Do deaf people have superpowers?

I once produced a school magazine and a topic of the month was ‘what superpower would you like to have?’

Some said they wanted to read people’s minds, others chose invisibility or being able to fly. Then it got me thinking, do we Deafies have superpowers already?

Even though I have a hearing loss, I have always felt that because I’ve lost one of my fully functioning five senses, I have four extra strong senses. They seem to work harder to make up for the hearing sense that I’ve lost. Is it possible?

According to some research, people with one impaired sense don’t have general enhancements of their other senses, but rather very specific brain changes. “Scientists are uncovering some of the brain differences that underlie changes or improvements in other senses,” reports Life Science. 

I must admit, my other senses seem enhanced.

For example, I am a picky eater, which I’ve always blamed on my extra sensitive taste buds! I’m not a lover of spicy food or foreign cuisine. People never understand when I complain if something is very hot and spicy. That’s because to them it’s flavour, but to me it feels like my mouth is on fire! Until I was a teenager I ate about six of the same meals all my life, refusing to try anything new. I guess it was the strong smell of the food that put me off tasting it!

My eyesight is another sense that has always been tiptop. I’ve never failed an eye test. I’d like to say I’m always very observant of things that are going on around me. It’s one of the qualities that I feel makes me a good qualified lifeguard. People have also told me that I’m good at examining people’s body language and facial expressions, like I can tell if they are trying to hide something by the slightest change in eye movement or lip shapes. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing!

My sense of smell is also unique. Sometimes I can smell something from a distance that nobody else can! Another example that my mom recently reminded me of… which is actually pretty embarrassing… is when I was at Primary School and we all wore the same uniform. On a hot day it was hard to tell whose jumper belonged to whom, but I was able to pick them all up and smelt them, until I smelt my jumper! I even helped others as I could tell what their jumper smelt like! At school, I would know if my mum was in the staffroom as I walked past, because I could smell her perfume.

It might just be me, but I thought I’d share my thoughts with you all. So what do you think? Do Deafies have super senses? Please comment below!

• Author Details

Author Details

Ellie Parfitt

Ellie was born profoundly deaf, uses verbal communication, lipreads and wears Phonak Sky Q hearing aids. She is currently learning British Sign Language. Ellie hasn’t let her disability stand in the way and embraces every new challenge. Her deafness didn’t prevent her from achieving major accomplishments in her life, such as excelling in her education, previously working as a Marketing Executive and now as an Events Coordinator for a deaf organization, as well as blogging for Hearing Like Me. She is passionate about deaf awareness, campaigning for equality and helping others through her personal blog as Deafie Blogger.