Let’s erase the stigma of hearing loss. In 2012, I launched a campaign called “Show Me Your Ears”. I have written extensively about my progressive hearing loss on this site. For a few years after the hearing loss diagnosis, I had initial reluctance to wear hearing aids or show them off to anyone, particularly in work … Continue reading
As a board member for the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, I have been asked, “How do I pay for hearing aids?” For many, the price of hearing technology is just too much. Insurance does not usually cover hearing aids, and not everyone has a nest egg built up to purchase … Continue reading
One of the most challenging aspects of my teaching job is lip-reading multiple speakers’ voices during group meetings. When hands go up for Q & A at the end of staff meetings, I try hard to decipher what is being spoken from multiple mouths scattered across the room. Of course, it helps when the meeting … Continue reading
The past month has been filled with holiday and birthday celebrations, time off from work, snow, and special memories with family. We were excited to have my parents come for Christmas. After hugging each other for dear life Christmas morning, we said our goodbyes to mom and dad who left to visit other family members. … Continue reading
I met Janet at a presentation I gave this summer in Kansas City. The speaking topic was “How to Thrive with a Hearing Loss.” While I expected attendees to have a basic understanding of hearing loss and deafness, I wasn’t prepared to meet someone who had as many years of personal experience as Janet did. … Continue reading
The birth of Show Me Your Ears took place in my minivan. While sitting in the car outside my hearing aid provider’s office last year, I reeled with painful emotions. A hearing test revealed my deepest fear: I had lost more hearing. Worse yet, the hearing aids I wore were no longer powerful enough to … Continue reading
I recently read a story about a woman who was afraid to jump off a cliff as part of a thrill-seeking group activity. The thought of jumping off anything, let alone a cliff, sends terror chills down my spine. You can read the story here. Since childhood, I have had a fear of leaping off … Continue reading
Friends, if you’ve wanted to read my book, Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom, I have a surprise for you. This Friday and Saturday only, the book will be available *for free download* on Amazon Kindle. Click here to access Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom on Amazon Kindle. Remember, it’s free only on March … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom has taken up a new hobby: sewing. It may be all the snow days lately have inspired this newfound passion for stitching pillows, aprons, and anything that a needle and thread can create. I’ve spent a lot of days at home, tending to these projects. Sewing is a calming hobby for me because … Continue reading
Happy New Year, friends! The holidays brought lots of celebrating in the Lipreading Mom house, including three birthday parties. One of those parties was mine. Now that I am a young 40 years old, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life (and what I don’t). Can you … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom 