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.

Featured image for “Self-Forgiveness: A Great Hearing Hack!”

Self-Forgiveness: A Great Hearing Hack!

Oh darn, I did it again. I slid into bluffing mode! Hey, the conversation was a nightmare to follow – it was noisy and I didn’t know the people very well. There were several things I could have done to not bluff, but they involved time, disruption, and putting more value on the casual conversation than I was prepared

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Let’s Amplify (and not just with Hearing Aids)!

Amplification (abridged from Oxford Dictionary) the process of increasing the volume of sound, especially using an amplifier (such as hearing aids or cochlear implants.) the action of enlarging upon or adding detail to a story (such as telling others about our hearing loss and articulating our needs.) the action of making something more marked or intense (such as increasing

Featured image for “A HoH Travels By Air and Wheelchair”

A HoH Travels By Air and Wheelchair

(Note: This is a longer-ish article, but it’s not boring and contains important stuff. Also, HoH means hard of hearing, a person with hearing loss.) A couple of weeks ago, I did something I swore I’d never do. I allowed myself to be pushed through the airport in a wheelchair even though my ability issue is profound hearing loss. I

Featured image for “The Magic of Hearing Tech Stuff (Both Present and Coming Down the Pipe)”

The Magic of Hearing Tech Stuff (Both Present and Coming Down the Pipe)

As a person with hearing loss, I use a great deal of assistive technology. Hearing aids, cochlear implants, text translation such as captions and speech-to-text, TV streamers, remote microphones, etc., etc., etc.! This doesn’t mean that I understand how the technology works. High science and math are involved, and any engineer-designed item that requires creative thinking on my part to

Featured image for “How to Murder Your Hearing Aid”

How to Murder Your Hearing Aid

Warning: The following may contain content that some people find upsetting. I had one of those incidents yesterday. I pulled a sweater off over my head and, in one of those awkward battles we have with ourselves, my hearing aid disengaged and fell to the floor. Because I didn’t feel it and or hear it land – it weighs only

Featured image for “When a Stranger Sees Your Hearing Aid”

When a Stranger Sees Your Hearing Aid

Do you know that when you wear your hearing devices, you are an advocate? And do you know that every time you’re out in public, you have the potential to change the life of a stranger that day? Regardless of your back story, you wear your hearing aid or cochlear implant sound processor because you have chosen to hear better.

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The Big Talk: Juliëtte Does TEDx

From the moment I met Juliëtte Sterkens, I have been inspired by her passion in helping people hear better, especially through the game-changing technology of telecoils and hearing loops. Juliëtte is Dutch and she speaks English with the clarity and precision that most native speakers lack – and which people with hearing loss need. She started preaching the benefits of telecoil-equipped

Featured image for “Hearing Loss: Emotional Fire-Starters”

Hearing Loss: Emotional Fire-Starters

What sparks your emotions in day-to-day life with hearing loss? What sets you off? If you’re like me, you have a long list of emotional fire-starters. In fact, mine’s so long that I’ve grouped it into three main sources. For most of us, by the time we receive a definitive diagnosis of hearing loss, we have already experienced many of

Featured image for “Asking for Access, Accepting Its Absence”

Asking for Access, Accepting Its Absence

It’s not just about hearing. It’s about being heard. Almost from the moment I became involved in hearing health advocacy, this has been both my mantra and my byline. It describes my passion for discovering what can make the hearing loss journey smoother, more accessible, less stressful. And that boils down to having hearing access. We are able to hear,

Featured image for “When a HoH Hits the Road: Travel Tips for Peeps with Hearing Loss”

When a HoH Hits the Road: Travel Tips for Peeps with Hearing Loss

Traveling from one place to another Is a pleasure. Especially if you can hear – The PA announcement paging you because your plane is about to leave Or your flight is now leaving from another gate Or what rows are now being called for boarding Or any announcement while the plane is in the air Or the hotel fire