As board member for the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, it was an honor for me to be a workshop presenter at the Kansas Governor’s Conference on Aging 2026. This week’s event was held at the University of Kansas Conference Center in Lawrence, Kansas. The event’s conference tracks included: 1. Clinical … Continue reading
In the new documentary film, “Heard”, cinematographer and filmmaker Brian Ceci focuses the camera on five individuals, including himself, as they share their experience with hearing loss and deafness. Brian was inspired to create this film after finally embracing his lifelong hearing loss and after watching a similar film in the Spanish language. As a … Continue reading
Thirteen years ago, my memoir Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom hit the bookshelves. It detailed the emotional and mental health impact of having hearing loss while raising my three children, during the first six years after diagnosis. In the latest episode of the Deafinitely Talking podcast, I speak with Dr. Anne McIntosh, president of … Continue reading
In How I Hear: Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom, I recount my journey with progressive hearing loss, diagnosed at age 27 shortly after the birth of my first child. The unexpected news thrusts me into a life of constant adjustment as familiar sounds—doorbells, smoke alarms, and my babies’ cries—begin to fade. While raising three healthy … Continue reading
I serve on my school district’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee. The focus is making our schools friendly and welcoming to all students, staff, and families. Conversations in the room range from better supporting the diversity of our students to promoting more inclusive hiring practices. Each committee member brings a different story. Here is how my … Continue reading
When the Hearing Health Foundation approached Lipreading Mom about doing a story about curing hearing loss, I admit I was skeptical. Is a cure really possible? And if it is, would it benefit those who have embraced their deafness? I have many friends who haven’t been able to hear all their lives, and they lead … Continue reading
By Melanie Lewis, RHAD, MSHAA / LipreadingMom.com Guest Blogger Tinnitus, often described as ‘ringing in the ears,’ is the perception of a sound which has no tangible, external source. According to the ATA (American Tinnitus Association), 50 million Americans experience tinnitus. Data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggests that of … Continue reading
I met DJ Evans online several months ago through our shared interest in hearing loss awareness and advocacy. Like me, she is a mom with hearing loss. Unlike me, she also lives with Meniere’s Disease. Those of us who don’t live with Meniere’s likely have a vague idea of what it is. Before interviewing DJ, I thought … Continue reading
Oh, to have a quiet moment. Welcome to the world of tinnitus. It’s a condition characterized by a perceived ringing, buzzing or whistling sound in the ears. Lipreading Mom’s 6-year-old daughter recently shared she can’t hear the teacher at school well because of the sounds inside her ears. Her school audiologist admits there isn’t an objective … Continue reading
My three kids range in age from 3 to 10. Two of them go to school full time, and one is currently being taught at home by his Lipreading Mom. Although each one has amazing abilities that I notice even though I’m maternally biased, I sometimes wonder about their ears. They come from a long line … Continue reading
