Government has an opportunity to make workplaces more disability-inclusive. In my home state of Kansas, there is proposed state legislation that will have a public hearing this week. It would require government agencies to provide employment preference to their state-funded employment positions, while giving access to reasonable accommodations essential to making the positions equitable. Let … Continue reading
Tagged with hearing loss …
Lipreading Mom’s Interview with Hearing Loss LIVE!
I recently was interviewed for Hearing Loss LIVE!, a website dedicated to hearing loss awareness. Created by Chelle Wyatt, Julia Stepp, and Michele Linder (all of whom live with hearing loss), the HLL site’s philosophy is two-fold: “We help you help yourself” and “We’re changing the status quo of hearing loss help. One size does … Continue reading
Why the Film ‘CODA’ Matters to Me During the Pandemic
I did not grow up as a CODA or Child of a Deaf Adult. This is a hearing child who has one or both parents identify as culturally Deaf. The new Apple TV+ film ‘CODA’ highlights the experience of a teen girl who lives with her parents and an older brother, all of whom are … Continue reading
The Fight for Captions, Accessibility, and ADA Compliance
Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush 30 years ago, I have personally witnessed several excuses for lack of communication accessibility in public spaces. “We don’t have the budget for that.” “You must be a paid subscriber to enable subtitles.” “We don’t handle accessibility matters. So and so … Continue reading
A Day in the Life of a Lipreading Mom and Teacher
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
Why Is It So Hard for Me to Listen?
“Because I have hearing loss.” That would be the simplest way to answer my question. For years, I have struggled with taking the time to listen when others are talking with me. If a friend has a problem and needs a listening ear, I can focus for a minute or two, and then my mind … Continue reading
The True Story of How Show Me Your Ears Began
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
How I Cope with Depression and Hearing Loss
Lipreading Mom has a confession to make: I live with clinical depression. In fact, severe depression can be traced back at least four generations in my family. This is yet one experience I share in my book, Confessions of a Lipreading Mom. One thing I’ve learned about depression and hearing loss: It can be managed. … Continue reading
Five People, Five Stories About Show Me Your Ears
This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of launching Show Me Your Ears. As part of the celebration, I asked readers to complete this sentence: “Show Me Your Ears is cool because _____________________________.” I am impressed with the sentences I received, and five stood out as being the coolest. Each of these five readers will … Continue reading
My True Story of Growing Up with (Undiagnosed) Hearing Loss
Lipreading Mom has a big confession to make—something I haven’t revealed openly until now. I was a Lipreading Child. For years, I was a Lipreading Child who never got help. For one reason or another, my hearing loss fell under the radar and I never received help. This is the first time I have written … Continue reading