The Code Crackers

Movies and stories involving secret agents and spies are intriguing, aren't they?  Tales of mystery and espionage captivate our interest and we wonder if these people really exist.  I can say, with absolute certainty, that they do exist, and they are everywhere.  Some of them can be identified by the technology they use, but some are covert, and use none at all.

I am referring to us Code Crackers; deaf and hard of hearing people who read lips.  Our hearing aids and cochlear implants make our code cracking abilities known to others, but the most advanced Code Crackers work in silence, with no artificial technology whatsoever.  These amazing people rely solely on their eyes to take in all spoken communication.

Regular Code Crackers have unique tools to decipher spoken codes; mine consist of all vowel sounds and the letter "r."  I use my ability to hear these sounds in conjunction with my lipreading skills every time someone speaks to me.  For example, a friend might tell me:

"Uh ah a uh aw ay oo eh er oh eh!"

By using my eyes to decipher this nonsensical noise, I can crack this code to determine the true meaning:

"The cat and the dog play together so well!"

It's quite challenging to crack codes every day, all day. Sometimes I feel sorry for normal hearing people. For fun, instead of cracking codes with living, breathing human beings, they get stuck with boring crossword puzzles and Wheel of Fortune.