@Dnae has pointed out in one of the threads here that Angel Theory, who plays Kelly, is also losing her hearing in real life.

This article here gives back story about the actress's struggle with her loss of hearing and how Angela Kang asked her if it was ok to incorporate her personal story into Kelly's arc.

Angel told Angela Kang about how depressed she had felt with her progressive condition until her mother told her, "It's not a disability, it's a damn superpower." This really helped her to feel better about what was happening to her. Angela Kang put this line into the script, with Angel's permission.

https://www.insider.com/walking-dead-wrote-angel-theory-hearing-loss-onto-show-2019-10

I think this is a really beautiful thing they're doing here, mixing life and art in a wondrous tangle, to help not just the actress but all viewers with hearing problems, to see a very positive way to cope and relate to their condition.