage to make out was her saying I'm being an a**hole now and taking things too far. That she could easily buy a new pair when she gets her paycheck in 2 weeks, and that's the reason I'm making this long post, because I'm afraid I could have taken things a bit too far."
"My parents were downstairs the entire time with the guests. They were completely on my side."
"My dad laughed when I told him she said she could buy a new pair in two weeks. My dad told her my hearing aids were around 4k and she just stayed silent."
The OP summed up why they might be the a**hole in their situation.
"I threw my sister's air mattress outside my room because she fiddled with and broke my hearing aids despite the fact that I told her not to touch them multiple times. I think I went too far because she agreed to buy a new pair in 2 weeks."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
- INFO - more information needed
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
"I had to double-check that your sister is 21 and not 2. A toddler might break hearing aids because they don’t know better."
"But a 21-year-old woman brought other grown a** adults to your bedroom, took your hearing aids out of their protective case for what purpose? Were they trying them on? Did they think they were toys?"
"That's the most ignorant, idiotic thing I've heard of someone doing for quite some time. If my grown child did that, I'd kick them out for being a hazard to the rest of the household. Does she steal people's wheelchairs so she can take them for rides? Your sister is a moron. NTA." ~ MohawMais
"It sounds like she thinks they aren't any different from earbuds." ~ crashcanuck
"I’m sorry she damaged your property, OP. I think all of us would’ve reacted the same way, she already knew not to touch them but she did it anyway. She sounds really immature and needs to grow up." ~ Gloomy_Aspect_910
"NTA, and that was not an accident. She stole your hearing, your ability to hear. That’s beyond messed up on a whole level beyond being an a-hole." ~ The_Bunny_Brat
"NTA at all. I don’t know how cheap hearing aids are where you live but mine were very, very expensive at $9k. Your sister is in for a nasty shock when she finds out how much she owes you." ~ High_King_Diablo
"My question is... why is a 21-year-old acting like a toddler?" ~ Careless-Opinion7302
"You think a 21-year-old being immature and irresponsible is weird?"
"As someone old enough to have kids that age, I can assure you that while it's still no excuse, someone that age being ignorant, irresponsible, and childish is not at all unusual." ~ Sorry_I_Guess
"NTA. You were clear in what was required. She ignored you on every level."
"Wait until she sees how expensive good hearing aids are out of pocket..." ~ Think_Substance_1790
"NTA. You told her not to mess with one of your senses. She did. She stole your ability to hear for no good reason. Imagine if you suddenly took away glasses that let her see what she was doing and told her 'Chill out, I'll replace them in two weeks.' She's in the wrong, but I'm sure she won't hear that." ~ Shadeslayer738
"NTA. She ignored your boundaries, took your hearing aids without permission, and broke them. Hearing aids are medical devices, not something to show off to friends." ~ bestyoucanthinkof1
"And then to say, 'No big deal, I'll replace your ability to hear in a few weeks, calm down'." ~ the-mortyest-morty
"My hearing aids are surprisingly sturdy...I mean, if I stepped on them or slammed something on them like a book, they'd break, sure, but I've accidentally sat on them, lost them in my bed when I fell asleep with them on and they fell between the crack and the wall, etc..."
"So I'm suspicious of the sister's story of how she 'accidentally' broke them...it takes effort. They're not like glasses."
"They're made of material that is MEANT to be able to handle day-to-day shenanigans! Someone suggested she may have actually been trying to take them apart or passing them around to try them on with her friends, although signs point more toward her intentionally breaking them." ~ maydsilee
"NTA. That story would make a lot more sense if she were 6 years old, not 21. Also, she brought in friends while you were asleep while she messed with the hearing aids you'd already asked her not to? I'd be furious, this is all such demented behaviour." ~ Vegetable_Rise7318
"NTA. There is literally no reason for her touch your hearing aids at all, and it’s bizarre and immature behavior for her to take them out of their case for her friends. If she can’t respect your health or medical equipment, then she shouldn’t be in your room, or probably house, at all. She stole your ability to hear!" ~ BlackCatBonanza
The OP added a small update:
"My dad said he'd look into buying new ones later today (it's 5 am right now)."
Medical devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids, and eyeglasses enable people with disabling conditions to function more fully. They are usually very expensive.
OP's sister should pay for the new hearing aids, but OP shouldn't have to wait until she can afford a new pair before he gets them.
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