And the nominees for 2013 best (captioned) motion picture are… Okay, the Oscars don’t actually honor captioning. But in this day and age of many American movie theaters now showing first-run films captioned, it is a treat to visit the cinemaplexes where I live. For the next 30 days, I am on a mission to … 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
12 Days of a Show Me Your Ears Christmas!
For some of us, Christmas revolved around hearing aids, cochlear implants, and sign language. Hearing loss didn’t keep us from enjoying the gift of conversation with loved ones. We have learned to advocate for ourselves by showing off our hearing devices and letting our fingers do the talking. Lipreading Mom launched the Show Me Your … Continue reading
Family, Friends, and Elvis – Lipreading Mom’s Year in Pictures (Part 1)
In appreciation of your support over this past year, I thought it would be fun to reflect on 2012 highlights from Lipreading Mom. Presenting the first half of this blog’s and my year in pictures… What Are Highlights from Your Year? Be watching after Christmas for the second half of pictures. In the meantime, I’d … Continue reading
We Have a Winner in Lipreading Mom’s Corny Caption Contest
While watching a DVD of Thomas the Train with my Little Boy, I was dismayed to discover the movie lacked captions. So I took a photo of the TV screen with Thomas in mid-sentence, and posted the image on Facebook. My friends came up with some clever quotes, and I’ve selected my three favorites. Which … Continue reading
My Story of Tragedy … And Hope
It’s easy to go through the day feeling like nothing special or out of the ordinary can happen. As a Lipreading Mom with progressive hearing loss for almost 12 years, I often have my moments of feeling unsure about the future. But when I’m tempted to wallow in self-pity, I think about the surprise that … 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
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