SPEAK UP LIBRARIAN

J88 Driver's License Designation

2012-02-08T18:47:00.000-06:00

After I heard about J88 through this news broadcast, I had it put on my drivers license. In the process of getting my new license, I asked about having my Restriction F for hearing aids removed. I was told if I could pass a vision test, I could have it taken off as the restriction requires a motorist to have 2 outside mirrors and can also apply to drivers with visual problems. I had no problem passing the test. Best of all, my new license was given to me free of charge.

Here's more information on the “J88” — Deaf/Hard of Hearing Driver’s License courtesy of the Secretary of State's A Guide to Services: Serving Senior Citizens, Persons with Disabilities and Veterans.

“J88” is a notation on a driver’s license that alerts law enforcement officers before approaching a vehicle that a motorist is deaf or hard of hearing. Following is how the “J88” notation works:

Request the “J88” notation be added to your driver’s license at any Secretary of State Driver Services facility. “J88” will appear on both the front and back of your driver’s license.
Include your driver’s license number on your vehicle registration to link the two together.
If you are stopped by a law enforcement officer, he/she will run your license plate or driver’s license number, and a “Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Uses Alternative Communication” message will appear. The officer will then know to use alternative communication.
You must request the “J88” notation. No forms or Secretary of State personnel will ask you to include it on your driver’s license.

What do you think of this program?

Sweetest Dog Ever

2012-02-07T19:10:00.002-06:00

Sweetest Dog Ever

Rusty - after getting into a pound of brown sugar
that was left on the table. Look at that guilty face!
My husband came home and caught him in the act.
He even had pieces of the plastic wrapping stuck
in his fur. Incredibly, he wasn't sick afterwards.

Snowshoeing photos

2012-01-30T20:41:00.001-06:00

I dressed warmly for snowshoeing.

Look how small my feet look next to the snowshoes.

All strapped in and ready to go!

Rob in his snowshoes

Animal prints next to the people markings.

A beaver's been here!

Beaver dam

Hope you enjoyed this small sample of the outdoor beauty
we sawduring our 2.5 hours snowshoeing.

Rusty's Winter Coat

2012-01-28T10:25:00.000-06:00

Rusty out in the cold last winter.

Remember that face? I couldn't let Rusty get cold like that this winter. Not after learning how to make a doggy coat. So, guess what I did? I made him another coat - this one for everyday wear. You can see him modeling it in the photo below.

I found this camouflage like fleece material in the half price section and used large snaps this time instead of velcro. The snaps were also on sale so the whole project cost about $8. I had enough material leftover to make him a matching scarf to wear around his neck as well as a scarf for the lucky person who has the honor of walking such a fine looking dog. Woof, woof!

Rusty's new winter coat and scarf

Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library

2012-01-22T15:48:00.001-06:00

I want to let everyone know that the American Libraries Association is offering a 2 part workshop on Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library.

The topics include:

an overview of the different ways deaf people communicate
understanding and meeting your library's legal obligation to serve the deaf
strategies for communicating with a deaf or hard of hearing person in the library
tips for finding, hiring, and working with interpreters

Kathy MacMillan, a writer, ASL interpreter, librarian, and storyteller will present the workshop online February 22 and February 29, 2012. See this webpage for times and registration information.

I'm thrilled that my profession is offering a service oriented workshop aimed at raising deaf awareness among library workers and improving communication with the deaf community.

Simply Perfect

2012-01-19T21:13:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday night, my husband bowled a perfect game. What made this one extra special, is that bowling it put him in an elite class. He is among the very few American men* who have bowled a 300 game over 6 decades of bowling seasons. My husband's first came during the 1969/70 season when he was a teenager. During the early 1990s, when he was dating me and pursuing his dream of being a pro bowler, I watched him bowl a 300 game in a PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) tournament. In 1992 he opened a bowling business which he stills runs today.

Over six decades, styles may come and go, but Rob's love for bowling remains the same. Congratulations!

Rob and Charlie with 300
celebration cake in 2002

Rob and Charlie with 300
celebration cake in 2012

*According to the United States Bowling Congress website, there are only 5 other men who have achieved this. Hopefully, Rob's name will soon be joining theirs in the honors list. It all depends if the records have been sent in to the USBC over the years.

Tyler's Journey of Hope

2012-01-16T19:06:00.000-06:00

I met Tyler Swob last year when I traveled to Costa Rica with Discovering Deaf Worlds. I am so proud to share with you Tyler's upcoming advocacy effort with Push America. Tyler's video (ASL only) and story are shared with his permission. Please join me in supporting Tyler on his journey!

Did you know that there are over 54 million Americans living with a disability today? People with disabilities face many challenges everyday that you and I cannot imagine. But one of the most tragic barriers is a lack of understanding by our society. A simple message of empathy and acceptance is all it takes to break down this barrier, and I have committed myself to spreading this message this summer.

I will be raising awareness on behalf of people with disabilities by cycling from San Francisco to Washington, DC on the Journey of Hope from June 4 to August 13. Journey of Hope is hosted by Push America, the philanthropic arm of my fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. We will also be reaching out to thousands of people with disabilities along the way, and striving to spread our message of acceptance and understanding to more than 40 million people! My expected goal is to raise $5,500 as a part of my team's goal of raising over $550,000. It is my hope that you will help me to make my journey possible by making a tax-deductible donation to Push America.

I am profoundly deaf and rely only on American Sign Language for communication. For this reason, I am in a unique position to support disabled Americans since I myself am considered "disabled." I can relate to Americans who have disabilities from my own experience as a deaf person. I want and can inspire them in a special way that no one else can. My goal is also to make a significant impact on how people view disabled people from my participation as a deaf person. Of the 54 million Americans with disability, 28 millions are deaf and I can be that voice for the 28 million deaf Americans. My experience as a deaf person fuels me with the passion to partake Journey of Hope.

What will make my participation even more unique is that two interpreting student volunteers will accompany me for the whole summer as my translation support - Noelle Corrado, a 3rd year interpreting student from Rochester Institute of Technology, and Emily Balzano, a 4th year American Sign Language student from University of Rochester. I am blessed to already have two interpreting volunteers who share my dreams for Journey of Hope. These interpreters will demonstrate the importance of providing interpretation support for the deaf like me.

I need financial support in order to embark on this journey of a lifetime. Your donation would mean so much to me in raising awareness for the disabled community. Please contact me at TylerSwob@gmail.com if you have any questions. Together we can make a difference!

CLICK THIS LINK TO DONATE.

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

Switched at Birth is Back!

2012-01-04T19:41:00.000-06:00

Vasquez and Kennish families of Switched at Birth

Tonight I had a chance to watch last night's episode on Hulu. I was glad the storylines took up right where they left off so it was a smooth transition after the show's being off the air for several months. Bay and Emmett are decidedly together and although it's not easy they are committed to each other. In this interview with the creator of Switched at Birth, I read that their relationship will be a major focus of the next twelve episodes. Much as I like Daphne's character, I have to admit that seeing the young couple work through the challenges of a deaf/hearing relationship will be more interesting. As you may have expected, in this episode Wilke pursues his interest in Daphne, but his timing isn't the best because she's upset over Emmett and Bay being together as well as Angelo moving to town. I think he's going to have to be patient if he wants her for his girl.

I was surprised by Regina's reaction to Angelo when he met her and Bay for dinner. At the end of last season, Angelo expressed a desire for the three of them to be a family. But within minutes of their first dinner, the two were driving each other crazy much to Bay's dismay. I haven't made up my mind about Angelo. I wonder what the writers have in mind for his character this season. Do you think he and Regina will get together or will he drive her to drink?

As always, I enjoyed seeing ASL used and was pleased that the hearing characters are improving their skills and using more signs. I found this article where Marlee Matlin weighs in on why Switched at Birth is breakthrough TV. I hope the popularity of Switched at Birth will bring more deaf characters to TV and raise more awareness of deaf culture and identity. I'm glad the show is back. Thank you, ABC Family.

The Inspiration of Nick Vujicic

2012-01-01T13:50:00.003-06:00

I found this uplifting short film which is voiced in English and signed in ASL on DeafTV.* Nick who has no arms or legs demonstrates how to overcome perceived limitations. He loves life and shows how to get back on top when circumstances bring us down. You can read more about Nick on this website.

*I think the captioning is in Korean. The first words that Vic says, "Annyeong haseyo", is how you say hello in Korean. I had friends in grad school that taught me that greeting.

Looking Forward to the New Year 2012

2011-12-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

I wonder what 2012 will bring? I'm hoping for some new adventures, but I want to stay closer to home this year. Here are some of the activities I hope to experience this year with family and friends:

Snowshoeing - I have never tried this winter sport. What's lured me in is that I can rent a pair for $10, go at my own pace along a trail, and then exchange the snowshoes when I'm finished for a large hot chocolate!
Taking a tour of Quilt Gardens. I have a friend who adores quilting and I love flowers so it seems like a perfect fit for us. I can't wait to photograph these gardens.
Giving canoeing a second shot but with someone other than my son who refuses to get into a canoe with me again, ha ha. For those who don't know the story of our previous experience, you can read it here.
Travelling to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin. This is something my husband and I have talked about doing for a long time. I'm hoping to organize it as an outing for my ALDA support group. I think the visual spectacle will be something we deafies can enjoy.
Participating in the reindog parade, of course.

What are your hopes and dreams or even plans for the New Year?

Rusty's New Vest

2011-12-29T22:28:00.000-06:00

Today I got creative and made a vest for Rusty to wear in next year's reindog parade. It pays to work ahead because the ribbon I bought this afternoon for trim was 70% off the regular price now that Christmas is past.

I'd never made a dog vest before so I followed the basic pattern and instructions I found online at this website. I added the letters down the back as my own touch. I thought Rusty would be more comfortable at the parade if people knew his name. I had some extra material left over so I made myself a matching scarf. What do you think of the final result? At first Rusty wasn't so sure he liked it because he could only sit up or stand in his new outerwear. After a little while though he got more comfortable and laid down in it.

Switched at Birth Returns January 3

2011-12-28T00:30:00.000-06:00

During my holiday break, I'm watching the previously aired episodes of Switched at Birth in preparation for their winter premier. Did you know they are now available on Netflix?

Beginning January 3 the series begins anew on ABC Family channel. It will air Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Central. An all day marathon of the first ten Switched at Birth episodes will precede the premier.If you are like me and do not have the ABC Family channel, episodes are available later on the show's website and on Hulu.

What do you think will happen next on the show? Will Bay and Emmett stay together?

Rusty's Christmas present

2011-12-27T16:55:00.000-06:00

Viewing tip for HD videos: To avoid experiencing lag time, click play, then pause to allow the video to download completely. Once the grey bar has reached the end, the download is complete. Now click play again and the video should run without interruptions.

Santa must not have heard what happened to Rusty's old dog bed.

I'm sure it's hard to believe, but he chewed it up. Ha, ha.

Christmas Reading

2011-12-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

Public Library Christmas Tree

To keep my spirits bright, I've been reading library books with a winter or Christmas theme. Here's what I've read so far: Aunt Dimity Snowbound by Nancy Atherton, Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves, and Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber. I'm in the middle of A Crossworder's Gift by Nero Blanc. I still have yet to read Decked With Folly by Kate Kingsbury and Murder for Christ's Mass by Maureen Ash. All of these authors are new to me.

I was lucky to find so many seasonally appropriate books at my local library. It's a nice way to finish out my year of reading. Have you enjoyed following my reading list? Should I do it again for 2012?

Closeup of Ornament on Library ChristmasTree

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Blog Award and an Announcement

2011-12-17T15:53:00.000-06:00

I've been awarded the Leibster Blog Award by Liz of Cats and Chocolates. Thanks so much, Liz.This was quite a surprise to me. I had not realized she was a long time reader and I had not been to her blog before. To my delight, we have common interests like reading, animals, and chocolate. She is deaf and interested in sign language, BSL in her case. Please stop by her blog and give it a look soon.

Now I have the responsibility to pass the award on to 5 other blogs worthy of your attention.
[Dramatic drumroll] And the winners are:

Now for the announcement. Since November I've been taking an online web design course. The class has gotten the wheels in my head turning on how I might improve my own website, Speak Up Librarian blog.
I'm thinking about making changes during the break after Christmas and before New Years.

If you have any opinions on what you like to read here and what you DON'T like to see here, drop me a comment. Thanks!

A Christmas Treat for Dog Lovers

2011-12-13T21:34:00.000-06:00

Nothing says holiday like a good old fashioned reindog parade. A what? You ask. A reindog parade, you know, that holiday tradition where you dress up your dog and parade him in front of the townspeople. Okay, I'll admit it. This was new to me too this year. But it was a lot of fun,especially when the dogs shook off their costumes. I made a video of the event to share with you. Enjoy!

Coffee, Chatter, and My First Christmas Card

2011-12-06T20:45:00.001-06:00

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas.It's the best time of the year!Say hello to friends you knowand have a cup of cheer"*I sang to my husband as I handed him his morning cup of coffee. Instead of smiling at me, he shook his head in disagreement. "Christmas isn't the best time of the year. Summer is." I looked at him and said, "Summer is so great, it doesn't need songs or lights or presents. Winter is dark and cold and needs all the help it can get!"

*not quite the correct lyrics, but that's how I sang them.

Take a look at my first Christmas card this year. It came to me all the way from England courtesy of my blogging buddy Liz. Her cross-stitched smiling snowman lifted my spirits at first sight. Thanks, Liz! You've made these winter days brighter and warmer with your thoughtfulness.

Holiday Gift Giving Idea

2011-12-01T21:39:00.001-06:00

I saw this display at a public library. I thought it was such a lovely idea that I took a photo with my cellphone so I could share it with all of you. This library has taken books in like new condition, tied them together with a festive bow, and placed them for sale.

It would be a simple idea to copy. Most libraries have donated books for sale. You could bundle together books by one author or even group books in the same genre, like romance or mystery. Stop by a craft store for a ribbon bow and you are good to go with a thoughtful gift that will also benefit your local library.

Oops! Not Again!!!

2011-11-28T21:25:00.001-06:00

I took my hearing aids out Friday night and noticed an ear dome was missing. Uh oh. It had stayed behind in my ear!

An ear dome is the tiny tip that fits inside the ear canal.

Regular readers may recall that this same thing happened to me once before, almost exactly a year ago. That time an ENT doctor removed the stuck ear dome. Because it was evening this time, I had to go to extended care hours at a local clinic and see a regular doctor.

Fortunately, the staff on duty were able to find an instrument they could use to safely extract the tiny piece. It was a two person operation. The nurse held a lighted otoscope, while the doctor used one hand to stretch my earlobe and the other to gently pull the hearing aid part out of my left ear. The doctor was surprised when he saw how small it was. I assured him that he had gotten "all of it" and that I was good to go.

I was so thankful they were able to remove it. They had warned me if they couldn't I would have to go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. If that was the case, I was going to wait until Monday and see my audiologist. I would have done that in the first place but I remembered being warned last year that not removing something stuck in your ear as soon as possible can lead to an outer ear infection.

Today I visited the audiologist and got a replacement part. I was also given spares and shown how to replace them myself. From now on, I'm to put new ones in once a month. I am also trying out a smaller sized ear dome. I hope this never happens again. Yikes. I'm starting to feel as mishap prone as Jerry Neumann.

A Laid Back Guide to Hosting a Holiday Meal

2011-11-25T17:38:00.001-06:00

I've done a traditional Thanksgiving meal before and I have the photos to prove it. But this year I took a different approach. Possibly a saner approach, definitely more laid back.

Since the end of October I've been recovering from a virus and haven't had the stamina or energy to do much more than work, drive my teenager around, and sleep. (You may have noticed my blogging dropped off for a while.) So I asked my husband if we could do things differently this Thanksgiving. He was all for it and the success of our holiday this year is due to him. Thanks Rob, for all your help getting the house cleaned up and entertaining our guests!

Here are our tips for a hassle free holiday meal:

Have your guests come to you. Not having to travel definitely makes the holiday easier from the beginning.

Have your guests bring most of the meal with them. Our guests brought dinner rolls, salad, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and a pumpkin pie. We contributed the meat, beverages, and additional desserts, which were all store bought.

Rotisserie chicken

Substitute rotisserie chicken for turkey. Simply pick up at the store shortly before your guests arrive. This was Rob's idea as he knows I don't like turkey much. He bought three of these chickens.

Use decorative paper products instead of dishes to make your clean up easier. As we don't own a dish washer and have to do it all by hand, we estimate we saved at least two hours of dish washing time.

Kids table

Adults table

Schedule your meal for supper rather than lunch, so you can spend the morning in your pajamas watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

I enjoyed this holiday much more than the fancier, labor-intensive feasts I'd hosted previously. This year I sat among my guests instead of at the end of the table and heard more of the conversation. I still didn't get it all but Rob filled me in later on the parts I missed. When our guests were leaving and Rusty got up on the table to snag some pie crusts, I didn't even get upset. Just laughed it off as "oh that dog". Then instead of commencing a massive cleanup effort, Rob and I relaxed on the couch and watched movies.

I know this style of entertaining isn't for everyone and I don't know if we'll do it again this way or not, but it sure was a great change of pace. Hope your holiday was a safe, happy, and delicious one.

I'm Thankful for You, Deafies!

2011-11-23T09:24:00.001-06:00

I'm using deafies as a term of endearment and as inclusively as possible. Some of the people listed below are hard of hearing, some are deaf, and others hear just fine. But all touched my life in some way this year and deserve a Thanksgiving shout out.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to

ABC Family for airing Switched at Birth.
Andy and Ben, the CODA brothers, for making me laugh.
Ann for joining ALDA and being a wonderful friend.
Bill L. for never giving up on me.
Carol P. for your willingness to drive any distance necessary.
Cleo for your encouraging emails.
DJ for seeing me through a scary time.
Gary for knowing how to get there.
Gene for loving me. I hope you continue to dance.
Gordon for reminding us that silence is golden.
Guy for showing us how to speak up effectively.
Jedediah for starting me on a reading marathon.
Jennifer G. for fitting me.
Jim the Librarian for your entertaining book reviews.
Joe L. for looking out for me.
John N. for Quiet Signs of Love.
Jonathan for stopping on your way home.
Kim for making ALDAcon in Indy happen. You rock, girl!
Linda for hunting elks with me.
Liz for a friendship that gets better and better.
Louise for your generosity and marvelous e-cards.
Marsha K. for believing in me when I had doubts.
Oticon for LA and my Agil Pros.
Rebecca for being the person I would like to be someday.
Sally S. for teaching me about resiliency.
Sixth grade class of Fernando Centeno Güell for giving me a sign name.
Teri S. for being the best project partner ever!
Tess for helping me improve my signing.
When writing a post like this, it's inevitable that someone deserving is unintentionally omitted. So I want to thank ALL of my blog readers for your support of Speak Up Librarian and all the places my blog has taken me this year.
In conclusion, I want to single out three very special people: Jennifer Alberstadt, Dylan Dunlap, and Don Sims - my fellow Oticon Focus on People Awards winners. They inspired me with their stories and I've been looking forward to sharing them with you. I hope you enjoy the following captioned video produced by Oticon.

Happy Thanksgiving, deafies.

A Deaf Writer and His Deaf Character: A Review of Deaf Sentence by David Lodge

2011-11-22T20:51:00.001-06:00

Deaf Sentence by David Lodge isn't a new book. It was published in 2008. It was new to me, however, and I have reader Joe from Washington State to thank for bringing it to my attention. Joe wrote to tell me he enjoyed my blog and tell me about this book.

While I was reading the novel, I couldn't believe how similar the narrator's experiences with misunderstanding loved ones and coping with wearing hearing aids were to my own. I wondered how David Lodge got it so right. Well, the answer should have been obvious. David Lodge has a hearing loss himself. The British author discusses his hearing loss journey which began in his late forties and continues on into his seventies in this article from the Daily Mail.

When interviewed by The Book Depository, he was asked directly if Deaf Sentence was based on his own experiences. Here is his reply:

"The portrayal of the central character's deafness is closely based on my own experience, and it is exceedingly unlikely that I would have thought of writing a novel about this condition if I hadn't suffered from it myself. From my late forties I was afflicted with gradually worsening high-frequency deafness, the most common form of hearing impairment, which makes it difficult to distinguish consonants, especially when there is a lot of background noise. The character of Desmond's father is also closely based on my own father who died in 1999. He was also deaf, as a result of old age, but wouldn't wear a hearing aid, so communication between us was often difficult."

Deaf Sentence has lots of funny bits which will make you laugh, particularly if you or a loved one has a hearing loss. Some tender family moments are also included. To add some drama and suspense, there is a subplot about a young female graduate student who is writing a dissertation on suicide notes. For reasons of her own, she puts Desmond, the main character who is a retired linguistics professor, in compromising positions. For reasons of my own, I skipped over some of those parts to allow me to enjoy the book. Do you ever do that?

If you've read the book yourself, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. As always, keep those book recommendations coming.

Gotcha, Mom

2011-11-21T19:10:00.001-06:00

I don't usually think of my son as a CODA (child of deaf adult) , but we had two moments recently that were rather CODAlike if you will. The first one happened at the public library. I went there to pick up my son. He was sitting in a comfy reading area in a far corner with his nose in a book while waiting for me. When we got in the car, he told me that he could hear me as soon as I came in the room. "How?" I demanded. "You were jangling your keys," he replied. Oops.

Another time we were riding in the car and the song "Staying Alive" by the BeeGees came on the radio. My son had never heard it before. Well, at least not sung by them. His only previous exposure was my annoying habit of singing triumphantly, "ah, ah, ah, ah, STAYING ALIVE" when I managed to make it safely past his hotels while broke in a Monopoly game. Listening to the song with him, I realized that "staying alive" were the only two words I knew of the song. Then, I made the mistake of telling him that. He said with a deadpan look, "Really, Mom. Did you know this song is about a guy on the run from the cops?" "No!," I said in surprise thinking back to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Hmmm, I didn't remember that from the movie....He interrupted my thoughts with a decisive, "Gotcha, Mom!"

Maybe there should be a new acronym. POHC - Parent of a Hearing Child. I think I may need to start a support group....

Twitter and a Test to Alert the Deaf Community in Case of Emergency

2011-11-06T21:10:00.000-06:00

If you live in the United States, have a Twitter account, and would like to participate in an evaluation of FEMA's emergency alert on November 9th, please see this blog post by Xpressive Hands: Deaf Eye: Do Emergency Warnings Catch Yours.

ALDAcon 2011 Day Three

2011-11-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Now that Halloween is over, I can get back to blogging about my experiences at ALDAcon. Last night I was too busy at the front door, keeping Rusty in, while handing candy out to costumed children to continue my story.

On Friday, convention goers had an exciting event to attend - Julius Caesar - the first live captioned play to be held in Indiana. History in the making, people! But alas, not for me. What I didn't mention before is that I was coming down with a nasty cold. So, I missed out on the play in order to get some additional, much needed rest. I heard rave reviews of the performance and the captioning from those who attended.

I wasn't the only one at ALDAcon who caught forty winks. I couldn't resist taking this photo of a dog who drifted off to sleep during one of the presentations. Yes, dogs are a common sight at ALDAcon. Service dogs, that is. I saw at least seven different dogs. They really made me miss Rusty more.

At lunch on Friday, the vendors were thanked and each were presented with a medal in keeping with the convention's racing theme. Then Rebecca Herr spoke on the subject of volunteering. I was excited about the chance to hear her speak at lunch and again the next day at a workshop. She has had a wide range of volunteer roles both in the nonprofit community and in business related organizations. Her passion for service is unmistakable and the interpreters and CART providers hands were flying as they kept pace with her words. In addition to sign language translation, for accessibility, each speaker who addressed us either at meals or at workshops, had their speech transcribed onto a large projector screen. This is known as CART which stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation. You can see a sample in the photo below:

After lunch, I attended a class on beginning sign language taught by Tess Crowder. As many of you know, I have already taken a university course in sign language a few years ago. This was a refresher for me. I found it helpful and fun. I've been thinking about taking a class again to learn more vocabulary.

Then I took another rest so I could attend the evening's big event, the I. King Jordan Banquet held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. As I mentioned before, I came to ALDAcon as a last minute decision. So hopefully that excuses the fact that it never occurred to me that this banquet might be a dressy affair. I had nothing Cinderella worthy in my suitcase. If I'd been feeling better, I probably would have gone out and bought a dress, but I was in no shape for shopping. I went in my jeans and hoped I wouldn't stand out.

The room was lovely and the meal was exquisite. John Waldo was honored with the I. King Jordan Award for his legal work in making movie theater captioning a reality. Within two years time, movie theaters across the country are expected to be showing captioned films due to a class-action suit John participated in on behalf of ALDA, Inc. That's something we all can celebrate. Well done, John.

ALDAcon 2011 Day Two

2011-10-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

My day began with continental breakfast and a newcomer's meeting. I enjoyed this event very much. It was informal in nature. Longtime members of ALDA and representatives from the ALDA board introduced themselves briefly. Then, we newbies took our turns introducing ourselves. When it was my turn, I mentioned that I write a blog, and one of the regional directors asked me the name of it. When I replied, "Speak Up Librarian", he smiled and told me he reads it. Nodding his head, he added, "That's why you look familiar." What a great start to my day! I was also blessed to meet two ladies in particular. One who had come by herself I made a special point of introducing myself to. It helped that I grew up near where she lived. As we talked we found we had other things in common as well. The other lady recently joined my ALDA Chicago group so I was delighted to meet her. Hopefully, she will be someone I can see again after the convention is over.

At the convention's opening session, race car drivers and cousins, Jaki and Tomas Scheckter were introduced. Jaki lives in South Africa. He has a hearing loss and has bilateral cochlear implants. His cousin Tomas arranged for him to get these implants at a hospital in Indianapolis. He even raised money for the operations. The Gift of Hearing Foundation also donated money. Today Tomas is a board member of the Gift of Hearing and Jaki is on the board of a similar organization in South Africa that raises money for children to receive cochlear implants. They told us these stories and then shared with us how exciting it is to be a race car driver. They explained how adrenaline rushes through their bodies during the race and afterwards leaves them feeling drained and empty. They love it and wouldn't choose any other occupation.

Jaki and Tomas Scheckter

Next, we had a luncheon which featured Patti Spitler as the keynote speaker. Patti worked for 23 years as a news anchor and entertainment reporter at WISH-TV in Indianapolis until she retired for health reasons. She has Meniere's disease, a permanent and progressive condition that causes dizziness and vertigo in addition to severe hearing loss. Her therapy dog, Louie, helped her overcome the isolation she experienced after retirement. Recently, she has returned to the television business with a new show that she hosts called Pet Pals. She is also a spokesperson for Hear Indiana.

Patti Spitler and interpreter

Then I attended two workshops in the afternoon. The first one was called "Living with Deafness: Positive Self Advocacy and Career Success". It was taught by college professor, Dr. David Baldridge, who is researching the workplace experiences of the deaf and hard of hearing. The second one was titled "The Resilient Self: Surviving and Thriving Through Your Deafness". This session was taught by Sally Skyer of NTID.

Here are a few photos from the Exhibit Hall:

The CapTel display. Many of the

booths featured assistive technology.

The Scheckter cousins graciously signed our program
books and posed for photos at the Gift of Hearing table.
Learn more about this nonprofit organization here.

Each sponsor was given a trophy.
Wasn't that a nice touch?!!!

ALDAcon 2011 Day One

2011-10-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

It was a last minute decision for me to attend ALDAcon (the annual convention of the Association of Late Deafened Adults) in Indianapolis. I had never been to an ALDAcon before and I had been holding out because I still felt guilty about being away from my family during my trip to Costa Rica last February. I gradually changed my mind after working on the program book and reading the descriptions about the wonderful events and workshops planned. I realized I would really be missing out and began to wish I had decided differently. Then, a miracle happened. The event's program and planning chairs emailed me and offered me a scholarship to attend in exchange for the hard work I had put in on creating their convention program book. I was thrilled to accept their offer.

I got involved with the program book at the request of Kim Mettache, the planning chair. She is the president of the Northwest Indiana chapter of ALDA which hosted this year's convention in Indianapolis. Kim's group was the chapter which introduced me to ALDA a few years ago. Over time I have become more involved with the Chicago chapter, but I have always stayed in touch with my friends from the Northwest Indiana chapter. Several of them are also members of the Chicago group too. Kim is one of the most energetic, upbeat people you could ever hope to meet. I was glad to be able to help her out even though I had never taken on a project like this before.

Fortunately, I had the assistance of Terri Singer, program chair, who did much of the work herself. My responsibility was for arranging the ads and converting the book into Publisher format for the printers. It sounds easy enough, but in reality it was hundreds of emails, several technical glitches to overcome, and many hours on the computer before the book was complete. Terri told me I really needed to come to the con and see it in the hands of the convention goers. She was right. When I was there and saw people using the book to plan their day's activities, I felt really glad that I had been a part of making it happen.

Capitol Building as seen from my hotel room

I drove down to Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon. I arrived in time to check in, meet my roommate (arranged by Terri), and grab something to eat at the mall attached to the hotel. As I was on my way to the food court, I ran into my good friend Jen and her mom. We joined up and had dinner together. Then afterwards, we all attended a convention sponsored captioned showing of The Big Year starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black. The movie was a light hearted look at three men's attempt to see the most different types of birds in a year. Apparently it's based on a book and is a real competition among birders. I had never heard of it before myself. In the theater I saw several of my ALDA Chicago friends and other people I knew. The captioning was terrific. The theater had moved up their installation of captioning technology to have it ready in time for the convention and generously donated tickets so we attended for free. Bravo, Regal Theaters.

Back at the hotel, I turned in for a good night's sleep and took a moment to contemplate my own Big Year. So much had happened to me since I had joined ALDA Chicago the previous October. Through accepting the position as Social Chair for the group, I had grown as a person. I had organized outings for the group, attended board meetings, learned to navigate and administer their website, and met many new people. I had been to Costa Rica with Discovering Deaf Worlds. I had been chosen as an Oticon Focus on People Awards winner and been to LA. Yes, this has definitely been a Big Year for me. The Association for Late Deafened Adults had been a big part of it so it was only fitting that I ended my year at their convention. I was coming full circle I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep.

Having Fun with Elkhart County's Elk Art

2011-10-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

I hope you've enjoyed my series on the elks I "hunted" at Elk Art on Parade. I want to finish with a few fun photos taken during the day.My lovely friend Linda who drove me all over Elkhart County was feeling camera shy that day, but she was sporting enough to snap these photos of me interacting with the art.

So far I haven't mentioned that we had a rainy day for our "elk hunting expedition." But the raindrops didn't stop me from having a great time. This elk titled "Simply Spring" was one of my favorites. This is what the artist Nikki Long said about it:

"I wanted my Elk to represent the bond we feel toward the friends and family in our lives but was finding it hard to translate that into art. So, I decided to ask the women in my life to pick their favorite flower to represent themselves and their family. In the end, I hope to look at each flower and have a beautiful reminder of them and how much they mean to me."

Dubbed "Rooted from the Heart, this elk was my other favorite. I figured this elk with its many wonderful values had something to tell me about how life should be lived. This is what the artist said about the concept for this elk:

"My plan is to locate one or two elementary school children from every elementary school in the county, and an equal number of seniors to help paint the design. The idea behind this lies in the Heart as the root of our community. Each child will paint a heart with a tree growing from of it, signifying growth and their branching out into our lives and community. Inside each of the hearts, elders will paint words of experience, compassion, guidance and love, thus displaying the wisdom that they have to offer all of us, and especially within a family setting. It is my hope that our bright red elk will capture the attention of passersby, even from a distance, and invite them to come and be inspired, to treat each other with kindness and respect, and demonstrate the love that each of us has to offer here in Elkhart County."

Check out what was written inside its ear!

What can I say? When I saw that this elk wore the same
shade of lipstick that I do, I just couldn't resist!

I took this final photo. I was pleased to be able to capture the American flag unfurled in the background of this patriotic elk called "Made in the USA - RV Capital of the World". Elkhart is known for being a manufacturing center for recreation vehicles, also known as RVs.

I hope you've enjoyed this series of photo posts. To see more of my Outdoor Art photography, visit my flickr page.

Speak Up Librarian Goes Elk Hunting part 3

2011-10-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

"Pop Art", intersection of
Jackson St. and Johnson St., Elkhart
I took this photo out the car window!

"Strength, Stamina, Agility"
Matterhorn Conference Center, Elkhart

"North, South, East, West - Home is Best"
Elkhart Municipal Building

"We're Going Places"
as seen at Goshen Public Library
This is a travelling elk.

"Heart of the Midwest"
Indiana University Health, Goshen

"Rooted from the Heart"
Old Bag Factory, Goshen

"Sweet Corn, Indiana"
Bullard's Farm Market, Elkhart

"Garden Elk"
Walker Park, Elkhart

"Elk-Royal"
Cummins Park, Bristol

Speak Up Librarian Goes Elk Hunting part 2

2011-10-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Each photo is captioned with the title the artist(s) gave the elk as well as its location. All of these ones were in the city of Elkhart, Indiana.

"Congratulations, Elk Art", Christiana Creek Country Club

"Grow Up Great", PNC Bank

"Mr. Elk Goes to the Lerner", Civic Plaza South

"Hart of Harmony", Central Park

"And the Beat Goes On", RiverWalk

"Matty and the Bird", Civic Plaza North

"Simply Spring", Wellfield Gardens

"Botanical Garden", Wellfield Gardens

"Healing Heart", Havilah Beardsley Home

"Native American Tribute", Elkhart Clinic

My Elk Hunting Expedition in Elkhart County, Indiana

2011-10-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

My Souvenir T-shirt

I recently visited Elkhart County, Indiana to see Elk Art on Parade. All around town, life size fiberglass elks, decorated by local artists, were on display. In November, the elks after being exhibited for five months, will be auctioned for charity. The proceeds will go to Child and Parent Services (CAPS), Elkhart County's non-profit child abuse prevention agency.

According to the Elk Art on Parade website, the elk was chosen because

When a calf (baby elk) is born, it spends the first year of its life with the herd. The entire herd takes responsibility for nurturing and protecting the calf for the first year until it is able to care for itself. This model is what we desire for Elkhart County’s children; a community where everyone takes responsibility for nurturing and protecting its young. CAPS continually strives to engage the community in keeping our young protected and nurtured.

Not to mention that elks are the symbol of the city of Elkhart as shown in the photos below:

Elk above the entrance to the Municipal Building

Elk on the pavement outside the Municipal Building

Elk on the side of a water storage tank

Elk logo at a country club

It was a lot of fun driving around town looking for the elks. I had a map of their locations, but better yet, I had a friend driving who had located them all beforehand.

I thought this one that proclaims "Greetings from Elkhart County" was the perfect starter. In my next two posts, I'll share a few favorite photos of the elks. You can see more photos of what I saw while experiencing Elk Art on Parade at flickr.

"Heart of the Midwest", Goshen, IN

My New Hearing Aids in Different Sound Environments

2011-10-17T20:07:00.002-05:00

In my previous post on my new hearing aids, I wrote about the speech banana and the sounds that I miss. My hearing aids boost the amplification for the frequencies of sounds I don't hear. The catch is they also boost the volume for environmental noises in those same frequencies. Check out the chart below and you will see that the sound a fan makes is right in the place where I need the most help. That is my dilemma. Without hearing aids, fans are barely noticeable. With hearing aids, they are very intrusive to my listening experience.

My new audiologist assures me that my brain will learn to stop paying attention to background sounds like fans over time. The strategy that I'm using is to have only one program for my hearing aids. Before I had an additional program to use in noisy situations. I ended up using it as my default setting. I didn't give my brain a chance to adapt to these "new" sounds. Right now I'm in an adjustment period, but I'm determined to give this a chance to work.

Here's a description of various sound environments I've encountered during the last two weeks.

Outdoor Environment

My hearing aids are a pleasure to wear outdoors. The day after I got them, I had a conversation with a neighbor I had never met before which is something I would definitely have avoided in the past. I was able to hear her just fine. When I walk my dog Rusty, I can hear his tag jingle against his collar ring. I have never heard that before. I asked my husband if it was a new sound because Rusty just got a new collar for his birthday, but he says it's always sounded like that. I am hearing bird song as melody rather than individual tweets. I had to laugh at myself the other day when I told a friend about listening to the cicadas. I exclaimed on how musical they were and not so overwhelmingly noisy. My friend pointed out there's a whole lot less of them around this time of year. Oops. I haven't encountered any weed wackers or snow blowers so far but lawn mowers aren't too bad.

Inside the House

The microwave timer sounds different than I remembered. It's much easier to hear as is my oven's timer. The television's sound is better. I'm understanding my husband and son's speech much more easily. When I first got my new aids, my husband washing dishes in the sink was so loud, I asked him to stop. I know what you're thinking, I must be crazy! Well, rest assured, I wised up quick. Now when water is running and the dishes are clanking against each other, I turn my hearing aids down a couple settings to cope. The worst noise of all in the house for me is our bathroom fan. It's unbearable. Unfortunately, the fan comes on whenever the light is on. I'd really like to get that fixed. Until then, the bathroom fan is my biggest challenge in the house.

In the Car

I have discovered my car makes a sound when you start up the engine to remind you to put your seatbelt on. I had never heard that before. I actually get a kick out of hearing it in the morning. I'm sure that will wear off but for now it's a novelty. I have the car radio turned to a lower volume level - by as many as 10 settings at time. Unfortunately, I am not yet able to enjoy music on the radio or easily understand what the broadcaster's are saying, no matter what volume setting I try. I have to admit, that's been a bit of a disappointment to me. More times than not, I am leaving the radio off. Road noise on highways is loud but not as loud as it was with my previous aids. I feel like I am coping with it. Before I used to take my hearing aids out when I was driving on highways. Surprisingly, a squeaking noise that I heard my brakes making before is actually less audible now. I have no explanation but it does help me understand why when I had a friend listen to the brake noise, he said everything was fine and didn't seem at all concerned about the noise I was hearing.

In my Cubicle at Work

I have two challenges there. One is a space heater. Almost every day my work area is so cold, I turn a space heater on to keep warm. It took me a while to adjust to this sound with my previous aids (remember my comment about program 2) and I'm having to start over again with this pair. Sometimes I recite my audiologist's words - my brain will learn to ignore this noise - repeatedly to myself like a mantra. Sometimes I turn my left hearing aid down a setting or two. The other problematic sound is the HVAC system. Currently it sounds as though a vacuum is going constantly. I'm working on ignoring that too. On the plus side, I can more easily detect when someone is nearing my desk.

Best Buy electronics store

This place was a nightmarish cacophony of sounds for me. I actually felt as though I were in physical pain and had to leave the store before my husband was finished browsing. This is not the place to go when you are adjusting to new hearing aids. Just take my word for it.

Church

I was pleasantly surprised to hear the choir singing. I really missed that part of the service previously. The only solution for me was to sit right next to them. But naturally my regular pew was on the other side of the church and creature of habit that I am, I was much more comfortable there. I should also add that regular pew was a better spot for hearing the sermon. With my new aids in, the sounds of church - papers rustling and the congregation reading aloud in unison - did not bother me as they had before.

I hope that helps convey a bit of what my listening experiences have been like in the first two weeks of adjusting to my hearing aids. Drop me a question in the comments section if I overlooked a setting that you're curious as to how it sounds. As always, I welcome your comments and advice.

The Chicago Walk4Hearing in Photos

2011-10-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

We had a sunny day with a bit of wind.

Temperatures were brisk in the high 50s-low 60s range.

Here I am at the starting line with my

official walk hat and my team tshirt.

My son Charlie walked with me.
Together we raised $600.

Before the walk began, there was balloon

twisting and face painting for the kids.

Ronnie Adler, Walk Chair, announced that 1,000 people
came to walk. According to the Chicago Walk4Hearing website
just over $163,500 was raised. My team ALDA Chicago
topped our goal of $3,000 by a hundred dollars.

My son must have taken this sign to heart.

He couldn't walk, he had to run. He covered
the distance 3 times lapping me twice.

This sign was a welcome sight!
We walked 5K (3.1 miles).

Water and snacks were provided for all of the walkers.

At the end, we were treated
to free pizza and ice cream.

Brenda Battat, Executive Director of the Hearing
Loss Association of America, and me

In the photos below, you will see some of the tshirts worn by
groups who walked as teams. Coming up with a creative
shirt design is part of the fun of the Walk4Hearing events.

This was the back of my group's tshirt.

I also saw versions of this tshirt as Ready or Not,

Hear We Come which I thought was quite clever.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

The little boy on this shirt has a hearing loss.

HLAA Lincoln Park chapter's T-shirt

I like this design's use of the letters D and u!

I'd like to say THANKS to everyone who

Why I Need Hearing Aids

2011-10-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

As part of this series of blog posts on my new hearing aids, I thought I would explain why I need hearing aids in the first place. In a nutshell, I need hearing aids to understand speech. The audiology chart below shows where the sounds of speech are in comparison to other sounds. You can see that they fall within a banana shaped outline. I have colored in yellow the portion of the speech banana which I cannot hear unaided. This section includes the sounds of f, s, th, sh, and x.

In the video below you can experience for yourself what conversations at various levels of hearing loss within the speech banana sound like. My own loss is moderately severe - so mine would be most like the moderate loss demonstration. After watching this, you will understand how hard it is for me to hear speech, but it is still possible.

Although I can hear most speech sounds, because some of them are missing, my brain has to fill in the gaps to make sense of what I hear. This is very tiring work. Oticon seems to understand this. They have designed the Agil to provide the hearing aid user with the "energy of understanding". Here's a quote from their website that explains this concept:

The link between understanding and energy
Oticon Agil is designed to help you expend less energy in every situation. We know that different settings ask more of us than others. A dinner party or chatting with a friend in a busy café are just two instances where listening can prove challenging. But it’s not only trying to grasp the properties of sound that can be taxing. In a busy environment, the effort required to listen can leave you with very little to actually enjoy the moment. Oticon Agil changes all that.

Oticon Agil helps you save energy
Oticon Agil preserves the natural dynamics of sounds and gives your brain more of the sounds it can recognise and process. It does this by sending sounds to your brain in the way it learned to process them. That takes the hard work out of making sense of sounds and following what is going on. It means you can now not only keep up, but contribute and participate actively in conversations with less effort. And that is the energy of understanding.

I am hoping that this is not a gimmick, but is something I will actually experience. Often I have been so fatigued after work I can barely drive home. Once there I've fallen into a deep sleep. I also suffer from headaches. I am hoping that wearing my Oticon Agil Pros will relieve my fatigue and prevent many of my headaches.

Update: My friend Liz has written a post about this one and she expands on what I was trying to convey here very succinctly. Please take a look. You will find it here.

Advantages of My New Oticon Hearing Aids

2011-10-10T21:27:00.000-05:00

Oticon Agil Pro

I've been hearing better with Oticon since last Thursday. Because I want to do justice to my description of how I am hearing now, I am going to take my time writing about this so I get it right. In this first post, I'd simply like to list a few of the advantages I've noticed with my new Oticon Agil Pro aids over the pair I wore before made by Unitron. This may be a bit of an apples to oranges comparison because my previous aids were 5 years old so please keep that in mind. This list is in order of what I like best, starting at the top.

Sound is richer in quality and easier to hear.
When I put the Agil Pros in my ears, I hear melodious musical tones so I know they are "on". Before I would tap my finger on the microphone behind my ear "testing, 1, 2, 3" style.
The hearing aid tube inside my ear isn't a tube, it's a wire so it doesn't get clogged by ear wax. Brilliant!
The receiver is at the end of this wire which sits inside my ear. Sound is more natural. My previous hearing aids had the receiver located behind the ear.
I have a volume control button. I can increase the volume a couple settings and turn it down even more. The best part of this is that no matter if I move up or down in the settings, when I return to the volume level programmed by my audiologist, I hear beeps so I know I'm back where I need to be for everyday. Smart!
This hasn't happened yet but my audiologist gave me a demo in her office. When the battery is dying, there is a single warning beep. When it is powering down, there is a "dying beep" that sounds to me like someone falling off a cliff in an arcade game. In fact, the sound tickled me so much, I announced I would wait to change my batteries just to hear it. With my previous aids, the warning beeps were numerous and sometimes hours passed in between them so I didn't pay much attention to them. As a result I frequently found myself with muted hearing aids wondering how long they had been off. Now I know to start reaching for my batteries once I hear that warning beep because the final beep is only minutes away.

I think all of these advantages reflect Oticon's People First slogan. They make my hearing aid experience as the user much nicer.

In addition to my hearing aids, Oticon generously provided me with their ConnectLine package of products which I will write about in a separate post. Suffice it to say for now, the sound quality with their bluetooth streamer provides clarity I've never experienced before, even with my FM system.

Happy Birthday, Rusty!

2011-10-08T18:18:00.000-05:00

Rusty is 7 years old today!

Earlier in the week, he was groomed from head to toe at the pet salon. Doesn't he look grand?His birthday presents (the first time we've ever done this) were a new leash and collar andthis BIG BONE.This afternoon he enjoyed an outing to a soccer game. The crowd's cheering was very exciting for him and he is proud to report that his boy's team won. Then, it was time to come home for a nap and get back to that bone!

Walk4Hearing: Raising Awareness and Funds to Assist People with Hearing Loss

2011-10-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

I am so excited and thrilled to be participating in the Chicago Walk4Hearing event next weekend. Watching this video has truly inspired me and gotten me revved up to get walking. If you would like to support this cause, please visit my walk page.

I'm Stepping Up for Hearing Loss

2011-10-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

In ten days, I will be participating for my very first time in a Hearing Loss Association of America Walk4Hearing fundraiser on October 15 in Chicago. My local support group, the Chicago chapter of the Association for Late Deafened Adults, has put together a team to raise money for both HLAA and ALDA Chicago. The twin goals of the walk are to raise awareness and help eradicate the stigma associated with hearing loss.

As it says on the Walk4Hearing website, "Most of us give little thought to our ears until we have a problem hearing. The sounds go into our ears and up to the brain and we hear. Unlike our eyes, our ears never close. Hearing is effortless. Many people don't know where to find the information and support they need to overcome the communication obstacles that hearing loss creates."

HLAA sponsors these walks because hearing loss is a public health issue in the United States. Their website offers these statistics which may surprise you:

36 million people have some form of hearing loss
22 million have noise-induced hear loss that could be prevented
More than 59,000 military members have disability status for hearing loss from current wars.
30 school-aged children per 1,000 have a hearing loss

So how does HLAA help people with hearing loss? Here are a few of the many ways they make a difference in people's lives:

Information, referral, education and coping resources through www.hearingloss.org, the Hearing Loss Magazine, the annual HLAA Convention, and the HLAA electronic newsletter.
A nationwide network of 200 chapters providing personal support.
Support for parents of children with hearing loss at www.kidsandhearingloss.org
Outreach to veterans returning with hearing loss.
Social networking site for young adults with hearing loss at www.hearinglossnation.org
Captioning and hearing assistive technology at chapter meetings to make them accessible
Scholarships for students with hearing loss towards college tuition.
Funding for hearing aids and devices for people who cannot afford them.
Installation of hearing assistive technology in public places
Seminars on coping with hearing loss for families

If you'd like to support me on this walk, please visit my walk page.

29 Year Old Woman Hears for the First Time

2011-10-03T21:43:00.001-05:00

I saw a clip of this touching video on my local news today.

The Esteem hearing implant is designed for adults with moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss - exactly the type I have. To learn more about this option to hearing aids, click here.

I had never heard of it before today. Have you? On the website, there are stories of people implanted as far back as 2005.

Update: You can read Sarah Churman's story in her own words on her blog here.

My Hearing Loss, My Self Image: A New Start

2011-09-29T21:10:00.000-05:00

Today I had my fitting for the pair of hearing aids I will receive as part of the Oticon Focus on People Award. My previous audiologist doesn't work with Oticon aids, so I went somewhere new. It was nice to have a fresh start. While reviewing my medical history with my new audiologist, I surprised myself by just how much I've learned in the five years since my hearing loss was diagnosed. I could accurately describe my past audiogram results using the palm of my hand as a "chart" and could pepper our conversation with lingo like the speech banana, T4/M4, T-coil, and sensorineural. Impressed much?

When we discussed when my hearing loss might have begun, I shared that I didn't know for sure. I can remember feeling extremely fatigued in college. Could it have been from all the listening required? I distinctly remember one English writing seminar where a professor used a video for one of our classes and a light bulb went off in my head. I immediately grasped the concept. I've often wondered if I'm a visual learner due to my hearing loss.

Looking even farther back, I wonder if I had normal hearing as a child or not. I don't know for certain because I never had a childhood hearing test. Of course, none of my teachers ever indicated there was a problem. But since I'm nearsighted and have worn glasses since I was 9 years old, I was usually seated in the front row of the classroom. Maybe I was the shy, quiet girl because of my hearing or maybe that was, and is, just me. Hard to say.

My husband used to puzzle over how quiet I become in group situations. I could chatter on comfortably one on one, but if there were three people or more present, I was rendered speechless. Now we've realized that my difficulty in following group conversation puts me at a disadvantage. When I'm lagging a few beats behind everyone else, it's hard to contribute the appropriate response that moves a conversation forward. To this day, I prefer spending social time with my friends one-on-one as much as possible.

At the audiologist's today, I took the usual battery of diagnostic tests. I hate to admit it, but there was a part of me that secretly hoped she would say that my hearing is normal. That my previous diagnosis had all been a mistake. But no, that didn't happen. Instead she said that the conduction test proved that nothing medically could be done for my hearing and that hearing aids were my only option. She said that technology had improved in the last five years and I might be much more satisfied with the way my new aids would sound. But I would continue to struggle with hearing in noise because my hearing is impaired. My audiogram came out just like all the others.

Even after five years time, I still struggle to accept my situation. At work recently I have been reassigned from my shifts at the information desk. When I told the audiologist that, she said that was a good idea in my situation. So now I have to re-imagine myself as a virtual librarian offering help electronically rather than face-to-face. I have to accept that when I'm interacting with hearing people, conversation is harder for me. I'm going to be the quiet one.

I hope with my new aids, I will come to an acceptance of who I am now and who I always may have been. In the spirit of I. King Jordan's famous words, I can do anything except hear perfectly and it's time I get over that and move forward. I'm looking forward to living better with Oticon. I get my new aids next week.

Liz's Deaf Blog Has Moved

2011-09-26T09:01:00.001-05:00

Liz's Deaf Blog has moved from WordPress to Blogger. Her new blog can be found athttp://http://lizsdeafblog.blogspot.com/

Banned Books Week, September 24-October 1

2011-09-24T21:11:00.000-05:00

This year for the first time a Virtual Read Out is being sponsored by the ALA and other organizations that want to draw attention to the continued existence of banned books in our society. Short videos of people reading aloud a passage from a banned book of their choice are being hosted on YouTube. To find out more, click here. To create your own video for the event, click here.

Personally, I know that books have had a major influence on my thinking and broadened my experience of the world. I am proud to be part of a profession that dedicates itself to making information and entertainment accessible beyond what one could personally afford or discover on one's own.

I cherish the freedom to make my own choices. I don't want ANYONE telling me what I can or cannot read. Do you?

When Life Gets Crazy, Just Remember to

2011-09-23T18:34:00.000-05:00

Closeup photo of a magnet I keep by my desk.

It's a souvenir I purchased at the
Imperial War Museum in London last summer.

Don't worry, nothing's wrong. Just lots going on.

My LA Story - Part 3

2011-09-16T23:19:00.000-05:00

I am all smiles at the Focus on People Awards luncheon.

Stig Seitzberg presents me with my award.

Jennifer & me

After the awards luncheon, my husband Rob and I took the Metro to Hollywood and Highland where the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theater are located. It was a hot day, in the 90s , with bright sunlight reflecting off the sidewalk which affected the quality of some of our photos. It was a busy, touristy location and we spent only about an hour there.

Grauman's Chinese Theater

Putting my hands inside Meryl Streep's handprints.

Rob measures his hands against the Arnold's handprints.

Kneeling next to Sandra Bullock's star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Rob & Marilyn in front of Madame Tussaud's.

Back at the hotel later, Rob bragged that he saw Marilyn and she was "all over him". I chimed in dryly, "She was wax."

My funny hard of hearing moment came when I decided to pose for a photo with Elmo and Big Bird. As you can see from the picture Elmo had to explain something to me. When I stood next to him for the photo, he leaned in discreetly and said, "We work for a kiss." At least that's what I thought he said. It's never a good idea to try to whisper something to me! Thinking he was joking around with me, I sent an air kiss his way and Big Bird's. Then he said more clearly, "Lady, we work for tips." Oops, not quite the same thing. Rob gave each of them a dollar. Can you imagine how hot it was to wear those costumes in that weather?

After we got back to our hotel and freshened up, we joined the Oticon group for a backlot tour of Universal Studios. Highlights included seeing sets from Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, driving down Wisteria Lane from the Desperate Housewives TV show, watching a flash flood staged, and passing by a timeline made of movie posters from Universal Studios films.

The most exciting part of the tour was a 3D film which we viewed while seated in our tour tram cars wearing special glasses. Suddenly enormous dinosaurs appeared on both sides of us. They were fighting a battle against King Kong. At one point King Kong leaped from one side of the tram car to the other. As the dinosaurs hissed and spit at us, water was sprayed on us. It felt as though we were moving back and forth and at one point it appeared as if our tram car had tumbled over the side of a cliff. I held on for dear life! It was so realistic and scary and fun.

We walked the red carpet laid down in front of the
Globe Theater accompanied by a Joan Rivers impersonator.

Table decorations for our dinner inside the Globe Theater.

The entertainment for the night was this band accompanying Rat Pack
impersonators of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.

The Oticon motto as projected on the hotel's lobby wall.

Thanks once more to Oticon which made this wonderful experience possible. I have an appointment September 29 with my new audiologist who will fit me with the pair of hearing aids from Oticon. With fingers crossed, I'm hoping to hear better than I have for a long time.

My LA Story - Part 2

2011-09-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

On Friday morning, we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then I had a video interview with Oticon. In front of a professional cameraman and sound person, I was asked questions about my blog. I was not given the questions in advance so I had to think quickly to express myself clearly. I was very pleased when my interviewer told me I was articulate. She told me that portions of the interview might be used as cutaways in the official Oticon video of the event. [I was sent a copy of the raw footage, so if any of you would like to see the interview, let me know and I will post it.]

There was some open time between the interviews and the awards luncheon, so my husband and I took a walk in the area of our hotel. We were on a mission to obtain a disposable camera. Can you believe that I forgot to pack my camera? For our first day in LA, we got by using our cell phones to take photos, but I wanted to have a camera. We were directed by the hotel staff to go to a little grocery store in the area. Sure enough we found a camera there. I took this photo of an artsy LA building. Are you beginning to see a pattern in my impressions of LA?

When we got back to the hotel, it was time to meet the other award winners at the luncheon ballroom so we could find our seats at the reserved tables and practice walking up on stage. After mistakenly going to the Gold Ballroom, we found the right location for the banquet in the Diamond Ballroom. The room lived up to its name as the table setting, floral arrangement, and desserts at each place looked so elegant, I had to snap this photo. I was seated next to Stig Seitzberg, West Coast Regional Manager who gave my introduction at the podium. On the other side of my husband sat Don Sims, the winner for Hearing Care Practitioner. As fate would have it, he knew some of my fellow travelers on the Discovering Deaf Worlds trip to Costa Rica. Small world, isn't it?

The speeches started with the Adult winner and the Student winner. Then it was my turn. Here's my speech (captioned by me) from video provided by Oticon. There were 450 hearing care professionals in attendance at this luncheon. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to them and didn't feel nervous because I had prepared ahead of time. You can tell me how you think I did.

In the next installment, My LA Story - Part 3, I will share my photos from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and our tour of Universal Studios.

My LA Story - Part 1

2011-09-13T18:12:00.015-05:00

Winning the Focus on People Awards included an all expense paid trip to Los Angeles for 2 days courtesy of Oticon. Although I didn't know it beforehand, the awards luncheon I was invited to was part of a West Coast product launch event for Oticon. As I got packed, I thought that going to Hollywood was exciting enough, but even better was the chance to interact with hearing care professionals. I couldn't wait to talk to them about ALDA, the Association for Late Deafened Adults and Discovering Deaf Worlds. Both organizations mailed me items I could distribute while I was there.

My husband came to California with me. We arrived Thursday afternoon, in time to attend a pool side reception at the hotel. Seeing this girl with purple hair performing inside a giant transparent beach ball was our introduction to artsy LA. While I was chatting with Donna, an audiologist from Oregon, my husband was wondering how long the air would last inside that ball. Sure enough, before too long, another ball was launched with a different girl inside, and the first girl was released.

I had the chance to talk with a few others before Jennifer Alberstadt, another winner, found me and introduced me to her husband, Joe. Then it was time to go in for dinner. We sat at the same table with the Alberstadts and compared notes on our experiences with hearing loss and with the Oticon contest.

Jennifer has had a bilateral hearing loss since childhood and was just recently fitted with her first pair of hearing aids. She's a kindergarten teacher who lobbies to have children with hearing loss placed in her classroom. I hope to tell more of her story in a future post.

After dinner, we watched as artist Stephen Fishwick splashed paint on a blank canvas as he moved back and forth in frenetic motion using his hands as paintbrushes. We were unable to figure out what he was creating until the very end when he spun his canvas around and a light bulb appeared. While I admired his picture, I didn't understand its meaning until the next day when I visited the Oticon exhibit and saw this promotional display for the new Intiga hearing aid.

By the Now Effect, Oticon means that the Intiga provides "immediate and obvious benefits from the start that motivate rapid acceptance and long term use.” Studies in Maryland and Germany showed that new Intiga users reported experiencing benefits in a variety of key performance areas including comfort in ear, comfort with loud sounds, one-on-one conversation in quiet and speech in noise.

In the next photo, you can see my hearing aid in comparison to the much smaller sized Intiga. It's about the same size as a lady's ring. Can you believe it? I had an audiologist rave to me about how comfortable it is to wear. This hearing aid is designed for mild to moderate hearing loss. As my hearing loss is greater than that, I won't be fitted with the Intiga.

My current audiologist doesn't work with Oticon aids, so I am in the process of finding a new hearing care professional, who will make the decision as to which Oticon aid will work best for me.

In my next post, I will share more about our trip including our visit to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Oticon Focus on People Award Winners Announced

2011-09-12T18:33:00.004-05:00

Don Sims, Hearing Care Practitioner winner

Jennifer Alberstadt, Adult winner

Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon

Sarah Wegley, Advocacy winner

Dylan Dunlap, Student winner

This photo was taken last Friday afternoon following the Oticon Focus on People awards luncheon in Los Angeles, California.

I want to thank all of my readers who voted for me and took the time to read the inspiring stories of the nominees on the Oticon website. This was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity and will tell you all about my trip to LA in my next post.

Support for the Needs of Mainstreamed Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students

2011-09-10T21:08:00.004-05:00

This is a guest post by school librarian Nadene Eisner. Reprinted with her permission, this article was originally posted on Deaf Politics.

It takes a village: teachers and librarians can help students achieve academic success

In 2009, twenty schools for the deaf were targeted for closings or budget cuts. Throughout 2011 the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has fought to protect schools for the deaf from closing. The NAD’s position statement on schools for the deaf recognizes their value both educationally and culturally but when we look at enrollment numbers more deaf and hard of hearing students continue to attend their local public schools, private schools, or public schools with deaf and hard of hearing programs than schools for the deaf.

While the NAD is fighting for schools for the deaf to remain open, who is looking out for the educational welfare of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in public schools? We know the current learning situation is not working successfully for all DHH students. Research continues to show the average DHH student graduates high school with a fourth grade reading level. To combat this decades-old struggle to improve literacy and learning, research out of RIT supported recognizing and teaching to the unique learning styles of DHH students. With appropriate support, DHH students made academic gains relative to their learning level. Recommendations from this research included educating DHH students in an environment with teachers experienced in working with DHH students and supporting independent learning by providing opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge of what they read and learned. Being encouraged to think independently helped students transfer knowledge from one area to another.

Who is responsible for teaching these independent thinking skills? Many articles about educating DHH students point to classroom teachers as the responsible parties in educating students. Those of us who subscribe to the theory of teachers as guides recognize “it takes a village” to educate our students. In a true collaborative team schools might look to the music, art, and physical education teachers to provide lessons that tie in to classroom learning. The special education staff supports specific learning needs while the school librarian ideally works with everyone to ensure students have the literacy and information skills to help them become life-long thinkers and learners.

School librarians can play a tremendous role in improving learning in students who are DHH. Teachers are under a lot of pressure in the classroom to help students pass tests due to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Within the library, school librarians may have the freedom to do original teaching that can only improve the critical thinking skills students need to pass these standardized tests.

As with all teachers, school librarians need to be alert to the individual learning differences in their students, especially those who are DHH. This can be challenging when a school librarian teaches over 600 students each week, but by recognizing specific learning differences in students, lessons can be tailored to meet many needs at once.

What are the learning styles that define DHH learners? While many of us may learn best with a combination of learning styles, DHH learners may rely more on learning visually. Visual learners learn best with pictures, written instructions, sign language, and visual demonstrations. By contrast, auditory learners process information more effectively by listening, and kinesthetic learners do best in environments that encourage movement and tactile activities.

It’s important to understand that our brains are often expecting us to learn in a certain way regardless of how we are taught in the classroom. For example: as a deaf person I’m a visual learner; however, I became deaf at the age of three in the years before computers and captioned television. My brain was probably wired to learn by hearing but I could no longer comprehend everything I struggled to hear with hearing aids. When I looked for visual supports—pictures to demonstrate routines, written instructions, gestures, sign language, anything to fill this immense gap I was experiencing—here was nothing because I was educated in environments that didn’t differentiate for different learning styles. This didn’t change the fact that I was still an auditory learner who was now forced to learn visually without visual supports. The result for me was learning became tedious and boring.

Some DHH students in mainstreamed and self-contained classrooms today are having challenges similar to when I was a student. They may be in mainstreamed classrooms without efficient visual support. They may have teachers who don’t understand completely their very unique culture and learning needs. Students are moving from music, to art, to physical education, to the library to be taught by teachers who may be unfamiliar with their specific needs.

DHH students are not the only visual learners. We are seeing more and more visual learners in hearing students, which is terrific news for our DHH students who are educated in mainstreamed programs. Some point to technology as one reason for more visual learners. From an early age, children are surrounded by visual stimulation through television, computers, video games, and texting. As a result students also have become accustomed to receiving short bursts of information rather than long lectures.

Regardless of the reason, we are more aware of learning differences now than in the past, and we are better equipped to teach to these unique learning styles. Teachers and school librarians need to collaborate with each other to meet these unique learning needs. Students in kindergarten through high school need our guidance as they learn and we need to support students by recognizing their unique needs as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

As a teacher-librarian I’ve looked to my own needs as an auditory/visual learner to create and present lessons that incorporate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning while also encouraging the use of technology as it relates to specific learning goals. I was thrilled to see how successful these strategies were with my hearing students and because they incorporate so much visual learning they can be adapted in a DHH classroom, or a classroom with DHH mainstreamed students.

Evidence from RIT shows that many DHH students are not where they should be academically, not because they are unable to learn but because we are not teaching to their learning styles. The more we can differentiate to encourage our students to read and communicate the better they can strive for academic success.

To further meet the needs of DHH students and provide support they may not be receiving in the classroom, I have created a tutoring service, Signs of Success Tutoring, to work not only with DHH students but also with parents, teachers, and late-deafened adults to implement strategies tailored to the needs of DHH learners as illustrated in this article. My tutoring service includes support beyond homework help that encourages students to communicate with me through my website and engage in discussions. I provide links to websites that support student learning and instruct students in how to navigate the Internet. I collaborate with teachers virtually and face-to-face to create engaging curriculum-based lessons and exercises for DHH students.

While the NAD continues to focus on keeping schools for the deaf open my tutoring service provides educational support for DHH students at home who are learning in public schools and hearing colleges. With enough teachers and parents looking out for our students we can challenge the “fourth grade reading level” research and push our students to succeed.

Works cited:
Eisner, Nadene (2011). http://www.signsofsuccesstutoring.com

Gallaudet Research Institute (2011). Annual survey of deaf and hard of hearing children and youth, 2007-08 Regional and National Summary. Gallaudet Research Institute / Gallaudet University

Marschark, M., Spencer, P., Adams, J., & Sapere, P. (2011). Teaching to the strengths and needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 26(1), 17-23. doi:10.1080/08856257.2011.543542

ABOUT NADENE EISNER
Nadene Eisner earned her MS from Drexel University and her School Library Media Specialist certificate from the Universtiy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's worked in several libraries throughout the years, most recently serving as the school library director and teacher in a hearing elementary school. She is completing her Certificate of Advanced Studies at UIUC. She lives in Illinois with her four children—and lots of books.<

Complaining 101 for Advocates

2011-09-04T10:26:00.004-05:00

Megan of the marvelous Hearing Sparks blog recently wrote on Positive Communications for Accommodations. She described a situation where a request for accommodation was expressed in a rather confusing manner. Her post concluded with this question: What are some strategies you have found for approaching people to get reasonable accommodations or explain a problem? Her words hit home for me because I had just finished reading The Squeaky Wheel: Complaining the Right Way to Get Results, Improve Your Relationships, and Enhance Self-Esteem by Guy Winch. I've personally experienced the frustration of speaking up and feeling as though no one is listening and I think his book offers some great tips for advocates.

Dr. Winch begins his book by explaining why complaining is often ineffective. Basically, we complain to the wrong people. People who don't have the power to make the change we desire. Thus, our complaining ends up as venting, which may make us feel better temporarily and possibly garner some sympathy, but doesn't fix the problem.

If we're truly serious about speaking up for ourselves, and not simply whining, then we need to do some research and find out who has the authority and responsibility to make the change we want. But once we do that, how do we get them to listen to us? Dr. Winch describes a technique he calls "serving a complaint sandwich". The top slice of bread is an ear-opener, the meat is the complaint, and the bottom slice of bread is a digestive. The secret of his recipe is that the top and bottom of his sandwich are comprised of positive statements. By starting off positive, the recipient can listen to your complaint without having his defense mechanisms triggered. By ending on a positive note, the listener is motivated to help you. In his book Dr. Winch provides real life examples of complaint sandwiches which explain each step in detail.

His final chapter is titled Squeaking as Social Activism. I'd like to share a quote I found significant:

"We have one huge advantage living in a society of ineffective complainers. Those of us who wish to influence our communities have a better chance of succeeding than we may realize because of a phenomenon called overrepresentation, which guarantees those few of us who do speak up have a far stronger impact than we would have otherwise."

I recommend Dr. Winch's book to all those who would like to change their communities for the better and particularly to all who advocate for greater accessibility.

The Smartest Card in Your Wallet

2011-09-01T19:57:00.006-05:00

September is Library Card Sign Up Month in the United States because the American Library Association wants to remind all parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Owning a library card provides students with the resources they need to compete academically. Most public libraries (nearly 90%) provide students free access to databases of news articles, encyclopedias and test preparation materials, as well as homework help and resources. In addition, public libraries are the number one access point for free Internet access, an important resource for families without access at home when 96% of school districts require students to use the Internet to complete their homework.

But library cards aren't just for kids. Adults can enjoy the benefits of library membership as well. The ALA has published a list of 52 ways to use your library card. I won't reprint them all here, but I thought several were worth noting to show the breadth of services available at today's libraries.

#17 Book a meeting room for your club or organization.
#25 Learn about the history of your hometown.

#30 See a new art exhibit.

#41 Trace your family tree.

#47 Take a class on how to use your new digital device.

You can download the entire list here.

How do you use your library card?

DDW's Journey to Cambodia and Thailand

2011-08-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

Travelers with Discovering Deaf Worlds recently returned from a trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Here's a report on their adventure courtesy of DDW's Executive Director, Davin Searls:

We had a wonderful group of eight travelers who bonded from day one! Even though we had the full spectrum of signing Deaf people to interpreters to a hearing person who knew no sign language at all, the participants made sure that everyone was included. In fact, by the end of the trip, our one non-signer was having conversations in not only ASL, but Cambodian Sign Language as well!

Our group especially enjoyed their time with the local Deaf community and our visits to DDW partner organizations. We watched a fantastic dance performance by Deaf vocational students at Epic Arts, and even joined the students in a creative dance workshop! For DJ and I, it was an inspiration to see such incredible growth in the Cambodian Deaf community. Four or five years ago, there were very few visible Deaf leaders - and after this visit, we were in awe about the strength of independence behind the local Deaf community to coordinate our visit, lead workshops with our group of mixed hearing and Deaf people, and formally teach us a crash course in Cambodia Sign Language!

We also squeezed in some exciting cultural ventures like Muay Thai (kickboxing), a visit to the Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Grand Palace in Thailand, and taste-testing exotic street food like crickets - which surprisingly, weren't half bad!

Without a doubt, this was a memorable Journey for everyone- we have to thank our local cultural representatives for making us all feel at home!

Thanks, Davin for sharing your thoughts on the trip! In the video below, you will see one of the journey participants share her experiences in Cambodia.

To see the group's itinerary in Cambodia and Thailand click here. To learn more about travel opportunities with Discovering Deaf Worlds, click here.

Chicago Deaf Awareness Day is Coming Up

2011-08-25T19:45:00.005-05:00

Click on flyer to enlarge

Consider yourself invited. There will be entertainment provided by ASL-English interpretation students from Columbia College and displays on the services and products available for the deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened and deaf-blind in Chicago.

If you live in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

Don't Miss: Karen Putz and Katie LeClerc in Ability Magazine

2011-08-24T17:00:00.003-05:00

The latest edition of Ability Magazine features Katie Leclerc on the cover and Deaf Mom blogger Karen Putz inside. You can download the magazine for free on Facebook.

In her cover story interview, Katie discusses a variety of topics including Switched at Birth, Ménière’s disease, bullying, cochlear implants, and more.

The article about Karen chronicles her return to barefoot water skiing after an accident on the water twenty-five years before caused her to go suddenly deaf. Although she was previously hard of hearing, she had difficulties in accepting her increased hearing loss. Looking back today, she says, "Going deaf was the best thing that ever happened to me. It didn't seem that way at the time but ... I learned to embrace being deaf. I learned to embrace being myself." You can find Karen's blog at deafmomworld.com.

School Bus Cake

2011-08-22T00:02:00.001-05:00

My husband and his school bus cake

I made this school bus cake in honor of my husband's new gig as a school bus driver. Today's his first day, my son's return to school, and the start of fall semester at the university where I work.

The cake, a surprise for my husband, was easy to make. I made it from 2 pound cakes, mini nilla wafer cookies for the kids' faces, mini chocolate doughnuts for the tires, and white chocolate chips for the center of the wheels and the headlights. I decorated it using orange and red M & Ms for safety lights and used black and red icing gel to create outlines on the bus and the children's features. I searched "School Bus Cake" on Google to get inspiration and decorating directions.

Here's hoping that students, teachers, and staff everywhere have a safe, enjoyable, and educational school year ahead.

Fathers and Daughters and Books Read Aloud: The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

2011-08-20T11:50:00.007-05:00

As regular readers of my blog know, this year I am happily participating in the Support Your Local Library Reading challenge. I'm reading more than I have in a long time and seeking out book recommendations every chance I get. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma was recommended to me by a close friend who is also a librarian.

I was intrigued by the idea of a father and daughter's years-long-every-night-without-missing-once reading streak. My own father read to me as a girl. Through him I was introduced to the Chronicles of Narnia and the Hobbit. But we didn't read together every night. It was not a ritual for us. As I remember, it was more of a way to pass the time on a long car trip when it was my mom's turn to drive.

All the same, the sound of my dad's voice as he read aloud is one of my favorite memories of childhood. So when I had a child, I read to him regularly myself. Then I had the idea of convincing my father to tape record a cassette of my son's favorite stories for his bedtime listening. Of course, I also made read aloud tapes of my own voice, my husband's, and his grandmother's. But it was my dad's voice that returned me to my past. It was as much a gift for me as for my son.

Alice Ozma's father, Jim Brozina is a school librarian with a passion for reading aloud to children. Interestingly, he also has a hearing loss. This is not a major theme of the book, but it is mentioned several times. Naturally, that made me relate to the story on another level.

When I began this memoir, I wondered how the account of their reading accomplishment, while quite amazing, could fill up 279 pages. As I read further, I discovered their story offers much more. It is an inside look at a single father raising two daughters. It is a description of the unrelenting determination needed to overcome the obstacles inherent in achieving a lofty goal. It's the biography of Alice Ozma's childhood.

You may wonder, as I did, why The Streak, as they dubbed it, was so important to her. The answer, I think, is when her mother left, her grandparents died, and her sister went overseas as an exchange student, The Streak became something she could rely on when her family dynamics were changing. She and her father began officially when she was in third grade and ended the day she left for college. They read nightly for 3,218 days. The most memorable books they read are listed at the end.

Here's a brief selection from the book:

We called it The Reading Streak, but it was really more of a promise. A promise to each other, a promise to ourselves. A promise to always be there and to never give up. It was a promise of hope in hopeless times. It was a promise of comfort when things got uncomfortable. And we kept our promise to each other.

I highly recommend this book to all book lovers. This title is #37 on my reading list. I still have more than 4 months of reading before the challenge is over. Do you have any recommendations for me?

I'm an Oticon Focus on People Awards Finalist!

2011-08-15T18:59:00.017-05:00

I'm very excited to announce that I have been chosen as an Oticon Focus on People Awards finalist in their Advocacy category. Oticon has selected three people in each of four categories -Student, Adult, Advocacy, and Practitioner - to be their finalists. The ultimate winner in each category will be chosen by online vote. Here's the official press release I received today:

Sarah Wegley Selected as Top Finalist in the 2011 Oticon Focus on People Awards

Vote Online for Sarah Now Through August 29!

Sarah Wegley has been named a finalist in the Advocacy category of the 2011 Oticon Focus on People Awards. People are encouraged to log onto oticonusa.com to cast their vote for Sarah and other top finalists in each of four categories – Student, Adult, Advocacy and Practitioner. Tabulations on the total number of votes received by each finalist will determine who will be the first, second and third place winners in each category. The 12 finalists represent the "best of the best" nominees for this year’s competition.

“Cast your vote for who inspires you! Our goal is to reach as many people as possible with the inspirational stories of our Focus on People Award finalists,” says Nancy Palmere, Sr. Marketing Manager at Oticon, Inc. “Log onto oticonusa.com and read about the accomplishments of some remarkable people with hearing loss and dedicated practitioners who are helping to show that hearing loss does not limit a person’s ability to achieve, contribute and inspire.”

First place winners in each category win $1,000 and a $1,000 donation from Oticon to the charity of their choice. First place winners in the Student, Adult and Advocacy also win a pair of Oticon advanced technology hearing instruments.

Voting is open now through August 29 at oticonusa.com. Winners will be announced in September.

Click here to vote.

About the Focus on People Awards

Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national awards program now in its 14th year, honors hearing impaired students, adults and advocacy volunteers who have demonstrated through their accomplishments that hearing loss does not limit a person’s ability to make a difference in their families, communities and the world. By spotlighting people with hearing loss and their contributions, Oticon aims to change outdated stereotypes that discourage people from seeking professional help for their hearing loss.

What Oticon Wrote About Me, My Blog, and My Advocacy

Sarah Wegley is a librarian who doesn't believe it is necessary – or a good idea – to keep your voice down, especially when it comes to addressing something as important as hearing loss.

In her award-winning blog, "Speak Up Librarian," Sarah chronicles her own experiences with late-onset hearing loss and invites others with hearing loss to speak out about their own challenges, adventures and achievements.

Sarah, who has a moderate hearing loss, has worn hearing devices since 2006. At that time, she knew no one in a similar situation and frankly admits that it was lonely. Writing her blog at first was an outlet, a way for her to talk about how hearing loss had affected her emotionally. She was shocked to find a group of individuals from all walks of life who were happy and grateful to read and share along with her.

At first, Sarah’s blogs invited followers to come with along on journey to "come to terms with my hearing loss and adjust to life with hearing aids." Over time, her blog became more than just her own story. Today, it is a source of information for not only people with hearing loss but also for people who are interested in learning more about hearing loss.

Not all of Sarah's contributions are virtual. Her advocacy interests include open captioned films, accessible online education and hearing aid insurance coverage and she was recently elected the Social Chair of the Association of Late Deafened Adults Chicago.

In her new role, Sarah has been instrumental in opening group members to new experiences and changing the perceptions of the people in everyday life that they meet along the way. She recounted an experience in a local restaurant where the wait staff had to make special accommodations for the group, such as being careful to face the people at the table as they spoke. In Sarah’s estimation it was a win-win for all including the wait staff.

"I try to raise awareness wherever I can," Sarah says. "Life does go on with hearing loss!" There is no doubt that it will go a bit more smoothly for people with hearing loss, thanks to Sarah's candid and honest commentary online and off.

Thank you, Oticon!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-08-14T14:27:00.008-05:00

Take me out to the ball game.

Take me out with the crowd.

When a member of my hearing loss support group suggested going to a minor league baseball game for an outing, I was all over that idea. I knew of a family friendly stadium that would provide an affordable evening of entertainment for our group. I made arrangements for us to attend a Windy City Thunderbolts faceoff against the Gateway Grizzlies at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood. Adding to the fun would be a free pre-game concert by Jerry "Elvis" Vegas, Elvis themed giveaways, and a fireworks show after the game.

What I didn't plan on was the rain. Thunderstorms moved through the area during the afternoon and on into the early evening. At dinner before the game, I watched the restaurant television anxiously to discern the weatherman's prediction. He promised the thunderstorm watch would end at 7 p.m. Just in time for the start of the game at 7:05 p.m. my support group friends reassured me. They understood how much I wanted the game to take place because our previous month's social event had been cancelled due to extreme heat. Ahhh, weather. It can interfere with the best laid plans. Maybe we were tempting fate by attending a Thunderbolts game.

We arrived at the ballpark early, but Jerry "Elvis" Vegas didn't go on so we had to content ourselves with playing with our Elvis giveaways which turned out to be inflatable guitars. Everyone in the group was a good sport about it and used the time to do what we like best at an ALDA Chicago social - chatting! It's wonderful to have a conversation with other people who make sure to face you and who may even use a bit of sign as they speak. I got to know several group members better and also took the opportunity to confide a problem I'm having to two people whose opinions I respect. Their perspective was greatly appreciated. Hey, that's what a support group is all about, right?

In this photo you can see the field crew

at work, repairing the rain damage.

In this photo, my husband patiently waits out the rain delay.

I was fortunate to have left a beach blanket and quilt in my car!

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,

Once the game got started, our group enjoyed snacking on peanuts, popcorn, and ice cream. Those who weren't with us at dinner had pizza and hot dogs. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to have ballpark fare while watching a game. We got our Elvis fix by listening to The King's music over the loudspeakers.

I don't care if I never get back.

That would certainly have been the case if the game hadn't started an hour late. Once 9 p.m. came, members of our group began to apologetically slip away. I understood. Some of them had driven quite a ways to attend the game. By the seventh inning stretch, my husband and I were the only ones left of our group. We stuck it out another inning, but by 10:30 p.m. I was tired out too.

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

Boomer, the team mascot

If they don't win, it's a shame.

That was the case for the Windy City Thunderbolts. When we left, they hadn't scored a single run. I found out online that the final score of the game was Gateway Grizzlies 10, Windy City Thunderbolts 0.

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out

At the old ball game.

Deaf Child Area Signs

2011-08-09T12:58:00.005-05:00

Have you seen a street sign like this where you live? There are several in my town. I've taken photographs of the ones I see regularly. They've raised questions in my mind I wanted to share with you. I'm curious to know more about them, but I don't know who to ask.

This is the oldest sign I've seen. It's located on the same street as the sign pictured above. It's a mystery to me why this sign hasn't been taken down. It's not very visible to drivers in its current condition. I wonder how long it's been there. This sign makes me wonder when/if signs like these are ever taken down. What happens after the child grows up? What happens if the family moves away? Is it up to the family to have them removed?

This photo has not been retouched, I swear. The sign has been allowed to remain in this condition for years even with the obvious misspelling. Do you suppose someone vandalized this sign and rubbed off the letter D? Why has no one replaced the missing letter? How much attention do people pay to these signs anyways?

It's the same with this sign which is located on the opposite side of the street a block down from the one above. It makes me wonder, who pays for these signs? The town or the family? I haven't been able to locate any information on legal requirements for these signs. They are not to be found among the many street signs identified in the Illinois driver's manual.

When we came across this tilted sign while I was taking these photos, my husband put his shoulder to it and straightened it out. It makes me feel like it's up to us rather than the municipality to maintain these signs. Surely police officers and other city workers had driven by this sign and not fixed it.

From what I've read on the internet, there's mixed opinions on the effectiveness of these signs. Based on the sorry state of the ones I've shown here, I wonder who is paying attention to them. What do you think? Are these signs a good idea? If so, who should be responsible for maintaining them?

John Nikolakopoulos on Quiet Signs of Love

2011-08-05T19:10:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the wonderful videos for Quiet Signs of Love yet? They tell the story of a love that blossoms between two college students Daniel and Hannah. Their romance is complicated by the fact that Daniel is hearing and Hannah is deaf. Can they overcome their differences and find a way to communicate their true selves to each other? Can they find a place in each other's world? I was fascinated to see how this would play out for them since deaf/hearing relationships have a reputation for being difficult to maintain. Would Daniel and Hannah be one of the successful couples or would they become another statistic? You can see for yourself by watching the videos below, but first I'd like to tell you a bit more about the films and why I'm pleased to post them on my blog.

I was recently contacted by John Nikolakopoulos, director of ikonfilm, and asked to help spread the word about Quiet Signs of Love. Because of my passion for increasing deaf awareness through quality media productions, I am happy to assist John by recommending the videos to all of you. Especially when he told me that if these videos receive enough hits, he will be able to create a third episode or possibly create a feature film from the story.

I asked him to tell me more about how he came to make Quiet Signs of Love and this was his reply:

The film is a response to a callout from the National Relay Service for a viral video to promote their service.

When I looked deep into Deaf culture online, I found a community for whom the internet had a very deep impact. It not only brought together a global Deaf community, it also bridged the hearing and deaf worlds, making the barriers between the two less formidable.

A viral video has the connotation of being a quick shallow laugh that is easily spread, but I immediately wanted to provide something that would have more substance and relevance to the deaf experience. The internet provided deaf specific video channels through a variety of blogs and youtube channels, and providing rich and meaningful content for this forum would be much more valuable and have a longer life than a quick cheap funny short video.

Every line and every scene in the film was carefully written to have a relevance to the experience of deaf people. For example, the dinner scene is a reversal of the kind of experience deaf people have in social gatherings, where everyone is speaking and they are left out. By having a hearing person in this situation, its a little bit of Schaudenfreude (pleasure obtained from the troubles of others). In the following scene where the couple have a fight, its the male protagonist Daniel's attitude towards her deafness that is the obstacle. Not the actual deafness itself.

This film is designed to build an awareness of the National Relay Service, but ultimately, it is designed to service the Deaf community by making the NRS part of something bigger - building bridges between deaf and hearing worlds. But instead of an annoying ad to remind us of this, an engaging movie that serves the community is a nicer way to do it.

Quiet Signs of Love, Part One

Quiet Signs of Love, Part Two

Switched at Birth: What the Actors Are Saying

2011-07-26T20:46:00.008-05:00

Update 8/3/11: I stand corrected. There are 2 more episodes following Pandora's Box: Paradise Lost which aired 8/1/11 and the season finale which will air 8/8/11. I regret the error. The good news is that Switched at Birth will not be over on the 8th. Additional episodes to complete a full season will be filmed. They will air in early 2012.

In this week's penultimate episode, Pandora's Box or rather guitar case, is opened and a devastating secret is revealed. I'm not going to spoil the suspense for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, so I thought I would share instead some cool quotes I found by the actresses who play Regina and Daphne.

When asked "What do you think is the single most important thing that you want everybody to get from the show?", Constance Marie who plays Regina, said:

I would have to say that the most important thing about this show is, the most number one thing, is that it literally teaches America and merges the hearing world with the deaf community. Since the deaf community is fifteen million strong, the fact that it merges those two seamlessly, I think it's a huge gift to America.

She followed up with this response to the question, "What do you hope people learn from the show?":

Well, I hope they learn, number one, that deaf people are just like everybody else except they speak fabulously with their hands.

You can read her entire question and answer interview here at BuddyTV.

In a separate interview, Katie LeClerc who plays Daphne, was asked, "What do you want viewers to take away from the show?" She replied:

I want people to see that the deaf worlds and the hearing worlds really are not that different. I want people to really feel like family is where you belong, and I hope that this show helps people connect back with their families. I hope that it exposes them to new cultures, and I hope people are less afraid of differences.

You can read Katie's full interview here.

If like me, you can hardly wait to see the show's final episode (airing Monday, August 1 on ABC Family and available online the day after in the U.S.), then maybe this will tide you over. Click here to take a look at ten photos taken from Paradise Lost, the last episode of Switched at Birth and read people's guesses as to what will happen next.

If you've been following the show, what has been your overall impression of Switched at Birth? Do you think there will be a second season?

EarPeace Product Review

2011-07-17T07:36:00.006-05:00

I recently received a sample set of EarPeace earplugs to review for this blog. The timing was perfect as there was a live music event coming up that I wanted to attend. Last night I attended this open air concert and tried out the EarPeace earplugs. I found the EarPeace hearing protection to be comfortable, easy to insert, and effective. The overall volume was reduced and I enjoyed a quality sound experience.

Without EarPeace, I would not have enjoyed the event nearly as much as I would have been concerned about damaging my hearing. I would also have chosen to sit at a much greater distance from the musicians. It was great to be able to relax and enjoy the show.

At one point, a band member questioned if the music was loud, because it's hard to be loud enough when playing outdoors, he said. You can take a look at the amplifiers in this photo and tell that the music was plenty loud. My husband who was unprotected commented that he heard distortion and feedback from where we sat. I didn't have any of that with the EarPeace.

I've used foam earplugs from the drugstore before and I like the EarPeace earplugs much better. They are far more comfortable and much easier to insert. Their open design allows sound through rather than muffling everything. They also come in a sleek container which would be easy to attach to a keychain. As a bonus, an extra earplug is included so you get three with every set.

I am already thinking of other ways I can use my EarPeace hearing protection: in the kitchen when I use the blender, around the house when I use the vacuum cleaner, and outdoors when my neighbors use their leafblowers. These earplugs are quick to insert and easy to remove by simply pulling on a tab. The enclosed directions show exactly what to do.

I recommend them to you. If you are interested in purchasing a pair, as a reader of my blog, you can use this 25% discount code: Music25.

Here are more details on this product provided by the company:

Clear Hearing: EarPeace simultaneously protects hearing and provides high-quality sound. When used properly, EarPeace reduces sound pressure by 75 percent while maintaining sound fidelity. Hearing isn't muffled.
Comfortable and Safe: EarPeace is comfortable and made out of safe, strong, reusable hypoallergenic silicone.
Discreet: EarPeace is a lifestyle brand, so it comes in three different skin tones.
Convenient: EarPeace comes in a sleek stylish aluminum case you can conveniently carry on your keychain, purse, etc.
Proven: EarPeace was tested by Michael & Associates, the leading independent lab in the country for measuring hearing protection performance.
Affordable: EarPeace has an MSRP of $12.95 and offers a money back guarantee.

Visit the EarPeace website for further information or to place an order.

Please refer to my Content Policy for questions concerning product review content on this blog.

My Garden Video Part 2: Back Yard

2011-07-16T16:19:00.003-05:00

This video shows my back yard and features hostas in bloom, our pond, and my new stack of books garden sculpture. Across the lawn you will see geraniums, petunias,vinca, hydrangea, marigolds, salvia, ferns and more.

My Garden Video Part 1: Front Yard

2011-07-16T14:33:00.004-05:00

In the summertime when I'm not working at the library, I'm working at home weeding my yard. If you've ever wondered why I haven't been online as much lately, this video will show you what's been keeping me busy.

This video shows my front yard and features our magnolia tree with vinca underneath, more vinca near the front entrance next to hibiscus which are not yet in bloom, yellow daylilies which have a starring role in our yard right now, and one of our deck boxes filled with geraniums and petunias.

Note: Background sounds on the videos include the steady hum of locusts, the crunching of my footsteps, occasional burst of birdsong, and a distant train whistle.

Finally! Says This Switched at Birth Fan

2011-07-14T12:09:00.003-05:00

Last night I watched Switched at Birth and finally got the payoff that I'd been waiting for since the beginning of this new television series. In episode 6, Regina points out to Kathryn that her biological daughter who is deaf has had to make ALL the efforts communication wise since meeting her hearing family. I wanted to cheer when I watched that scene. I realized in that moment how much the inequity had bothered me about the Kennish family. You may remember in a previous post that I speculated on who in Daphne's new family would be the first to learn and use ASL.

In this episode titled "The Persistence of Memory" Regina encourages Kathryn to learn Daphne's language and get to know her in a whole new way. A little while later Kathryn knocks on the door and signs to Regina that she wants to learn. Endearingly, she is nervous that she has signed wrong as she explains that she learned how to sign that much off the internet. Regina responds graciously telling her she could understand her and that it will mean a great deal to Daphne.

That was probably my favorite moment of the whole season so far.

If you're watching the show, what do you think of how the story lines have developed?

How Long Do Hearing Aids Last?

2011-07-11T18:39:00.007-05:00

How long do hearing aids last?

Photo of my hearing aids, taken in 2008.

I got my first (and only pair of hearing aids so far) in September 2006. As I'm approaching their 5 year anniversary, I'm wondering if I will be needing to purchase a new pair in the near future.

I vaguely remember asking my audiologist this question once and receiving an answer of 7 years. A few months ago when I attended a presentation on "How to Talk to Your Audiologist", I asked presenter Tina Childress the same question and she thought 5 years was more likely.

Tonight I did an Internet search to find information on how long hearing aids generally last. I learned that it depends upon the type of hearing aids, how much they are worn, and other personal variables such as the amount of earwax and perspiration a person produces, how well they are maintained, and even the climate where they are worn. Storing your aids in a dry aid kit at night and having maintenance and cleaning done by your audiologist regularly are two ways to help your aids last longer.

Estimates for how long a hearing aid will last varied from as little as 3 years to as much as 10 years. The most common figure I saw was 5 years. But, it's important to keep in mind how well you are doing with your current aids. As someone wisely pointed out on a Hearing Aid Forum discussion on this topic, "If you are doing perfectly well then it doesn't matter how old they are. They are solving your hearing problem. On the other hand if they are not adequately helping then it makes since to replace them even if they are fairly new."

Advancements in hearing aid technology is another reason to consider replacement. According to the website Audiology Online, "New hearing aids are coming out about once a year and so after 5 years, your hearing aid is 5 generations behind the latest technology." This website suggests that we may want to think about our hearing aids the way we think about our computers. Sure, a five year old computer can still work, but a new model will perform better and have more to offer. I have to admit that's definitely a factor in my thinking and something I will want to discuss with my audiologist.

Some people replace their hearing aids while the old ones are still working, ensuring that they have a backup pair "just in case". That idea appeals to me more than waiting until mine break down completely and I'm forced to deal with the issue. Ideally, I'd like to have time to consider my options, put aside the money, and not deal with the stress of being without working hearing aids.

To conclude, I found this online article to be an excellent summary on this subject.

Now I'd like to hear from you. If you've owned more than one pair of hearing aids, how long did yours last? What made you decide to replace them? Were there any warning signs that your hearing aids needed replacement? Would you like to replace your current hearing aids?

I look forward to hearing your responses. For newcomers, the easiest way to comment is by using the Anonymous option. You can include your name in your comment if you wish. Comments are moderated and there may be a delay before you see it posted here. When writing your comment, you can check mark a box to receive notification of comments by email. I find that's the most convenient way to keep track of discussions on my friends' blogs where I've left comments.

Librarian Guilty Pleasures

2011-07-02T03:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I had a day off work and the chance to indulge myself. Since the weather was too rainy for yard work and I had absolutely no motivation for cleaning the house, I spent the day relaxing.

When I wasn't napping, I was reading a book from my public library called This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can "Save Us All" by Marilyn Johnson. Why is that a guilty pleasure? Well, you may never have thought about it this way, but librarians are the ones who select the books for the library, and occasionally they choose a book they'd like to read. Gasp! Shocking, isn't it? This book's theme is about the author's experience in writing a book about librarians. Now come on, who is going to pick that one off the shelf, except a librarian? Especially when it features a female librarian in a super hero cape on the cover.

###I'm interrupting the blog post at this point to say I didn't order the book. You picked up on that, right? In case you don't remember or you didn't know, I don't work for a public library. Just checking that we're all clear on that. Now back to the blog post.###

I enjoyed reading the book especially the chapter on blogging librarians. Naturally I looked for a mention of my own blog, but sadly, it wasn't there. Perhaps if the author had extended the chapter for a few more pages... Anyways, she included a few great quotes I savored about librarian bloggers:

"Unedited and unmonitored, blogs represented a kind of free expression that librarians traditionally supported and celebrated, but had rarely taken the opportunity to practice."

"...librarians, as it happens, were cauldrons of previously unexpressed passions."

In another chapter the author, Marilyn Johnson, mentions a classic film about librarians facing the threat of being replaced by computers. I was intrigued. Enough that I stopped reading and went online to check its availability. Where do you think I found it? At a local library, of course. So last night my husband and I enjoyed watching Desk Set, a 1957 film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

I highly recommend the film to anyone, librarian or not. So why is watching that film a guilty pleasure? In the film the female librarians are smarter than the computer and the men too. Desk Set shows librarians answering reference questions received through the telephone. Real research questions as opposed to the kind I usually field. The worst one being a request to help someone put her jewelry on the other day. Really?!!! Desk Set is how I pictured a professional librarian's job when I was a naive library school student. Watching it for 103 minutes was a highly satisfying vicarious experience for me. Ahhhh....Like mint chocolate chip ice cream for my librarian soul.

Why Hearing Loss is Lonely

2011-06-30T14:10:00.003-05:00

I'm posting a video today that is worth a thousand blog posts. If you know someone with hearing loss, I urge you to watch it. It will open your eyes to the isolation that hearing loss can bring.

I found this gem while reading the Xpressive Handz blog today. Many of you with hearing loss have probably already seen this on the internet, but for those who haven't it is well worth watching. Please note that it's 24 minutes long.

Here's a brief description: My Song is a coming of age story which follows Ellen, a young deaf girl stuck in the middle of the deaf and hearing worlds. Feeling as if she doesn't fit in, Ellen learns sign language, attempting to enter the deaf world by taking part in a sign song competition in London. However Ellen is about to find her journey far more difficult than she first thought.

A Reader Asks Other Readers to Respond

2011-06-28T06:29:00.004-05:00

I received an email from a new hearing aid wearer who wanted to ask a few questions of me and the readers of my blog. My answers appear in italics. Please post your responses in the comments section. Thanks!

1. I find myself frequently adjusting the volume on my aids, having come to see that as an advantage. In fact, I can turn them up loud enough so that I can hear things going on in the next room! I'm wondering if you and other subscribers use your aids in this manner, or if you just keep your volume controls at the same setting all day? The problem I have is that now I can't tell how loud something "really" is, and I'm afraid that I might adjust the volume on things like radios, etc. too high or low for others. I try to watch peoples' reaction, but I can never be sure. I'd appreciate knowing how you and other subscribers deal with this matter. Also, is the practice I've fallen into of turning my aids off in very noisy places and when I really want to concentrate common?

Speak Up Librarian: My hearing aids don't have volume controls. My options are to switch between different programs, add an assistive listening device, or take them out. When I'm concerned the volume is too loud for others, I ask and try to come to a compromise. I do the same thing as you when it comes to noisy places, I take my hearing aids out.

2. I've learned of a way to have my current BTEs attachable to eyeglass frames, so my visual and hearing helpers can be combined and put on and off at the same time. Have you or anyone else had experience with this option?

Speak Up Librarian: I haven't tried that. It's an interesting idea, but there are many times where I wear my glasses but not my hearing aids and I wonder how tricky it would be to separate them.

3. I'm frequently aware that people are making a special effort to speak loudly and directly to me, I guess because they see my hearing aids. Do you frequently have this experience?

Speak Up Librarian: No. Generally I get that response only after I've told someone I'm not hearing them and it's something they really want me to know.

4. Several times a week I'm asked about my aids. I guess as a female yours are more hidden by your hair? Do you make any effort to hide you aids/hearing problem, or do you want people to know? From what I've read on your blog, you were never embarrassed about getting hearing aids. How do you feel your husband, children and coworkers have adjusted and accepted your need for hearing aids?

Speak Up Librarian: No, I don't hide my hearing problem. In fact my friends and family frequently wish I would just shut up about it already. (That's me "reading their minds" - not that they've said that.) I haven't been embarrassed about getting hearing aids. But I have been embarrassed when I think people perceive me as stupid or slow when I don't understand them right away. Even after 5 years, I still find it difficult explaining my situation to library patrons. I read in a book last night that librarians tend to be very private about themselves in their interactions with library patrons so that could be a factor. When people are coming to me for help, I guess I want to appear "all knowing" - an occupational hazard perhaps. Since it's been 5 years now, I think my friends and family have accepted the situation. As we tell teenagers, it does get better.

Thanks for your email. I'm looking forward to reading the responses of other readers of my blog.

Signing to My Dog

2011-06-24T17:38:00.004-05:00

I hate to admit it but my family doesn't share my enthusiasm for ASL. They rarely use even the most basic signs with me. So naturally I turned to my best buddy, Rusty, for my signing practice. As you can imagine, he learned the signs for "food" and "outside" really fast!

Today when he lifted his paw to me, I decided to sign "Nice to meet you" back to him. To my surprise he immediately started licking my hands enthusiastically. My husband noticed and decided he wanted to try it. I showed him how to make the sign and then he called Rusty over to his side. When he signed "Nice to meet you", Rusty licked his hands too. Who would have thought it would take my dog to get my husband willing to sign?

I used to think I was a little silly to sign to my dog. But I came across this video which encourages dog owners to sign to their dogs. Unfortunately, the video isn't captioned so here's a brief summary of its dialog: The trainer begins by discussing the advantages of signing to a dog. Then she relaxes her dog by rubbing his back, when he's ready she demonstrates sit, down, up, stay, and shake paw. She rewards the dog with "good dog" and "I love you" and of course treats. The trainer concludes that dogs respond to gestures and body language more than verbal commands.

I've also come across online instructions for teaching your dog sign language commands.

To conclude this post, I'm going to leave you with the story of Sparky. This 1 year old deaf dog was trained by prison inmates to respond to sign language commands. Afterwards, the prisoners thought he should live with people who would appreciate his abilities, so he was moved to a new home at the Missouri School for the Deaf. There he has made many new friends and the students are teaching him even more signs. You can see a picture of Sparky and read the full story here.

American Sign Language Writing

2011-06-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

I just stumbled across this video on the internet. I had never heard of ASL writing before. According to the si5s website, the purpose of ASL writing is to "build ASL literature in text form".

I've been working on learning ASL for some time now and I don't see this writing system as being useful to me or other hard of hearing/late deafened adults that are already fluent in English. I want to learn ASL for communication not for reading. I want to learn how to express myself in ASL by watching fluent signers not by reading written symbols.

What do you think? Would this be useful to you? Would it be useful to a deaf child to learn written ASL alongside written English? Let me know your thoughts.

Do I Have to Wear My Hearing Aids When I Drive?

2011-06-23T06:35:00.003-05:00

My last post on Switched at Birth raised the topic of deaf drivers. It got me to thinking more about the Hearing Aids restriction F on my own drivers license. I wrote about how I came to get that restriction on this post last year about renewing my drivers license. At that time I assumed it meant that I need to wear my hearing aids when driving just as the restriction B on my drivers license requires me to wear glasses or corrective lenses.

So that's what I've been doing until last week when I drove by myself to the beach. There was no way I was going to risk ruining my hearing aids by exposing them to the sand and water. But I couldn't very well leave them in the car because heat would wreck them too. The best option was to leave them at home.

It felt very freeing to drive without them. The road noise on the highway didn't bother me the way it does when I wear my hearing aids. I didn't have any passengers so there wasn't any strain to participate in conversation. But still I wondered if I were doing the right thing.

Yesterday I did a little research online and found out that in Illinois restriction F on a driver's license simply requires me to have two outside mirrors according to this state government website. There is no mention of having to wear hearing aids while driving. That was a huge relief to me. Now I feel comfortable about using my own judgment about whether or not to wear my hearing aids.

Thoughts on Switched at Birth, Episode Two

2011-06-19T14:59:00.003-05:00

Switched at Birth, a new television show on ABC Family continues to raise deaf awareness. Here are my thoughts on the latest episode.

I was really pleased to see the question of "Can people who are deaf drive safely?" addressed in the second episode. I think that's one of the most common misconceptions hearing people have about the deaf. In this episode Daphne's biological parents were very concerned about her riding to school on the back of a motorcycle driven by her deaf friend. I liked that Daphne's mom was compassionate about their concern but stood her ground in explaining that people who are deaf can be safe drivers.

Another scene I liked took place in a music store when Liam who is hearing tried to converse with Daphne and she misunderstood what he said. She then took him over to a pair of headphones, played music for him, and then asked him to lipread what she said. When he was completely unable to do it, he began to understand how difficult lipreading is. Here again, a common misconception hearing people have about the super lipreading powers of the deaf was examined.

My other favorite moment from the show was the scene where Daphne ate breakfast alone with her biological parents, brother, and Bay. Without her Mom there to remind them by her translating, the family quickly forgot that Daphne can't hear them. They talked all at once, back and forth, and the camera spun around to show Daphne's view as she tried to make sense of the conversation. When her lack of understanding was revealed by her delighted comment after taking a bite of toast that the jam was rhubarb which her biological mother had just been explaining at length, the family was shocked. Then her brother made a quip about her being similar to his grandpa. In my experience when someone with hearing loss is not elderly, people forget. I have to constantly remind people how to communicate with me and I bet that's your experience too.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the show covers next. Stay tuned.

Reflections on Switched at Birth

2011-06-08T19:07:00.004-05:00

Last night I watched the premier episode of Switched at Birth on Hulu as I don't have access to ABCFamily television station. I found out later that it's also available for viewing through the ABCFamily website. There's an excellent recap and review of this episode on Elizabeth's Eh?What?Huh? blog so I'm going to skip retelling the story and get straight to my reflections.

I was surprised by my intensely personal response to the show. I found myself identifying strongly with Daphne the main character even though I wasn't deaf as a teenager myself. I pondered this afterwards and realized that this program's theme is about coping with a change in your identity, in the way you view yourself, and that's been my internal experience of the past few years since I abruptly learned I have a hearing loss. Until then I had assumed my hearing was normal. Once that rug was pulled out from under me, I had to regain my footing and see myself in a new way.

I adored the loving relationship between Daphne and her mother who signs. I was delighted when she and her mom flicked quick oks to each other as that's something I do now on a regular basis with my son and occasionally with uncomprehending hearing people as it's become such a habit of mine. I'm looking forward to seeing on future episodes which of Daphne's new family first makes the effort to sign to her. My bet is on her new brother. He seems the most open to Deaf culture. Of course he messed up when he wouldn't talk directly to Daphne's best friend who is deaf and doesn't speak, but he did ask the right questions during the conversation. I'm hopeful there will be an episode at some point where her new mother learns some sign. That would be very satisfying to watch and a major turnaround from her completely clueless attitude currently.

The parts of the program dealing with the cause of Daphne's deafness were very poignant for me. As part of my own hearing loss journey I've examined why my hearing loss happened. Was it something I did wrong? Was it something I could have avoided doing? Perhaps most agonizing for me - How could I not realize that I didn't hear the way others do?

When the biological parents of Daphne instinctively seek to fix what they see as a "problem", I could relate to that as well. Unfortunately, I've had someone tell me to go to the doctor and get it taken care of when I began using an assistive listening device in addition to my hearing aid. She didn't understand that my hearing aid doesn't restore my hearing. I've also had a well-meaning family member compare getting a cochlear implant to having cataract surgery. When I replied that it would be okay if my hearing decreased further (I am nowhere near the point of qualifying for a cochlear implant), that I have confidence in my ability to cope and enjoy life without hearing, my relative was completely baffled.

The scene where Daphne's biological father calls out to her when her back is turned and realizes she can't hear him was very moving. In the next moments, he listens to everyday sounds he has taken for granted and comprehends that they are missing from her world. That's the paradox of my own hearing loss experience. Once I understood there were sounds I am unable to perceive, I became tuned into and grateful for the sounds I can hear aided and unaided. When someone asks me now, "Can you hear that?" and I can't, I simply shake my head no. But when I can hear a bird singing or some other lovely sound, I revel in it. I can no longer take it for granted.

One of the best parts of the show was seeing how poised Daphne was when dealing with her emotional parents. Teenagers everywhere take notes! It will be interesting to see if Daphne's self confidence falters any when she moves from a deaf school to a mainstream high school environment.

These are my thoughts. I'd be interested in reading your reaction to the show or what I've written, if you care to share.

Switched At Birth, ABC Family's new TV show features deaf role

2011-06-04T20:39:00.005-05:00

When I was at the captioned movie in April, I was delighted to see this trailer for Switched at Birth, a new television series. It looks interesting.

The following information comes from an official ABC Family press release about the show's premier on Monday, June 6 at 9 pm Eastern/8 p.m. Central.

Switched at Birth, a one-hour scripted drama, tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a working-class neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls.

John and Kathryn Kennish have led the “perfect” life – he a retired professional athlete and she a stay-at-home mom, having together raised their two children, Bay and Toby, in an idyllic neighborhood. But their world is turned upside down when they learn there was a mistake at the hospital and Bay is not their birth child. Bay discovers in her high school chemistry class that her blood type does not appear to match either of her parents’, and official tests confirm the life-altering news. The family meets Regina Vasquez and her daughter, Daphne. A single mom, Regina has worked hard to take care of Daphne, a member of her school’s basketball team, and a typical teenager in every way except that she is deaf. Daphne lives with her mother and grandmother, and attends her deaf and hard of hearing school with her best friend, Emmett.

The girls struggle to keep their footing in the world they know and the new one into which they have both been thrown. Both questioning their identities -- Bay, a rebellious and talented street artist, is fascinated to learn that her birth mother, Regina, is also an artistic type; Daphne’s love of sports is shared with her birth father, John, once a professional baseball player. When financial difficulties arise for Regina, she accepts the Kennishes’ offer that she, Daphne and Daphne’s grandmother all live in the Kennishes’ guest house, giving everyone a chance to get to know each another.

Academy Award®-winner Marlee Matlin will guest star in several episodes this season as Melody, a school counselor who is Regina’s best friend and mother to Emmett.

Switched at Birth stars newcomer Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano (Gilmore Girls) as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie (George Lopez) as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights) as John Kennish; Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Caroline in the City) as Kathryn Kennish; and Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical) as Toby Kennish.

Holland Tulip Festival

2011-05-08T20:36:00.015-05:00

Happy M-----s Day

2011-05-08T19:07:00.003-05:00

When I arrived in the parking lot at work on Friday, a coworker called across to me. Because of the background noise present, I didn't catch what she said and asked her to repeat as I walked over to where she stood. "Are you a martyr?", she asked in her accented English. "Am I a martyr? I said in confusion. "Do you have children?" she clarified. Oh, am I a mother was what she had said. "Yes, I am." "Happy Mothers Day!" she told me sweetly.

I Watched

2011-04-30T16:05:00.003-05:00

I watched the royal wedding live on TV. At 4 am clad in my pajamas with a blanket on my lap and coffee in my hand I watched the splendidly dressed royals arrive at Westminster Abbey. It was a wonderful way to start my morning.

Even better my husband joined me for the viewing. It was so exciting to point out to him where my son and I had sat for Sunday services last June. I was delighted by the addition of the trees on either side of the aisle for the ceremony. I loved the camera angles looking down from the great height of the Abbey. The formality and grandeur of the historic occasion stirred me. In America, we have nothing like it. Watching our celebrities strut along the red carpet on Oscar night can't even hold a candle to this.

For me, Kate's dress was perfection. She looked every inch the Princess she now is. Her sister Pippa's bridesmaid dress was stunning too. I was thoroughly charmed by the young children, both girls and boys, who accompanied Pippa down the aisle. And the hats - gasp! I absolutely adored the parade of hats on display among the family and guests.

I remember getting up thirty years ago to watch Diana and Charles' wedding in the early morning hours. Back then it was the epitome of romantic dreams for a young teenage girl. Over the years I watched as their fairy tale marriage fell apart and Charles went on to marry Camilla and Diana died before getting a second shot at matrimony. I thought that perhaps this time I would be too skeptical to get caught up in the spectacle of royal romance. Nah, I soaked up every moment of it and floated on a cloud into work yesterday.

Best wishes for a long and happy marriage, William and Kate.

Technical Difficulties at the Open Caption Movie

2011-04-27T20:06:00.003-05:00

Last night I took time out of my busy schedule to attend a captioned movie showing at a theater which had recently changed management. Although the available times were rather inconvenient as the only showings were midweek days at 2:00 and 5:15 p.m., the film they were offering, The Adjustment Bureau, sounded intriguing. In addition, I wanted to show support for a friend's efforts to encourage the new owners to continue offering open captioned films. If no one shows up for them, it doesn't motivate the owners to offer them, right? There were 7 people in attendance at the showing last night.

When the film began, I noticed right away that the captions seemed to be positioned a bit higher than normal on the screen. But since I have been to only a handful of open captioned films, I thought that perhaps this was how this one was meant to be. About halfway into the film when the members of the Adjustment Bureau reveal themselves to the lead character, I noticed that their heads were cut off. I leaned over to my companion and said, "I don't like that camera angle!" I thought it was an effect to build suspense. But as the movie continued and even the main characters' heads were chopped off in wide shots, I knew something was wrong. Then I noticed a large black band along the bottom of the screen. I left my seat and went to get the problem fixed.

It was a long walk as our theater was located furthest from the lobby. Fortunately someone was on duty at the service desk and when I told her about the problem, she reassured me it would be a quick fix. So I returned to my seat. A short while later, a theater employee made an adjustment to The Adjustment Bureau and we could now see faces and foreheads. Tops of heads and hats still bled over the top of the screen, though. Sigh.

But that was minor compared to the next problem. About two-thirds of the way through the film, the captions started "jumping" on the screen. That was even more problematic. To read them I had to look at them right as they first appeared because after that they were bouncing up and down. Very annoying.

Naturally the film was in the most crucial parts where you couldn't walk away without missing a key part of the action. I stayed in my seat this time rather than make the long walk again. No one else in the theater went to complain either.

On the way out, I wanted to say something to the manager, but she wasn't at the service desk so I missed my chance. I'm considering writing a note describing my experience. But I want to get the tone just right. I appreciate the fact that the theater is offering open caption films and I don't want to discourage that. On the other hand, shoddy service is shoddy service. I know I'll think twice about coming to the next film because of what happened.

My friend who has persuaded the management to offer these captioned films was also in attendance at this showing. Afterwards, she texted me that she plans to contact the manager and the corporate office about the situation.

What would you do?

Discovering Deaf Worlds

2011-04-25T20:53:00.002-05:00

I still have a follow up post from my trip that needs to be written about ANASCOR, the national deaf organization of Costa Rica. In the meantime, I hope you will take a few moments to watch this new video that explains the mission of Discovering Deaf Worlds. It's very well done and makes me proud to have an association with this organization. Perhaps you'll consider getting involved too.

The Words JUMP OUT At Me

2011-04-19T11:48:00.010-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but ever since my hearing loss was diagnosed, I've become aware of references to communication and hearing loss in all sorts of reading material. Kind of like how once I became pregnant, my eyes were opened to seeing pregnant women everywhere I went. Once that experience passed, I became oblivious to them again. Heh.

Today I'd like to share two examples from books I have recently read. These titles are not included on my reading challenge list, since I didn't check them out from a library. But one was purchased at a library book sale and the other was a prize from a Friends of the Library group. To my thinking I ought to get some credit for them even if it's only a mention of them here.

Consider these words from a short story called "Hands" that has nothing to do with deafness. But because of my exposure to ASL and deaf culture, they just seemed to leap off the page for me.

Wing Biddlebaum talked much with his hands. The slender expressive fingers, forever active, forever striving to conceal themselves in his pockets or behind his back, came forth and became the piston rods of his machinery of expression.

"You must try to forget all you have learned," said the old man. "You must begin to dream. From this time on you must shut your ears to the roaring of the voices."

This next passage comes from the book Tuesdays with Morrie and is part of an interview Morrie Schwartz had with Ted Koppel for Nightline. In this passage, he is describing his fears of what will happen as his ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) advances. Unlike the previous quote, this one is definitely related to communication and deafness. It's a short, sweet passage I might have completely overlooked if not for my own experience of hearing loss.

"But my voice? My hands? They're such an essential part of me. I talk with my voice. I gesture with my hands. This is how I give to people." "How will you give when you can no longer speak?" Koppel asked. Morrie shrugged. "Maybe I'll have everyone ask me yes or no questions." It was such a simple answer that Koppel had to smile. He asked Morrie about silence. He mentioned a dear friend Morrie had, Maurie Stein, who had first sent Morrie's aphorisms to the Boston Globe. They had been together at Brandeis since the early sixties. Now Stein was going deaf. Koppel imagined the two men together one day, one unable to speak, the other unable to hear. What would that be like? "We will hold hands," Morrie said. "And there'll be a lot of love passing between us. Ted, we've had thirty-five years of friendship. You don't need speech or hearing to feel that."

If you'd like to read more from these books:

"Hands" is one of the short stories that comprises Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Tuesdays with Morrie is written by Mitch Albom and is highly recommended to you by me.

If you are late deafened or growing hard of hearing as an adult, let me know if certain words JUMP OUT for you as well.

Royal Wedding Fun

2011-04-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-04-12T19:20:00.004-05:00

Come see what's budding and blooming in my yard!

Lilac

Daffodils also known as jonquils

Hyacinth
These have the prettiest scent!

Daffodil closeup

Hyacinth
We also have pink and white ones.

Sunshine on the Daffodils
Ahhh....spring at last!

Doing It 'Our Way'

2011-04-11T21:56:00.005-05:00

....We'll do it our way, yes our way

Make all our dreams come true

And do it our way, yes our way

Make all our dreams come true

For me and you. [Laverne & Shirley]

Doing things the hearing way often doesn't work for those of us with a hearing loss. Instead, we have to be creative and come up with new ways that work for us. Recently, I was responsible for a banquet hosting a mixed group of deaf, late deafened, hard of hearing, and hearing folks. I thought I'd share my experience and the innovations/accommodations that made our dream of a successful and fun party come true.

When I met the wait staff who would be serving us that day, I explained right away that most of the group had difficulty hearing. They were glad to have that information. It seemed as though the management hadn't told them anything about it in advance.

One of our guests had a great idea. He noticed the photocopied sheet of dinner options at each plate and suggested marking each one with our choice. The waiter was able to gather them all up and that saved a lot of his time versus trying to interact with each of us individually. Some members even wrote their special preferences next to their choice!

When I showed the waiter my marked paper, he came up with his own innovation. He returned with a paper with the various soft drink options handwritten in magic marker and let each person indicate their choice by pointing or telling him. The waitress brought a similar paper with the salad dressing choices written on it. She placed a copy on each table for us to mark our choices. This turned out to be another excellent time saver. It also saved the awkwardness I've experienced when I've struggled to understand a list of salad dressings spoken aloud and needed to ask for repeats.

We had one more accommodation I wanted to share with you. For the program part of our banquet, we had a CART provider [Communication Access Realtime Translation] who would type captions projected on a screen. As our captioner was setting up her equipment, she realized that the screen provided by the restaurant, although fully extended, would come up short and that people in the far corner of the room would be unable to see it. The photo below shows the solution the restaurant manager came up with to fix the problem.

I was very pleased with this restaurant's response to our group's needs. When I unthinkingly signed as I was speaking with one of the waiters and apologized when I realized what I was doing, he corrected me saying, "No, it's okay. I might learn something." I think his words summed up our experience well. By not pretending to be the same as hearing people, we saved the restaurant time and aggravation. For their part, they learned to think about how people with hearing loss could best be served.

Have you had any similar experiences you'd like to share?

Million Dollar Marlee Matlin

2011-04-03T22:10:00.004-05:00

I have really enjoyed watching Marlee Matlin on this season's Celebrity Apprentice. On tonight's episode, she raised a million dollars for Starkey Hearing Foundation!!! This is the American hearing aid company that donates hearing aids to needy children around the world. To learn more, visit the Starkey Hearing Foundation website.

Last year, I wrote about this organization but didn't mention that it's been a personal dream of mine to someday accompany this organization on one of their missions to Central America. Marlee, more than ever, you are my hero for what you've done tonight. Congratulations!

No matter what happened this week on Celebrity Apprentice, I was planning to write about Marlee. Why? This week I discovered this inspirational video of her on the Deaf Women in Film website. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

By the way, the men's team on Celebrity Apprentice raised money for another wonderful cause, the St. Jude Children's Hospital. Donald Trump made a deal with Marlee and men's team leader, John Rich, that the "losing" team (in terms of dollars raised) could keep their money for their charity. So, both charities won big tonight. You can learn more about St. Jude Children's Hospital at their website.

Well done, celebrities. So many children will be helped by your efforts.

A Visit to Don Juan's Organic Farm, Costa Rica

2011-03-22T18:37:00.009-05:00

Don Juan, Organic Farmer

Don Juan used his hands a lot to while speaking to us.

In the back of this photo, you can see the roof
of the pavilion where we were served our
lunch which featured foods from the farm.

Pineapple
They grow from the ground, not trees.

Don Juan showed us cacao. We
each got to taste a seed from this plant.

The taste is much different than the
familiar processed chocolate.

Don Juan joked that American
footballs are grown on this tree!

This plant can be used to wash your hands if
they get dirty while gardening. The over-
sized leaves naturally catch raindrops.

This unusual shaped plant is poisonous.
I don't know why it's grown there.

These flowers are planted at the ends of

rows to keep bugs away from the plants.

At the end of our tour, Don Juan
gave us these sweet treats to sample.

Pressing Sugar Cane Juice & Other Don Juan Demos

2011-03-22T18:36:00.005-05:00

During our tour of Don Juan's organic farm, each of us were chosen to assist with one of his demonstrations. One woman held a cacao plant in her hand while he used his machete to slice it. She was a brave one, though I noticed he used the flat edge to strike with rather than the sharp blade. One lady pulled up a yucca root and then washed, dried, and perfumed her hands using other plants. Other people picked lettuce and radishes.

I was chosen along with another woman to use the red stain found inside the plant shown in the photo above as cosmetics. But not for ourselves. No, we were directed to apply the stain as lipstick, blush, and eye shadow to the faces of two men who had to keep their eyes closed. Once we were finished, they opened their eyes, took one look at each other, and burst out laughing. They looked like clowns! As you can see, this was a lighthearted, entertaining tour.

One of the most physical tasks demonstrated was pressing sugar cane into juice. In the video below, you will see how hard this is to do. Naturally, the strongest men in our group were chosen to help with this.

We drank the juice collected in the pitcher shown in the video. It tasted super sweet!

Communicating at Don Juan's Organic Farm

2011-03-21T16:53:00.006-05:00

I wanted to give you an idea of what it was like for me to travel in a Spanish speaking country while on a tour with deaf adults who communicate in sign language. This very short video made at Don Juan's Organic Farm will give you a glimpse at my experience. Keep in mind that I know some Spanish, so when Don Juan spoke I tried to listen to him and watch the ASL interpretation. Fortunately for my comprehension, at many points a hearing member of the tour restated what was said in English.

Here's the text of the English portion of this video:

"...smell different things together.

So now I need one more person to volunteer.

something with yucca

Come on down. Put you to work."

Don Juan's farm was a beautiful place to be and his demonstrations were very visual in nature so if I missed some of the details of organic farming... Oh well... I had a wonderful time anyways.

Telling the Story of My Sign Name

2011-03-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

I recently posted about receiving my sign name from a class of students at a deaf school in Costa Rica. At lunch that day, I was asked by Discovering Deaf Worlds to tell my story on video. I did so using as many signs as I could. By the end of this narrative, my words had run ahead of my signing ability and I had made several signing errors. But I hope you can ignore that and enjoy the story anyways. My delight in receiving a sign name shines through despite the mistakes.

An Irish Blessing

2011-03-16T20:09:00.008-05:00

From my house to yours, Happy St. Patrick's Day!
[I posted this early for my friends in the UK.]

Flora of Costa Rica

2011-03-15T19:54:00.001-05:00

Zip Lining in Costa Rica

2011-03-13T18:29:00.007-05:00

My chance to zip line in Costa Rica seems to be one of the most amazing aspects of my recent trip in the minds of my family and friends. Some people don't quite know what zip lining is. I've explained that it's hanging on a wire and putting yourself out into a void. The photo above illustrates what I mean.

Everyone wants to know if it was scary. Of course it was! I have a fear of heights and fear of falling that added to my terror. But I was determined to use this opportunity to conquer these fears or at least not let them hold me back.

Here I am equipped with my harness, helmet, and pulley. I'm putting a brave face on it although I've chosen a hot pink rain jacket in case I fall off and have to be found among the green of the rain forest. Ha, ha.

We got to the top of the mountain riding in these cage like cars called the Sky Tram. Normally that would be scary enough for me but with the greater thrill to come, I managed to enjoy the 20 minute trip up above the trees.

We received a lesson on proper zip lining technique and then were given the opportunity to ride across two short lines as practice before we reached the point of no return. The first two platforms were easy to reach as you can see from my smile in the photo above. It was the third one where you couldn't see the ending point that was scary. I'm proud to say no one in our group backed out of the zip lining. For me there was strength in numbers and knowing I wasn't the only one nervous about it.

It began to rain hard and we found ourselves soaked and chilled as we waited our turn at the remaining six platforms. Brrr. But no one could tell if I was shaking from fear or the cold.

In a way having the view obscured by the clouds and my rain-blurred glasses helped me with my fear. Even so during the first moments of release on each line, I kept my eyes closed. Once I was fully committed to my course and on my way zooming through the air so fast that the rain pelted my cheeks painfully, I actually enjoyed the thrill. It was like flying. The little girl inside me cried, "Whee!"

When the guide announced we had come to "Big Daddy" the longest, fastest line I got nervous again. But I shouldn't have. That line was actually the best of all of them. Below you can see actual photographic proof that I zip lined! In the picture I am slowing down to reach the final platform. My thanks to Dave Justice of Discovering Deaf Worlds for sharing his photos.

Visiting a Deaf School in Costa Rica with DDW

2011-03-10T19:12:00.007-06:00

Our first day in Costa Rica, the Discovering Deaf Worlds group visited a school for the deaf in San Jose. As you can see from the sign above, the deaf school is part of a special education center which also provides education for the blind and the mentally retarded. Students who are deaf-blind and students with multiple challenges are educated here as well. If you are interested, you can read more about Centro Nacional de Educacion Especial here and more about its founder, Fernando Centeno Güell here (Google can translate these pages from Spanish for you.)

Welcome sign near the front door of the school

Upon entering the school and being warmly greeted by the principal, we were invited to get back into our tour bus and drive to a theater so we could attend a performance with the school's students. Flexible people that we were, our group had no problem adjusting our plans to experience this unique opportunity.

Once we arrived and took our seats, a translator from Costa Rica sat next to me and explained that there would be no dialog for this play. Instead the performance featured animals of Costa Rica including a frog, a dragonfly, a butterfly, and a snake among others. The animals were painted with day glo colors and the actors holding them and manipulating them were entirely dressed in black. With a black backdrop the actors disappeared and all we could see were the animals writhing and jumping about on the stage. A soundtrack of music and sounds of the rain forest accompanied the action. The volume was set to LOUD. I enjoyed feeling the vibrations of the music and sounds. After the play was over, the actors came out with the animals and showed them to the children and us. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Back at the school, we were led on a tour of the classrooms so we could meet the students and learn about their studies. The school educates children from preschool age to 6th grade. One of the ladies in our group hails from Australia. She had brought a bag of tiny koala and kangaroo stuffed animals for the smaller kids at the school. It was really moving for me to see her interact with the kids, inviting them to choose just one from the bag, and then teaching them the Auslan signs for koala and kangaroo. She was a big hit with the children and brought smiles to their faces with her gifts.

In this photo you can see the school's director on the left and a local sign language interpreter on the right. The fish was one of the art projects for the day. A balloon was blown up and then strips of paper were laid over top with paste and then decorated. We were also shown art projects made from recycled materials such as pop can tabs.

We spent the most time with the 6th graders at the school. One by one our group introduced ourselves by finger spelling our names, sharing our sign names, and telling them where we live. When it was my turn, the students were concerned to learn that I didn't have a sign name and decided to remedy the situation.

For those of you who don't know, in deaf culture a sign name is given to you by members of the deaf community. It is not something you choose for yourself. It usually is something simple that represents an aspect of yourself. Using a sign name is more convenient than continually finger spelling a name.

That day I happened to be wearing a big floppy sun hat. One of the students suggested hat for my sign name but was overruled by the others because I don't wear this hat everyday. An animated discussion in sign followed. Then a student asked if I wear my glasses everyday. When I replied yes, the students decided glasses would be my sign name. [Glasses is signed by making a letter g sign at a 90° angle next to one's right eye. Or to describe it another way, by holding the right forefinger and thumb up to the right eye so they could touch the bottom and top of a pair of glasses.]

I was so touched to receive my sign name this way and in this place. Glasses is a perfect name for a librarian who wears bifocals, wouldn't you agree?

At the end of our visit, we had lunch in the school cafeteria. We were served rice with chicken and vegetables, salad, and cantaloupe. I was impressed by the healthy fresh food. I wished my son were fed this way at his school.

Before leaving we gave the director a donation that was raised through the price of our trip. She accepted the money graciously and told us the door to the school would always be open to us.

"I can be all that I want to be" sign on the playground

For My Birthday

2011-03-07T00:05:00.000-06:00

This year for my birthday I gave myself a fantastic present. I took a trip to Costa Rica with Discovering Deaf Worlds from February 24 - March 5.

This was an opportunity for me to push myself way out of my comfort zone. I traveled with a group of people I had never met before, most of whom were deaf and communicated solely by sign language. During the trip, I hiked in the rain forest, zip lined down a mountain, and climbed to a waterfall. I was tested mentally, physically, and socially.

A fellow traveler asked what drew me to taking this trip with Discovering Deaf Worlds. My answer was that since receiving my diagnosis of hearing loss, I have had the benefit of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, CART captioning, and other technologies. I have had the opportunity to learn ASL and watch interpreters at several events. Truly, I feel blessed to live in this country where help is available. I wanted to travel to a less fortunate place and see if I could be of any assistance or encouragement to the people there.

In the days to come I will write several posts describing the journey and what I learned in Costa Rica. But for now, I'd like to wrap up with this anecdote. At the farewell dinner the last night of our trip, I was asked what I would take away from this experience. I replied two things came to mind. The first was that I was grateful for all that I could hear. At home my focus has often been on what I miss or don't hear correctly. But in Costa Rica, I was amazed by all that I was able to hear. I could understand bits of Spanish. I could hear environmental sounds that my fellow travelers couldn't.

The second takeaway from the trip for me was that I need to open my heart to people more. At home I tend to isolate myself and avoid difficult communication situations. In Costa Rica, I learned the joy of interacting and that it's okay to say that I haven't understood what was expressed. One of my proudest moments on the trip was when I had breakfast with a deaf man from Costa Rica who signed LESCO sign language and a deaf woman from Australia who signed AUSLAN sign language. Despite our differences, we were able to have a real conversation. That morning I could have easily stuck to English speakers or ASL signers but I would have missed my chance to get to know two amazing people better.

In the year to come I hope I can continue to move out of my comfort zone and push forward. As they say in Costa Rica, Pura Vida.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:46:00.003-06:00

I bought two boxes of this candy yesterday. I thought my sweet little surprise for my guys was ruined when my husband found them while putting away the groceries. But no, he thought they were Valentine dog treats for our golden retriever, ha ha.

Hear the World Sound Academy

2011-02-13T15:08:00.004-06:00

Last summer, I wrote about Hear the World's Amazon adventure. This coming July 31-August 7, Hear the World will take young people to the Grand Canyon where they will work together with acoustic scientists to collect sound data for the National Park Service while discovering an entirely new way of looking at sound as a precious resource and hearing as a cherished sense.

"Following the success of the Hear the World Amazon Expedition, we wanted to dive deeper into providing students with the understanding that hearing and sound is not something we should take for granted,” said Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak and founder of Hear the World. “In partnership with Global Explorers, we are excited to be able to offer this one-of-a-kind opportunity for students to gain the tools needed to be the next generation of sound ambassadors.

Hear the World Sound Academy applications are currently being accepted through February 26, 2011. Applicants must be between the ages of 15-20 on July 31, 2011, enrolled as a full-time student either the semester before or after travel and experience hearing loss or have an expressed interest in hearing awareness and education. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.

Participants will be accompanied by Bill Barkeley, a world-class mountain climber and one of the 15,000 people in the United States with Type 2 Usher’s Syndrome – the leading cause of deaf-blindness in the world. Bill also served as a mentor and leader in the 2010 Hear the World Amazon Expedition. Bill’s 2007 summit of Mount Kilimanjaro shattered expectations and confirmed his role as an advocate and inspiration for the hearing loss community.

To learn more, nominate a student or apply, visit this link. Updated 2/14/10. [I apologize for any confusion caused by the previous incorrect link that was posted.]

Information provided by a Hear the World press release.

Is This Ad Funny to You?

2011-02-10T15:26:00.004-06:00

This ad premiered during the SuperBowl Sunday evening. I didn't find it funny at the time nor do I now several days later. In a way that's strange because I am the first to laugh at my own hearing mistakes. I think what bothered me most was the stereotype that it's the elderly who can't hear. Hey Chevrolet, this is my reality now, and I'm nowhere near ready to move into a retirement home.

What's your take on this ad?

Wonderful Video on Children and Sign Language

2011-02-08T18:11:00.001-06:00

Simply Swamped with Snow

2011-02-04T19:01:00.004-06:00

Picnic table in my backyard

Yardstick measuring one of our drifts in inches.

Scenic steps in the snow

The Blizzard of 2011 will be one to remember. I was sent home two hours early from work on Tuesday and the library was closed all day on Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday I was in a bit of a panic. All I wanted to do was get my family home safely.

Later that evening, watching the 9 o'clock news and hearing the stories of people trapped on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago was very upsetting for me. It triggered a bad memory. When I was twelve, my family was stuck overnight in a snowstorm on a highway in late November. We were returning home from a Thanksgiving visit to family out east and got caught in a blizzard that shut down the turnpike. Because of that experience, I take snow advisories very seriously!

When the newscaster reported the number of power outages in the area, I decided the best thing to do was call it a night and hope for the best. Our power must have flickered off at least once during the night because the alarm clock, stove, microwave, and coffee pot all needed to have their time displays reset in the morning.

On Wednesday, I just kicked back and relaxed. Everyone was home and we had power and heat. Outside our window, we saw one neighbor go by on skis and another one drive by in a SUV towing a boy on a sled behind him. My husband used our new snow blower to clear the driveway and sidewalk. I took photos of the snow and created a short movie. My husband later ventured out to the video store which was open naturally, and rented the Twilight trilogy for our entertainment.

By Thursday, I was a bit restless and used the time off from work to clean the house. My husband went back to work. My son wanted to be outdoors but we were experiencing very cold temperatures and I wouldn't allow it. He coped by finding adventure online in a video game.

Today was back to normal with school for my son and work for me. But on the way home tonight, I passed people who were still shoveling out. We are simply swamped with snow right now. How is it where you are?

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-02T11:41:00.002-06:00

Here's a look at our experience of the blizzard. We were fortunate to have the power stay on through the night. It flickered once. There is no audio on the video.

Window Wednesday: Falling Snow

2011-02-01T14:28:00.002-06:00

Update: When I made this video, I originally planned to post this on Wednesday, Feb. 2. I had no idea a blizzard would be predicted for that date in my area. Right now, it is just beginning to snow hard, so I am going to release this video ahead of time. I may follow up tomorrow with blizzard photos depending on the severity of the storm. Please stay safe and warm if you're in the area affected by the storm.

I have something new for you - a Window Wednesday video. I made it using Windows Movie Maker. I wanted to record the feelings I experience while watching the snow fall. When you don't have to drive in it, snowy weather can be quite relaxing. I'm looking forward to watching this again in July when I'm finding the summer heat unbearable.

I hope you like this short movie. Let me know if you'd like to see more in this line. For now, I'm simply experimenting.