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 “Can You Smell Better with Hearing Loss? (And Other Crazy Questions)”

Can You Smell Better with Hearing Loss? (And Other Crazy Questions)

“You have your hearing aids in, how come you didn’t hear me?” “I guess you see better than other people because of your hearing loss, eh?” It’s difficult to understand hearing loss if you don’t have it. We know this because hard of hearing people are asked variations of these and many more questions all the time. Every day, everywhere

Featured image for “A HoH In Paris”

A HoH In Paris

Ah, Paris – it was the highlight of a two-week vacation with the Hearing Husband in Belgium and France. The ‘City of Light’ is busy and noisy and full of wonderful sounds, most of which (I think) I heard. But really, who cares about perfect communication when you’re gazing open-mouthed, in awe, at the night-lit Eiffel Tower? And what’s the

Featured image for “I’m A Hearing Loss Worry-Wart”

I’m A Hearing Loss Worry-Wart

Ever since I joined up with the Hearing Loss Association of America and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, I’ve been immersed in positive hearing communication strategies. Over time, I’ve been dunked, dredged and baked into a confident and assertive advocate for people with hearing loss. But on occasion, little cracks appear in the armor. I have bad hearing moments

The HoH Emergency Travel Kit

This is a short blog, because I’m going on vacation tomorrow and if you’re reading this, I’m already there. As I pack for this trip, I’m keeping a hard-learned lesson in mind: always be prepared. To most people, preparedness means double-checking that all essential clothes and travel documents are packed and the cell phone is updated with crucial text and

Driving, The Hard of Hearing Way

Being pulled over by the police has always been one of my secret dreads. Not because I’m hard of hearing, or carry illegal stuff in the trunk, but because I don’t want a policeman to be mad at me. Can’t help it; it’s the way I was raised, to respect the law. Little baby boomers playing in the streets would

Stories from My First Speechreading Class

In 1998, I joined 20 other people for a speechreading instructor-training program in Calgary. It sounded like fun; I could read lips and I figured I’d be good at it – and as the stay-at-home mom of a 2-year old, it seemed like a golden opportunity to get out of the house each week. The instructors-in-training, drawn from every Canadian province and territory,

Featured image for “The Truth About Mona”

The Truth About Mona

That smile, really just a slight curve of the lips. Are the eyes smiling too, or just watching someone? But who, and why? For hundreds of years, art lovers, kings and peasants have marveled at Mona Lisa’s beauty and pondered the source of the enigmatic smile. But I, immune to her romantic appeal, know why. Mona Lisa was hard of

Show Me (The Lips): A Rap Song for People With Hearing Loss

To really hammer home a message, find a unique way to express it. I came up with a new idea (maybe not a good idea, but definitely a new one) when I was talking about communication to a group of high school students with hearing loss. A tactful young fellow said that he liked my presentation a lot, but perhaps I should consider adding a little music to make it more interesting.

Featured image for “What I Didn’t Know About Hearing Aid Batteries”

What I Didn’t Know About Hearing Aid Batteries

When considering a blog about hearing aid batteries, I thought “What’s to write? When I put them in, I hear. When they sputter out, I don’t. I put in new batteries. End of boring story.” On second thought, I’ve been “doing” hearing aid batteries for 37 years (I started young), and I don’t usually think about them until there’s a

The Boy in the Yellow Sweatshirt: A Tale of Hearing Aid Advocacy

Has this happened to you? You’re talking to someone new and the communication is difficult. You say, “I’m hard of hearing (or use hearing aids); would you mind speaking up?” The person responds, “Oh, I’m a little, you know, harda-hearing, too. Well, not really. Just a bit, sort of, kind of.” “Oh, so you don’t use hearing aids?” “Oh gosh