What to Say to Others?   

By far, one of the biggest concerns I had when I was little was, “What should I say to someone who outwardly notices my ear?” I’ve had to deal with this situation many times, and if you have aural atresia, I assume you have too. In my experience, I have found that the most important thing is to not be embarrassed by it. Was Yao Ming ever nervous about his insane height? No, these things are a part of us. It is up to you to decide how you will move forward with the cards that have been dealt to you. Most people you will meet will not understand what aural atresia is, or its side effects. That is not their fault, they are simply a victim of the under-representation that exists with ear disabilities. They don’t know the adversity you have faced, and more importantly they will never be able to. They don’t know what it feels like to walk across a street and not know which direction a car is coming from, they don’t know what it’s like to try to clean your ear but suddenly remember that their is nothing to clean. Whenever I get check-ups from my doctor, when he has to check my ears he always forgets that my right ear has no hole, so it’s pretty funny seeing him try to look for it before I have to remind him. But in short, yes, it can be awkward sometimes when an adult or peer asks about your ear; but in my experience, I find it the easiest to simply inform them and be normal about it, because it is. They feed off of your energy.