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| Sarah & Rusty in 2009 |
Hi, my name is Sarah. I'm a hard of hearing librarian attempting to find my way in the world as a late deafened adult. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that losing hearing would be part of my life experience. The stories in this blog describe what it's been like for me to come to terms with my hearing loss and adjust to life with hearing aids. Feel free to laugh along with me at some of the mistakes I've made. Perhaps you may also learn more about hearing loss and benefit from some of the resources I've discovered.
When I started this blog, my main subject was adjusting to learning I was hard of hearing/deaf. When I first received the diagnosis of permanent hearing loss I worried anxiously about what the future had in store for me. What kind of life would I have?
Well, it's true that I have definitely changed and my family relationships and friendships have been affected. This was not something I would have chosen for myself but I am determined to find a way to live a fulfilling life and use my experiences to help others. A sense of humor is one way I cope and you will find that many of my stories have a humorous bent.
Over time the content of my blog has expanded to include my hobbies and activities as proof that life with hearing loss does go on. I enjoy gardening, photography, making videos, reading, and spending time with my golden retriever Rusty who is a pet and not a hearing ear dog. Occasionally I've discussed how my hearing loss has impacted my job as a librarian and included some library related posts. A positive outcome of my situation is that I've made some wonderful new deaf friends online and in person and participated in events aimed at raising deaf awareness, all of which you will read about here.
The topics in the righthand sidebar will help you find additional stories on the subjects of most interest to YOU. Blogs are conversational by nature. On Speak Up Librarian, I welcome comments, even on older posts. If you've never left a comment on a blog before, take a look at my comments policy which includes help for how to leave a comment. You will find this policy at the bottom of the page. If you'd prefer to contact me by email, that's fine too. My email address is in the top right hand corner.
If you are new to my blog, you may want to start reading the beginning of my story by clicking on these links:
This post may also be of interest to you:
Why I Blog
Recent News
November 2012 - Initiated a national theater advocacy campaign called Show Us the Captions! To learn more about how the campaign started and grew, please check out these posts:
- What's the Big Idea, Sarah?
- Show Us the Captions! - this November
- Show Us the Captions! Is Going National
- New Slide Show Explains the Campaign
- Show Us the Captions! Trial Run
- Google Map for Show Us the Captions!
- An Online Press Room
- The Campaign Has Begun
- Report from Chicago
August 2012 - Started graduate school for a MA degree in Communications.
June 2012 - I was asked to serve as a Board Trustee (in addition to my
role as Social Chair) for Association of Late Deafened Adults, Chicago chapter.
May 2012 - My personal hearing loss story was featured on People Hearing Better.
March 2012 - Sponsored a fundraiser for Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW).
October 2011 - Participated in Chicago Walk4Hearing.
In 2011, I won the Oticon Focus on People award for Advocacy.
The Oticon Focus on People Awards honors 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. I think that was the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm incredibly grateful to Oticon for their generosity in giving me a new pair of hearing aids as part of this award. I am thankful for all those who took the time to read my story and vote online for me.
Hearing News Watch story about 2011 Oticon Focus on People Awards.
Also in 2011, I took a trip to Costa Rica with advocacy group Discovering Deaf Worlds. I am incredibly proud to have traveled with one of the organization's founders, David Justice, and seen firsthand the work they are doing internationally to help the deaf in countries where opportunities and education are more limited. I'm also glad I survived the adventure travel that was part of the trip as well as improving my communication skills in ASL.
To learn more about this wonderful organization from Rochester, New York, please watch this video or visit their website.
View my complete profile
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