Gael Hannan

Gael Hannan is an author, speaker and advocate on hearing loss issues. In addition to her weekly blog at the Better Hearing Consumer, which has a passionate international following, Gael has written two acclaimed books, “The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss”and “Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss”, written with Shari Eberts. She is regularly invited to present her uniquely humorous and insightful work to appreciative audiences around the world. Gael has received many awards for her work that advocates for individuals to become more knowledgeable and successful at dealing with their hearing loss and a more inclusive society for them to live in.

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What You SHOULD Say to People with Hearing Loss

Recently several articles on what NOT to say to deaf people have been floating on Facebook. I understand the writers’ exasperation, having been on the receiving end of many of the comments. Although I’m no longer insulted by most of them, once in a while I have to grab my chin to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor. The inane

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The Birth of a Hearing Loss Support Group

As a person with hearing loss, my life changed immeasurably for the better when I connected with other people dealing with the same issues. Through the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and the Hearing Loss Association of America, I learned how to communicate better and to live more successfully and happily. Recently, I gave a presentation to the vibrant group of people

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My Shot on Fort Sumter

If you have hearing loss, you need hearing access. And if you want hearing access, you have to ask for it. Most people—grocery cashiers, flight attendants and National Park rangers—are not going to look at you, recognize your issue and say, “Here, person with hearing loss, let me make this easier for you.” Systems might be in place and waiting

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The Light That Helps Us Hear

I’m deaf in the dark. When I say that, people laugh A bit uncertainly at first, And even after they’ve had a moment to think about it They’re still a bit confused Until I explain that, for people with hearing loss, It’s the light that helps us hear. Without illumination, I cannot see the sounds being made And what I

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I’m a Hearing Care Professional with Hearing Loss

My guest writer this week is the dynamic Alison Graham, whom I met many years ago through the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and young daughter. By Alison Graham, Hearing Instrument Practitioner It is not uncommon these days to encounter hearing health care professionals who use hearing aids or cochlear implants.

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Hearing the Cocktail Talk

Last night the Hearing Husband and I went to a cocktail party. Hosted by our best friends from Toronto who are here in St. Augustine, Florida, escaping the brutal Canada winter, the party was not as fancy as the name suggests. These days, ‘cocktails at five’ may mean something farther down the sophistication scale, such as “drinks and appies”

Can You Hear Your Favorite Sounds?

NOTE: This week’s blog has no deeper purpose than to muse on favorite sounds. Anyone looking for words of wisdom, a shoulder to cry on, or helpful technical information should read something else and come back next week. The rest of you, read on. On TV the other day, an announcer said how much she just lo-o-oved a particular sound—probably

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A HoH’s Credo

When I was young and went to church more regularly than I do now, I thought the Credo was a nice poem that we recited to express what we were supposed to believe as Canadian Presbyterians. This Credo was especially helpful, because if you weren’t sure of what you believed, or forgot a detail, you could look it up at

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Hearing Loss – A Load of Laughs

Hearing loss isn’t funny. Not to the person who has it, anyway. Some hearing loss moments can spark a smile or a giggle or even a laugh–although most of us will laugh later—like two months or so. That’s when you’ll tell the story of being in a group conversation and someone says “I just hate bugs” and you put down

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A Story of Hearing Loss

My name is Shari Eberts and I have a hearing loss. This is a simple statement, but one that is 20 years in the making. It has taken me some time to accept my hearing loss, and to stop hiding it. I have now come full circle and consider myself a hearing health advocate! I even write a blog to