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
My husband and I went to the theater a week after cochlear implant surgery. We saw the documentary “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” about Marlee’s career as a deaf actress and advocate for the deaf community. The film, directed by deaf actress Shoshannah Stern, explores Marlee’s rise to fame after winning the Best Actress Oscar … Continue reading
What is the first sound you remember hearing? Auditory memory for hearing babies begins in the womb. They become aware of sounds, such as a loving mom’s voice. From early childhood on, I am amazed at the words, sounds, and conversations I remember. As my family’s car pulled away from the hospital, I remember my … Continue reading
It has been five days since the CI was activated, and I’m hearing all kinds of sounds that were silent before: birds chirping, the clicking of the car’s turn signal, the sound of running water from a faucet, and more. Voices currently sound like a robotic Donald Duck with echoes after each word. This is … 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
A week ago, I had cochlear implant surgery in my left ear. I can’t hear anything in that ear and won’t until the implant is activated later this month. I wear a hearing aid in my other ear, and it only amplifies noises. This means I am deaf. I received a diagnosis of progressive bilateral … Continue reading
Growing up, I found that I didn’t want to miss out on conversations. If I didn’t hear someone, I asked questions. Lots of questions. Some people interpret asking too many questions as being complicated or obtuse. While a lot of people were accommodating, there were times that I heard the phrase that no one who … Continue reading
Hitting the open road is one of my favorite warm weather activities. My family and I have traveled Route 66 twice and frequented highways in the U.S. West, South, and East. We’ve visited places like Oklahoma and Texas more times than I can count to see family and friends. Despite the joys of summer travel, … Continue reading
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
It is an honor to announce that I have been selected as a finalist in the 2022 Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national competition that recognizes individuals who are helping to change perceptions of what it means to live with hearing loss. I am one of three finalists in the Advocacy category, a category … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom 