What do hearing loss and humor have in common? Check out the first episode of Deafinitely Talking, Season Two, in which I interview guests Julie DeMatteo-Lane and Brad McKenna, founders of Down the Tubes Productions. They discuss their work of bringing hope and humor to the hearing loss experience through their podcast, blog, and presentations. … Continue reading
Shanna Groves with Deafinitely Talking and LipreadingMom.com talks with Emily Ogle, PMP, CPACC, DHS Trusted Tester, an accessibility professional who wants to improve the world bit by bit. She lives and breathes advocacy and is a stalwart ally for those with disabilities. The topic is Becoming an Accessibility Advocate. In this podcast, Shanna and Emily … Continue reading
Shanna Groves with Deafinitely Talking and LipreadingMom.com talks with author, TEDx presenter, and accessibility expert Meryl Evans. The topic is Performing Boldly with Deafness. In this podcast, Shanna and Meryl discuss: – Making online content accessible to people with disabilities – Finding solutions to accessibility issues – Pursuing the performing arts while living with deafness … Continue reading
Today was a landmark day with the new cochlear implant. I went to the movies and understood dialogue without captions. Seems unrealistic because I am deaf. Leaving the theater, I asked my husband: “When was the last time you remember me enjoying a movie without captions?” “About 28 years,” he said. We’ve been together 30 … Continue reading
My husband and I went to the theater a week after cochlear implant surgery. We saw the documentary “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” about Marlee’s career as a deaf actress and advocate for the deaf community. The film, directed by deaf actress Shoshannah Stern, explores Marlee’s rise to fame after winning the Best Actress Oscar … Continue reading
The film “Spencer“ premiered at my local AMC location this weekend. I had waited weeks for a chance to see what the filmmakers call a ”fable based on a true story” about the late Princess Diana. In all honesty, I wasn’t holding my breath that the film would be fully accessible to my hard of … Continue reading
Where are the movie captions? This is a question I have asked for the past 10 years since I became passionate about advocating for movie theater captioning. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, most regular movie-goers have stayed home and watched films from their televisions or mobile devices which allows for various captioning possibilities. But some prefer … Continue reading
I hope you are doing well during these unbelievable times. My family is making the most of our time at home and trying to stay healthy. For the next few weeks, my workplace and community will follow COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. What does that look like for a Lipreading Mom? The Power of Captioned Video … Continue reading
This weekend, I had the opportunity to present the workshop “Thriving with Hearing Loss” at the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) national convention. This was my first ALDA event and, I must confess, ALDA members are some of the best advocates I have ever seen. Here is a glimpse at what I learned from listening … Continue reading
Recently, I blogged about working with my school district’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee and shared my own inclusion story. Every day at my job is an opportunity to advocate for the needs of my students with special needs. This includes advocating for proper accommodations in the classroom so that they can have an equitable, inclusive … Continue reading
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