Shanna Groves with Deafinitely Talking and LipreadingMom.com talks with audiologist and founder of Mama Hu Hears Dr. Michelle Hu. The topic is Communication at the Holidays. In this podcast, Shanna and Michelle discuss: – Hearing loss communication challenges and accessibility strategies– Growing up with hearing loss and guiding parents as an audiologist– Making the holidays … Continue reading
It has been three months with my cochlear implant. The CI was activated at the end of July. Pre-activation, my hearing accuracy without the implant was at seven percent proficiency. A month after my the activation, I tested at 94 percent accuracy using the same hearing test as before. This week, three months after activation … Continue reading
Let’s erase the stigma of hearing loss. In 2012, I launched a campaign called “Show Me Your Ears”. I have written extensively about my progressive hearing loss on this site. For a few years after the hearing loss diagnosis, I had initial reluctance to wear hearing aids or show them off to anyone, particularly in work … Continue reading
Announcing the soon-to-be-launched “Deafinitely Talking” podcast, featuring interviews with amazing individuals in the D/deaf and hearing loss community. The first episode will post here and on the Lipreading Mom YouTube channel in October 2025. Lipreading Mom’s Deafinitely Talking Podcast and YouTube Channel Lipreading Mom’s Deafinitely Talking Podcast on Spotify Watch These New Videos on the … Continue reading
Today was a landmark day with the new cochlear implant. I went to the movies and understood dialogue without captions. Seems unrealistic because I am deaf. Leaving the theater, I asked my husband: “When was the last time you remember me enjoying a movie without captions?” “About 28 years,” he said. We’ve been together 30 … Continue reading
I recently met my friend, Rebecca, for tea and to talk about our mutual interest in writing. It was the first meet-up with a friend in a public place since the cochlear implant activation. We chose a table with a seat facing a wall. Sound tends to bounce around and echo in noisy tea rooms … Continue reading
The dark side of being a deaf extrovert is feeling cut off from people. When I can’t hear conversations, I feel isolated – while everyone else mingles seamlessly, hears the nuances in a speaker’s voice, and catches the joke. I nod along, smile like everyone else, and pretend to hear the punchline. I don’t want … Continue reading
The lady ahead of me in the grocery store checkout line seemed puzzled. She pointed at something in front of us, then asked me a question. Her thick Spanish accent made the question difficult for my crazy ears to distinguish. “Es su hoho?” I thought she said. It’s only been 20 years since I took high school … Continue reading
I have often wondered how generations before closed captioning survived animated movies. My memory goes back to the first cartoon I ever saw in a theater. Actually, “Pete’s Dragon” was part animated, part live action. There I was at the age of three with my daddy and big sister, watching a smiling green dragon breathe … Continue reading
Confession: I am a conversation control freak. It has been brought to my attention more than once that I am a Chatty Kathy. Never one to be quiet for long, I often have an anecdote to share, an opinion to flaunt, or advice to dole out. Usually, I blame this on my hearing loss. It … Continue reading
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