Better Hearing Consumer

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

Do you consider yourself normally well-adjusted in terms of your hearing loss – yet find it bothers you more at this time of year? If so, you’re not alone. Even persons who live gracefully with their hearing loss may have an inner, subterranean space where it’s just not OK. This firepit of emotions lies dormant until ignited by – well,

Getting a new hearing aid is exciting for many reasons – more technical sophistication, more comfort, more stylish and the big one, more-better communication. But there’s always a little pain with every gain, right? Every seasoned person with hearing loss grieves for a dying hearing aid and looks forward to a new, replacement device with a mixture of excitement and

It’s all in the small stuff. The ordinary small stuff that, just when you think nothing will surprise or thrill you again when connected to the words hearing loss, something unexpected happens. Perhaps a moment when accessibility is provided when you didn’t anticipate it. Or when, for whatever reason, sound becomes clearer, a conversation becomes easier. Another human suddenly, without

“Excuse me?!” I must have misheard or misunderstood the airline staff person crouched beside me. She repeated, “I want to make sure you have all the accessibility you need. Can I get you anything else, a Braille card?” I hadn’t misheard. “Thank you, but no. My vision is fine, it’s my hearing that needs help.” “I am so embarrassed,” she

If you had only 5 minutes to make a difference in the life of a stranger, would you attempt it? If, in an unexpected moment, a person whose daily world is unconnected to yours, is positioned to embrace your words, because they sense what you’re offering is something they need—would you say something? Five minutes, a fleeting blip in a person’s