This paper explores the identity and experiences of women with hearing loss who come from an ethnic background. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women living in Sydney who came from an Australian, Lebanese-Muslim background and experienced living with hearing loss. As the researcher is herself an Australian, Lebanese-Muslim woman with hearing loss, auto-ethnography was used to explore how the women from a similar background navigated their identities and whether they perceived their hearing loss as a 'blessing' or a 'curse'. The findings suggested that most of the women identified themselves by their hearing loss first, followed by their identity as a Muslim. Being a Muslim was important as their religion allowed them to cope with their identity challenges and accept their hearing loss as a 'blessing' from God. However, cultural stigma, barriers to communication, isolation in the family and community mirrored the 'curse' of hearing loss.
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