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.

Getting Good Talk: A HoH’s Right

When I first waded into the Sea of Hearing Loss Communication, I didn’t know that its healing waters would soon change how I lived my life. Attending my initial meeting of people with hearing loss, I was astounded – truly flabbergasted – at the different strategies that people were using. As they mingled over coffee and snacks, people were brazenly modeling

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A Dark Night At The Movies

On Saturday night, with nothing else to do, the Hearing Husband and I thought we would go on a date night, maybe catch a movie and dinner. HH: What’s showing? Me: (reading)…hmm, two movies with superheroes saving the world, Finding Nemo in 3D, and a couple of teen romance flicks. Let’s do Nemo, he’s adorable. HH: Just a minute – which

Getting Hired: A HoH’s Perspective

When I’m nervous, my hearing goes south, right through the floor. When crossing the border, for example, I have trouble understanding customs officers even though I have absolutely nothing to hide, the odd shopping spree aside. One of the most nerve-wracking human experiences – with or without hearing loss – is the job interview. And for the hard of hearing person, the

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Lipreading By Campfire

Some of my friends love camping – at Camp Hilton. Others can pack a knife and a match and head happily into the bush. I grew up in a hotels ‘r’ us family, but now I’m a card-carrying camper. I love it, I really do, but camping does present some unique communication challenges. When our son was five, we bought

I’m A Hard-of-Hearing-Working-Being

I have done some dumb things in my life, but one of the most absolutely ridiculous, un-self-aware things that I have EVER done, was to take a job as front desk receptionist for a professional association of chartered accountants. I mean, with my severe hearing loss, how did I honestly expect to successfully work a switchboard?! My only excuse was

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I Heard a Bird (I Think)

I Heard A Bird A lovely bird was flying by, I called him to my side, And asked him to sing alone for me And then I told him why. “When you sit high up in trees, I cannot hear you singing, And if, by chance, I hear a bit, I can’t tell where you’re perching.” He looked me in

My Anniversary Blog: The Deep Wells of Hearing Loss

It’s my anniversary! On August 15, 2011, following an invitation to join the editorial team at HearingHealthMatters.org, I posted my first blog as the Better Hearing Consumer – and I haven’t stopped writing since. When people ask how I think of something to write week after week, my answer is that hearing loss touches every corner of our lives and so there

How to Ask Someone to Repeat Something

Do you get tired of using the same old phrases when you ask people to repeat themselves? If so, spice up your life and change how you ask. The most exciting change would be not having to ask at all – to be able to understand people the first time, every time. This would spare everybody a lot of extra

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Wedding Vows for Hard of Hearing People

What happens if the groom says “I Do,” and the bride says “Pardon?” If you don’t hear your partner’s wedding vows, are you legally married? Some people dismiss a marriage certificate as just another piece of paper that has no bearing on the quality or substance of a committed relationship. That may be true for some folks, but I believe that

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Tech Advice From The Deafened, CI-Using, Audiologist

I am delighted to welcome a guest blogger this week – Peter Stelmacovich, the FM and SoundField Product Manager for Phonak Canada. Peter is a late-deafened audiologist and a CI user whose expertise and advocacy have supported people across the continent (and probably around the world). He is also a fellow Canadian, as well as my colleague at the Canadian