How do the hearing impaired play this game?

The game doesn't allow you to choose text. At least not the version available from GOG.

:( Unfortunate. That's incredibly disappointing. Thank you.

I'd suggest writing to GOG support and explaining the situation. There was a floppy disc version that has text and no voices, but GOG doesn't include it.
There are other games on GOG with the same problem and GOG includes the non-talkie version as an extra so there is a precedent. It can't hurt to ask.

The other guy didn't respond back, so I took your suggestion and put in a support ticket. Unfortunately, the response was basically that support can't help me with it and if they could sell it, they would be doing so.

I did notice if you do a Google search for "kings quest 5 floppy play online" there is a site ending with a .cz that lets you play the floppy edition in your browser. They also provide a download link for offline use. I don't condone piracy or breaking any laws, so make sure you have a legal right. For example, in my country it is legal for me to use this as I already own the game (on several 5 1/4" floppies, no less), just the first disk is damaged so I cannot start it.

It turns out you can vote for the floppy version over here:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/kings_quest_v_abscense_makes_the_heart_go_yonder_floppy_version_vga

I have the floppy version, and the newest version of that version, on the original floppies at that. I can send the files to GOG so they can include it as an optional version.

I keep bringing up that I have the files for this because I recall reading that Activision doesn't even remember that these alternate versions exist and have lost track of the files entirely. Well the fans got you covered if that's the case GOG, and I'm here to help.

I was pretty ticked to find that there were no subs in the GOG or Steam editions of KQ5. I'm deaf and I had this game in the 90s on floppy and was feeling nostalgic. What a disappointment. The mid to late 90s were a frustrating time for a deaf gamer as the public was so enthralled by a "movie like" experience that many game designers dropped subtitles because they wanted to appear "movie like". Probably why I was gone from gaming for several years as a result.

I also personally just don't like the voices. Maybe it's because as a kid I had the non-voice version and just made them up in my head, so when you hear it for the first time it of course jars with what you envisioned. The owl really tilts me for some reason haha.

Yeah, I tried to play with voices, but the quality is just so bad, that I had to switch to text version.

We need text! Text text text! Thanks