Charlotte’s story: If I’m travelling alone, it can be nerve-wracking

Charlotte, 44, lives in Cumbria. After years of trying to manage severe hearing loss, Charlotte had cochlear implant surgery. Charlotte’s confidence has increased so much that she’s changed careers and launched her own podcast. Yet travelling on public transport remains a challenge. Below Charlotte shares her story: A layer of nervousness When I’m travelling on my own, it can be nerve-wracking because there are a lot of unknowns. There’s a layer of nervousness: ‘What if something happens and I don’t hear it? What if I miss something?" Left alone I remember travelling down to London on a train and at Warrington, everyone piled off. I thought it was just a busy stop. I sat there for what felt like ages, with no idea what was going on. I was scared and thinking, ‘Crikey, I’ve not idea what’s going on’. I felt isolated, nervous and really foolish, to be honest. Lack of deaf awareness Eventually the train manager came over and said, ‘Why have you not got off?’ I’d missed an announcement over the tannoy. I was so embarrassed that I apologised. He told me to get my stuff and then he rushed me off the train. I didn’t even have a chance to explain I had hearing loss, so I felt like an absolute idiot. When I got to the platform, there was nothing at all on any visual boards saying what was going on. Finally, the display board showed some information. I was really delayed, which messed up my plans, but the worst thing was the whole stress of not knowing what the heck was going on, feeling like an idiot, and staff members being so inconsiderate. That definitely impacts my confidence travelling on public transport. Planning If possible, I prefer to travel with someone. But if I’m alone, I plan in advance and look at earlier train times so that I’ve got more time to sort things out. Planning ahead is a big thing for me and I’ll try and do an open return because it gives me a bit more leeway. If I’m travelling alone, I have to be more switched on, so it can be exhausting just to t