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
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
One of my classes as a new teacher is for preschool-age children with deafness or hearing loss, also known as an early childhood D/HH program. One of the key areas we work on is receptive and expressive vocabulary development. If bystanders were to walk by our classroom’s open door, they may hear the sound of … Continue reading
My first experience with hearing loss occurred in kindergarten. When the teacher asked the class to listen to and respond to questions through headphones, all I heard through them was garbled speech. The audiologist later told my parents that I could hear normally, but that I just needed to pay attention. From the age … Continue reading
The Blood David’s eyes were focused on his friend walking beside him on the sidewalk. In order to “hear” the conversation, David looked right at his friend who spoke. The act of lip reading required David’s eyes to do the listening. Neither one of them saw the low-hanging tree limb until after it smacked … Continue reading
The first time I told a stranger I had hearing loss was in a Bible study 13 years ago. As a first-time attendee with a new set of behind-the-ear hearing aids, I mostly kept quiet and tried not to draw attention to myself. My hair was long, and I covered my ears (and hearing aids) … Continue reading
With 2014 coming to an end and a new year ahead, Lipreading Mom wants to take a moment to celebrate your ears. It is too easy to hide our hearing aids, BAHAs (bone-anchored hearing aids) or cochlear implants behind hair. I did that for two years. But something encouraged me in 2014 to show off … Continue reading
Pearl Pearson is your typical father and grandfather. He loves his family and respects the law enforcement careers his son and son-in-law pursue. Back in January, Pearl was pulled over by a highway patrolman on a traffic violation. When the officer commanded an action, Pearl didn’t respond and the situation turned violent. Police surveillance video … 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
