Nearly 30 years after the Americans Disabilities Act was signed into law, I’ve noticed that some employees continue to hide their hearing loss at work or do not request accommodations. Fellow blogger Shari Eberts wrote a compelling post called How to Combat the Stigma of Hearing Loss, which I highly recommend reading. There are a … 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
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
It has been five years since I stopped writing books. Recently I met with two friends, one an author/editor and one an author/book agent. When they asked why I stopped, the answer wasn’t clear. Was it burnout? Work and family stuff competing for time? Lack of interest? After one of these friends prayed, I felt … Continue reading
I recently finished teaching a lip reading class in the Kansas City area. One of the questions I asked attendees was, “When it comes to lip reading, what is the most visible speech sound?” Several hands were raised. “The /M/ sound,” said a gentleman who lost some hearing in the military. “I think it’s the … Continue reading
If you would like to order copy of my second book Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom, the publisher will be discontinuing distribution and sales of the book very soon. You can order it on Amazon through the next few days. It will not be available for purchase after that and will be considered “out … 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
This past weekend, I joined more than 100 people with hearing loss or deafness at Kansas City’s first-ever Hearing Loss Summit. The crowd included fellow lipreading moms, individuals who were born with hearing loss, those who are culturally Deaf, and adults who are late-deafened. I saw several young children wearing cochlear implants or hearing aids. Sign … Continue reading
I love to communicate with my hands. In fact, one of my favorite things as an early childhood special education teacher is using sign language while I speak. Talk. Sign. Pause. Repeat. My class is learning about ways to give and be kind to others, so I showed them how to sign “give” (see photo). … Continue reading
