On Friday I received my disabled persons railcard, which I am entitled to because of my hearing loss. This in itself came as a big surprise to me - I had no idea I could get one and I’m trying not to mentally add up the thousands of pounds I could have saved over the last 15 years if I had known about this sooner! If you wear hearing aids, I recommend you apply!

But, it’s the word disabled that has been swirling round my head ever since.

When does hearing loss officially become classed as a ‘disability’?

I've googled this question, wondering if there was some medical definition - a particular severity of hearing loss potentially where you suddenly trigger the label? But I can't as yet find one (in the UK). If you know differently, please enlighten me!

I am really passionate about supporting those with hidden disabilities such as hearing loss. Those conditions that go un-noticed and unsupported. Yet I'm starting to figure out that the start of the battle is for those of us with the disabilities to even see ourselves that way, to tick that box, to ask for help.

It's not life threatening and it doesn't come with any pain; so it's often tempting to think we shouldn't complain. However, by not complaining, by putting up, shutting up and getting on with it, we are adding to the problem.

It's a condition which comes with a stigma attached. It's perceived as an 'old person's' condition, hearing aids can be seen as 'geeky', some people assume hearing loss impacts your intelligence. It's a condition that certainly can be a nuisance for those around you. The number of times I've answered 'Sally' when the barista has actually asked if I want milk in my tea, or said 'just a dash' when they've actually asked my name is laughable. This all becomes a lot more frustrating or serious when it's a question being asked of me in the Board Room. I have often questioned my ability to carry on doing my job. I've doubted the value I can add, and I've felt like an outsider and very lonely.

We must speak out. We must squash the stigma. We need to normalise the conversation and have access to the help we need, not just at work.

In my late 20s I started to notice that I was finding it hard to hear what people were saying, particularly at work. If someone stood next to my desk and said something in a quiet voice, or asked me a quick question in a meeting, I'd miss parts of it and wouldn't be able to contribute. I just felt a bit 'thick' really; as if I was just not following things while everyone else seemed perfectly able to.

I was working as a finance director at the time - a role that came with private medical cover and, as such, I received full medicals which included a hearing test. It seems obvious now but, at the time, it never really occurred to me that I might be deaf. When the doctor informed me that I had the hearing of someone in their 70s, I felt relieved: now there was a reason why I couldn't hear people properly.