Better Hearing Consumer

(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

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

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

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.

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

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

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,

  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

Is there such a thing as ‘small stuff’ in hearing loss? How can we possibly say ‘don’t sweat it’ when the ongoing advice (from people like me) are calls to action? Stand up for your rights! Self-identify! Wear your hearing aids! Explain your needs! Ask for accessibility! Don’t be dismissed because of your hearing loss! We’re encouraged to use our

So, another year starts, a new year of possibilities. Events will happen that we didn’t expect or want – but we also have the power to reshape the flow of our daily lives. Our life with hearing loss, for example. I’ve had progressive hearing loss since birth, starting as mild and steadily worsening to where I am now deaf without