As a Lipreading Mom, I spend most of my days attempting to read the lips of three young children. Difficult? It can be, but I’ve gotten lots of practice at it. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Csaba Solymosi with a site called Lipreading.org. The site, which offers online lipreading training, intrigued me … Continue reading »
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GATS! How On Earth Do You Lip Read Children?
Your home (or car) is filled with lots of kids. Do you… A) Attempt to lip read them all no matter what? B) Try to lip read them all, then take a long break? C) Make them sign to you? D) Run and hide? That is the silly question I posted today on my Facebook … Continue reading »
Five Minute Friday: Broken and Beautiful
I am not so sure I like what I see today. Sags under the eyes, a mass of hair twisted into a low ponytail, my ears completely exposed. It took me two years before I’d let this much of myself show. My bottle blonde hair and palette of cosmetics usually help me blend in with … Continue reading »
Bullying Doesn’t Stop This Show Me Your Ears Fan
Tara Chevrestt learned about Show Me Your Ears through another website. The author, editor, and former aviation mechanic has worn hearing aids since the age of 11. In school, she was teased for her hearing aids. Hearing loss bullying made her hide them as much as possible. “It took me years to get the courage … Continue reading »
Are You Bullied Because of Your Hearing Loss?
In my soon-to-be-published memoir, Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom, I encountered someone who wasn’t too kind about my hearing loss… As we drove away from the church, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds. With the window cracked, I heard moving cars coming from the nearby highway. That sound had been deaf … Continue reading »
How to Learn Sign Language When You Can’t Sign to Save Your Life
Lipreading Mom has an embarrassing confession to make. Whenever someone signs, I stare in confusion, trying to draw meaning from their moving fingers. I’m not proud to admit that while I can learn and regularly use sign language at home and church, I don’t always understand what another person is signing to me. I may … Continue reading »
Do You Have Hearing Loss…or Selective Hearing?
I’ve loved stories ever since I was a little girl. Long before I became Lipreading Mom and years before my hearing loss diagnosis, I sat in a crowded elementary school classroom and waited for a story to begin. I placed a set of headphones over my ears. When the recorded storyteller asked a question, I … Continue reading »
We Have a Winner in Lipreading Mom’s Corny Caption Contest
While watching a DVD of Thomas the Train with my Little Boy, I was dismayed to discover the movie lacked captions. So I took a photo of the TV screen with Thomas in mid-sentence, and posted the image on Facebook. My friends came up with some clever quotes, and I’ve selected my three favorites. Which … Continue reading »
My Whirlwind Day of Sign Language, Storytelling…and Dead Hearing Aid Batteries
I took part this past weekend in the KC Ability Expo, an event in my area that promotes understanding of differently abled individuals and support organizations. The annual fest features info booths, artists, wheelchair dancers, a Deaf choir, and other entertainment. As a second-year Expo volunteer, I split duties between helping with a Hearing Loss … Continue reading »
America: Land of the Free and a Lipreading Mom
The lady ahead of me in the grocery store checkout line seemed puzzled. She pointed at something in front of us, then asked me a question. Her thick Spanish accent made the question difficult for my crazy ears to distinguish. “Es su hoho?” I thought she said. It’s only been 20 years since I took high school … Continue reading »
