I’ve always wanted to be Dear Abby. In the fourth grade, I taped an envelope to my school desk with the words “Have a question? Ask Shanna!” scribbled on it. Friends would write notes with questions about homework, friendship, and when to start dating (My advice to the latter: “You’re too young!”). So it seemed … Continue reading
Filed under Coping with Hearing Loss …
And the Winner of Lipreading Mom’s Captioned Movie Oscar Race Is…
I think we have an Oscar upset. In my quest to watch all of this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Picture in their captioned glory, I’ve seen seven out of the nine films. In last week’s post, I was a Life of Pi fan, due to my inaugural experience with watching a 3-D movie … Continue reading
How to Hear Someone on the Phone When You Have Hearing Loss
My ears have a love-hate relationship with the phone. For 12 years, I’ve struggled to hear conversations from a variety of telephones—a regular landline, amplified phone, mobile phone, cell phone with Bluetooth capabilities. I tried phone captioning, but the captions didn’t always interpret word-for-word. Sometimes the words were scrambled or misinterpreted. That’s why I loved … 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
One Thing I Wish I’d Learned Before Becoming Deaf
Would life be better if I could hear better? Would I notice the subtle differences in people’s voices, or the tones used in their speech? Or be able to hear the door bell ring or the microwave beep, or the wall clock tick? Or distinguish instantly who is calling me by listening to voice, not … Continue reading
Girl Scouts, Switched at Birth, and Deaf Pioneers – Lipreading Mom’s Year in Pictures (Part 2)
I will go on the record as saying this: 2012 was a good year for Lipreading Mom. As the year comes to an end, I am thankful for my family and our health, friendships and new opportunities. I am thankful for you, my faithful reader. Was this year everything you wanted it to be? If … Continue reading
New Book Giveaway: Forever Friends
Allison Schley,MEd, is the author of Forever Friends, a book about a young boy, his dog, and their friend Megan. The interesting part of Allison’s story is that both the boy, Matt, and his pet friend, Dexter are deaf. I asked Allison to explain the backstory behind Forever Friends. What inspired you to write this … Continue reading
Win a Free Book: Turn a Deaf Ear
What happens when a woman falls in love with a man who is deaf? They find a way to communicate… through sign language. In Janet Fiore Horger and Linda Fiore Sanders’ novel, Turn a Deaf Ear, a hearing woman and a deaf man capture each other’s love and language. Inspired by a true story, the … Continue reading
These Kids Joyfully Show Me Their Ears
I have a lot to learn from children with hearing loss. In the weeks since I launched the Show Me Your Ears campaign, kids from all over the world have posed with their hearing aids and cochlear implants. Their photos are inspiring and fun. These young people aren’t afraid to show off their ears with … Continue reading
Are Captioning Glasses Really the Wave of the Future?
What’s black, worn over the eyes, and communicates in fluorescent green text? Why, captioning glasses, of course. My latest adventure at the cinemaplex featured the latest captioning equipment on the market: Sony Entertainment Access Glasses. Yesterday my friend, Terri, and I ventured to a Regal movie theater to wear one of only 10 sets of … Continue reading