Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Last Saturday, I took a day trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with ALDA Chicago. In the morning, we had a board meeting in Cary, Illinois. That town is northwest of Chicago and located en route to Lake Geneva. My husband Rob came with me and we left our house at 6:30 a.m. to have plenty of time to get to Cary by 9:00 a.m.

On our way, we stopped at Walker Brothers pancake house. In the photo at left you can see the impressive looking exterior of this restaurant. The inside was decorated like a castle. I had a yummy breakfast of 3 pigs in a blanket (sausage links wrapped in pancakes) and Rob had french toast. Later, we were very glad we had stopped around 8:00 a.m. and had a substantial breakfast.

The board meeting ended promptly at 11:00 a.m. because we needed to arrive in Lake Geneva in time to board the boat for our lake cruise at 12:30 p.m. We were booked on a cruise that included a tour of Black Point Estate, one of the oldest mansions on Geneva Lake. [Lake Geneva is the town and Geneva Lake is the body of water.] Rob and I enjoy seeing historic homes and were looking forward to it. The board meeting location was about 45 minutes to 1 hour away from Lake Geneva, so we thought we had plenty of time.

As you can see from the photos, the skies were blue and we had a beautiful day for travelling. What we didn't know was that Lake Geneva was having a Venetian Festival that weekend drawing more than the usual number of tourists. Traffic on the road was slow-moving getting into the town and parking near the waterfront was difficult to find. Sadly, we missed our boat's departure.

But all was not lost because one of the group members arriving ahead of us but also too late for the boat made arrangements for 7 of us to board the next boat leaving at 1:00 p.m. We got on just in time to claim the last available seats.

The cruise company graciously provided us with scripts of the tour narration which were very helpful in following the descriptions of the million dollar homes we were sailing past. Hooray for deaf advocacy! But I have to admit that looking down at the script and then looking up at the shoreline made me a little seasick. My husband bought me some 7Up from the ship's bar and after drinking that my stomach settled. I did have to take a break from my reading, though, and just enjoy the passing scenery.

The 1:00 cruise did not include the stop at Black Point Estate so we got back earlier than expected and had free time to explore. As Rob and I had missed lunch completely, our first stop was for ice cream cones. Mmmm.

I've included a few photos of things that caught my eye as we walked around: an angel fountain, a horse with rainbow colored "socks", and a pub sign.

We met back up with the group from ALDA Chicago at 5:00 p.m. to have dinner at Popeye's restaurant located on the waterfront. I had a delicious perch sandwich for my meal. It was fun to be together with my friends and catch up on their lives. But I was really puzzled when people kept telling me that after dinner they were stopping to buy funds. I had no idea what they were talking about despite repeated attempts on my part for clarification. It wasn't until we were nearly home that night, that I figured out they were talking about buying fudge. Smile.

Birthday Party Fun and Games

Today was ALDA Chicago's birthday banquet to mark the 24th anniversary of the group. Our party theme this year was fun and games. When we arrived, we were given beaded necklaces and instructions for our ice breaker game - Don't Say or Sign "No". How it worked was if someone tricked us into answering "no" to a question, we had to give them our necklace. The object of the game was to not lose your necklace while trying to gather as many necklaces as you could. I lost mine when someone asked me if I wanted iced tea and I said "no". Oops.

After our meal was served, we played two trivia games. One had questions pertaining to the month of April. These were rather hard. The other had questions with answers related to green because today happened to be Earth Day. These ones were easier. It was fun to see which ones we knew and which ones we didn't. There were prizes for those who got the most answers right.

Later, after cake and ice cream, we played a game which got everyone to mingle. It was called Famous Couples. Each person had a name tag placed on their back so they couldn't see the name written there but everyone else could. You had to first of all figure out who you were by asking people questions like "Am I a man or a woman?" "Am I a movie star?" "Am I a cartoon character?" etc... Then when you knew your own identity you had to go around the room and find the person who was the other half of your couple. I was Adam. The clues I got were that he was a man, old, and in a book. Ha! Eventually I found Eve. The first two couples who matched were given prizes. We also took photos of our Famous Couples once they were paired. They included Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Kermit and Miss Piggy, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Superman and Lois Lane, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse among others.

Adam & Eve

 We also sponsored a Split the Pot raffle. We sold playing cards, ripping each in half. One piece went into a bag and the other was kept as a ticket. The two of diamonds was the winning card pulled from the bag at the end of the party. A lucky lady won $71. The rest of the money went to ALDA Chicago.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the party and the chance to interact with others who were deaf and hard of hearing. It was a great time. Feel free to use these ideas for your own deaf social.

My Hearing Loss Support Group Reaches Out

Indian food at Khyber Pass Restaurant, Oak Park

Last Saturday, my hearing loss support group met for lunch at an Indian restaurant. It was the first time several of us, including me, had tried this cuisine. The restaurant offered a generous buffet with many dishes to choose among including beef, chicken, lamb, and many vegetarian options.

Buffet table at Khyber Pass Restaurant, Oak Park

My friend Ann who enjoys cooking Indian food.

My friend Ann came with me. She knows how to cook Indian food and she explained to us what each dish was. At the table we were served nan, which is an Indian flat bread. At the buffet table, we had three choices of dips. I tried two of them, a sweet and sour dip and a yogurt dip. Together with the nan, they helped cool off the spicier dishes. But none of them were very hot, thank goodness. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food.

The restaurant was quiet and we had our own long table (actually 3 tables pushed together) and good lighting. Conversation and signing flowed freely among us. After we had all finished eating, we posed for this group photo taken by one of our members.

ALDA Chicago members who came out for Indian food.

Then we went over to Oak Park Public Library to view the documentary film Discovering Shuktara: Star of Happiness. This social event was my idea because I wanted to introduce our group to the wonderful work being done internationally by Discovering Deaf Worlds, the organization I traveled to Costa Rica with last year.

The film tells the true story of Shuktara, a group home for developmentally disabled and deaf children who have been abandoned by their families and overlooked by other charitable organizations. Shuktara was started in 1999 by David Earp. You can read more about him and how he came to found Shuktara here. Discovering Deaf Worlds made this captioned film and has established a lifetime commitment to the support of this organization.

After watching the film, our group took up a free will offering for Discovering Deaf Worlds to give to Shuktara. I was so proud that my friends wanted to join me in giving. Together we raised $144.
This event was important to me because I hoped the group could identify with what David Earp has done - creating a new, loving family for young people in need. I know my ALDA Chicago support group has become a new family for me. I've found acceptance, support, and friendship among others who like me have difficulty communicating with the rest of the world. It feels like family when I'm with them. I'm glad to know they were touched by the film the same way I am every time I see it. If you would like to view the film, you can watch it here on DDW's website.

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

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.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

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.

Doing It 'Our Way'

....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?

Support Group New Members Luncheon

Karen and me at Anyways Restaurant

On Saturday I was officially welcomed into my local ALDA hearing loss support group. Previously, I had participated in several of their social events, but it wasn't until I decided to represent the group at the Chicago Deaf Awareness Day that I sent in my membership application. My timing turned out to be perfect because it made me eligible to attend a lovely New Members luncheon two weeks later!

About ten of us met for lunch at Anyways Restaurant in Oak Brook Terrace. [I'm giving the restaurant a shout-out because their food was delicious and their service couldn't have been better. We were given a room with large windows which gave us plenty of light to see each other's faces and hands. Our room had excellent acoustics as well, which can be hard to find in a restaurant.] There were two other new members besides me. The other ladies, our gathering happened to be all female, were mostly longtime Chicago ALDA members. I was really impressed by their dedication to offering support and friendship to newbies like me. They were women who had been dealing with their hearing loss longer than I have and they are wonderful examples that "life does go on". Several of them signed as they spoke which I found both helpful and admirable.

I was very happy to find out that one of the other new members is a blogging buddy of mine, Karen from A Deaf Mom Shares Her World. Karen and I have known each other online and attended some of the same events but this was our first time to be introduced. I was in awe. Karen is a wonderful writer and reading her blog inspired me to share my own story by starting Speak Up Librarian. When she smiled approvingly at me, I felt ten feet tall. Later, after I'd taken my turn introducing myself around the table, she even commented that I'm a natural at sign language. I felt so accepted by her.

One of the other ladies had a hearing loss story that was similar to mine, so naturally, I was drawn to her and wanted to know more. She was friendly and I hope to get to know her better through future events. One of the ladies offers a monthly informal support group meeting with a free sign language class following. This woman has such a kind, nurturing manner that I feel certain I could learn to improve my signing skills from her. I had no idea this opportunity was offered before attending the luncheon.

At the table, I happened to be placed with my back to a fireplace with a fire going. The warmth on my back was matched by the glow in my heart from the friendship and understanding offered to me from Chicago ALDA.

Chicago Deaf Awareness Day

Columbia College offers a degree in ASL-English Interpretation.

I plan to attend this event and help out at a booth for Chicago ALDA (Association of Late-Deafened Adults). If you're in Chicago, please stop by.

Discovering Deaf Worlds

Davin Searles, Christy Smith, and Dave Justice

Have you heard about Discovering Deaf Worlds?

This organization is the brainchild of Dave Justice (an ASL interpreter) and Christy Smith (a deaf contestant on Survivor). To get DDW started in 2007, the pair raised funds to spend a year traveling New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand, Nepal, India, and Cambodia in search of deaf support groups in these countries. You can read the story of their adventures and the wonderful people they met along the way in their archived newsletters.

Three years later, Discovering Deaf Worlds is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to empowering deaf and hard of hearing people in developing countries. Davin Searles has joined Dave and Christy as Executive Director and 9 board members have been selected.

DDW's first successful project was creating a film titled Discovering: Shuktara. This documentary tells the story of 18 boys and girls in Kolkata, India who were given a new chance at life after being abandoned by their families or escaping abusive homes. While many non-governmental organizations in India often overlook homeless children who are deaf, Shuktara embraces them. You can view a trailer of the film here.

The STAR (Shuktara Teachers and Role Models) Initiative has now been launched to provide training and educational materials for deaf Indian tutors to work with the children of the Shuktara homes on language development and vocational skills. The long-term goal is for the children to attain the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to run the homes independently. You can read more about it in their December 2009 newsletter.

In my next post, I will share more with you about Discovering Deaf Worlds.

Hearing Loss Support Group Picnic

Jen and me

Last Saturday two wonderful hearing loss support groups in my area met together for a picnic. Members of the Chicago and Northwest Indiana chapters of ALDA (Association of Late Deafened Adults) and HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) enjoyed an outdoor lunch at a park in Dyer, a town located on the Indiana/Illinois border.

At last year's picnic I met Jen [pictured above] for the first time. We saw each other again at the HLAA convention in Milwaukee and have stayed in touch sporadically through email and facebook. It was amazing to see her again at this event, one she drove a significant distance to attend.

Bill and Ann

I was also happy to spend time with Bill and Ann who are new to the group(s). They are a couple I know from my church who I have encouraged to come to other events, but this was the first one they were able to attend. It was interesting to share our hearing loss experiences. Interestingly, they've recommended that I sit by them in church so I will hear better. They said I've been sitting in a very bad spot for sound. Further into our conversation, I found out that Bill is sponsoring a short story contest and that Ann is in the process of writing a cookbook with recipes for cooking from scratch. I'm looking forward to hearing more about those projects.

As this was my third time coming to the picnic, I saw a lot of familiar faces. Big smiles and hugs were the standard greeting here. Even though I had a few butterflies in my stomach before coming, reminiscent of my first time, I was able to morph into a social butterfly once I arrived because I felt welcomed by everyone. Especially Kim, Tahar, Kitty, Marsha, Ann, Gary, Jen, and Linda.

I recommend that everyone with hearing loss join a support group and make friends with people who understand what it's like and will take the time to communicate with you. Here are links to the two groups that sponsored the picnic. They are national organizations with local chapters throughout the country.

ALDA - Association of Late Deafened Adults

HLAA - Hearing Loss Association of America

If any of my international readers would like me to add the links to their organizations, please leave me a comment and I will add them to this post. Thanks.

Sign Language for Everyone

Today my hearing loss support group had a fun meeting. We got together to watch the DVD "Sign Language for Everyone: How to Talk to a Person Who Can't Hear" starring Anthony Natale.

If you haven't seen it before, this video is a friendly introduction to American Sign Language. Throughout the film, Anthony teaches signs to some new hearing friends who imitate his signing with various degrees of success. At one point, a girl unknowingly signs condom instead of month and a warning appears on the screen to be careful how you sign, heh. The video also educates viewers about deaf experience through vignettes on what it's like to shop in a store alone as a deaf person and what it's like for a hearing friend to use relay telephone service for the first time. I especially enjoyed the scene where Anthony explains that "Yes, he is allowed to drive!"

While watching, I was pleased at the number of signs I already knew and enjoyed practicing them and learning new ones. I noticed almost everyone else in the audience doing the same thing. At the end of the film, we raised our hands and moved them in silent applause.


If you'd like to see the video yourself, you can find order it online here at www.signlanguagevideo.com. To learn more about Anthony Natale, you can visit his official website at www.anthonynatale.org.

Picnic Brings Together HLAA and ALDA Support Groups

Over the weekend, I attended an HLAA/ALDA picnic at a park in Indiana. Some of you who have been reading my blog, may remember the picnic from last year where I brought my dog along with me as an icebreaker. This year I felt comfortable enough to venture out on my own. Upon arriving at the busy park, I wondered if I was in the right spot as there were youth soccer games being played nearby. Then I noticed that several people gathered beneath the picnic shelter were signing and I knew for sure I had found the right place.

I saw several people I had met before which set me at ease right away. I spotted Julie (pictured) right away and got put to work helping her set up a table of brochures and pamphlets. Working on this task allowed me to make a new friend, Jennifer, who had come to the event from Indianapolis to represent Bionic Ear. I enjoyed learning how getting two cochlear implants have improved her hearing. Her mother who was with her wore a t-shirt with Jennifer's audiogram on the back. The audiogram showed Jennifer's unaided hearing, her hearing with hearing aids, and her hearing with cochlear implants. I was so happy for her to see how much the implants had improved her hearing! I also noted how much better she hears than I do in the higher frequencies.

I also met Ken, a man close to my age who has had a similar hearing loss experience to mine. I could really relate when he commented that he can hear people speaking, but comprehending their speech can be a different story. He also had some amusing hearing loss anecdotes to share.

I was very moved by a conversation with a man whose name I can't remember now who spoke of feeling accepted in the deaf world after experiencing rejection in the hearing world. He is married to a woman who's deaf and I'd be interested to know more about what their life is like together. Many deaf people attended the picnic which inspired me to want to improve on my signing skills so I can interact more fully with them the next time.

One funny thing happened that I just have to share. I was eating with Julie and Ken when a woman named Ann joined us at the table. When we were introduced, I was struck by the familiarity of her name. I asked her if I had met her at another event but she said no. Later on near the end of the picnic she came up to me and said, "You're Speak Up Librarian." I said "Yes". Then she explained that she'd seen my moniker on a flyer for my t-shirts and told someone she wanted to meet me. To her surprise I was the person she had sat next to at lunch. She hadn't noticed the shirt I was wearing with "Speak Up" on it and so hadn't made the connection. She knew me not from my blog but from my email address and my work on the Hearing Aids Insurance advocacy bill. She told me how much the research material I had sent her had helped her. She shared her confidence that this bill would be passed very soon in Illlinois. Hooray!

Last but not least, I made my first t-shirt sale. An older deaf gentleman was very interested in purchasing my "If you want to be heard, you need to speak up" T-shirt. He doesn't have a computer of his own, so I arranged to order it for him and then deliver it when it arrives. Fortunately he lives near where I work, so we'll see how this works out. All the flyers I had brought with me to the picnic were picked up and I received a positive response from everyone who talked to me about the designs.

During the four hours I was there, I interacted with many others not mentioned here. I've never been to a family reunion but this event had what I would imagine was a similar atmosphere. A feeling of belonging and an opportunity to get to know others better. To paraphrase the Cheers theme, "Everyone may not know your name, but they're all glad you came!"

Local Hearing Loss Support Group to Tackle Theatre Captioning

Timing is everything. And being in the right place at the right time.

Recently Eddie has been reporting on efforts in Kentucky to have theatres show captioned films. Then Kim spoke out about how she would like to have captioned films shown at her neighborhood cinema. At my request Kim posted the letter she wrote to the theatre manager. I vowed to do the same. But I also wanted to thank the theatre in my area (30 minute drive away) that offers captions and ask for more show times.

Then I got started writing my series on making online education accessible and the letters to the theatres slid to the back burner. Until today when I showed up at my local hearing loss support group meeting. It was an event that I had legitimate excuses for missing. I would have to arrive late because my son had a basketball game scheduled. I had been ill this week and missed 1 and 1/2 days of work. I had a migraine and felt awful. Despite all this I went.

Why? Because I need support. I need interaction with others in the same situation. But most of all, because today a terrific speaker was scheduled I couldn't wait to meet. Who was it? Sheri Caveda of Fifth Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping disability support groups learn how to make a difference in their local areas.


Lori Lakes, [me], Betty Beck, and Sheri Caveda of Fifth Freedom

Sheri and her team worked with our group to develop a mission statement and find a small project to begin making our community more accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing. Amazingly, the group consensus was to contact the theatre that offers captioned films and request more showings. Our plan of action is to write individual letters which will emphasize our different requests (some group members want PG/PG-13 movies not just R rated films offered; I want to see the captioned films sooner; others want weekend showings.) We will submit our letters to Sheri and her team for their feedback, send a copy to our group leader, mail our revised letters, and report back to our group leader when they've been mailed. We have a timeline for the project and accountability to each other to follow through in what we've promised.

Next our group leader will contact the theatre manager to open up a negotiation for increased showings. If that meeting is unsuccessful, Sherri has additional steps we can take as a group.

As this project unfolds, I'll keep you updated on our progress. And post my own letter, cross my heart.

The Hearing Loss Connection

Julie & me at Hearing Loss Support Group picnic

Last weekend there was torrential rain in my area. This Saturday was sunny and perfect weather for enjoying the outdoors. The Hearing Loss Support Group in my area had a picnic outing planned for a nearby park.

I had marked this event on my calendar and RSVPed the day I got the invitation. I was resolved to go and make new friends. I was looking forward to it. Right up until it was time to get in the car that is. Then I got nervous. I had been to a support group meeting only once before and that was six months ago. Would any of the people I had met that day be at the picnic? Would I be able to make small talk with people I didn't know?

I decided I needed a companion. I was already bringing my son but I knew he would abandon me once he met any other kid. No, I wanted someone who would stay close. Who would be available at this last minute? Aha! I would bring Rusty my sweet natured golden retriever who loves to meet new people. Everyone would want to pet his soft fur and it would be easy for me to talk about him. He would be the perfect ice breaker.

When we got to the park, the first person I saw was Julie. I had met her at the previous meeting. She was also new to the group. I went right up to her and got started socializing.

About twenty-five to thirty people were at the picnic. Some were born deaf and communicate in sign language. Others have had cochlear implants and speak. Several people there were hard of hearing like me and wore hearing aids. There was one man there who is studying ASL possibly to be an interpreter someday. The rest were hearing relatives of group members. I got the chance to meet almost everyone.

I had varying degrees of success with communicating. A year ago I had taken a beginning ASL class and signs started coming back to me as I watched others signing. But of course there were many signs I didn't understand. I ended up nodding my head in agreement when I wasn't exactly sure what had been expressed. That was very frustrating for me. One time someone was signing to me about my dog and I thought he signed orange. No, he had actually used the sign for age. Oops. Interestingly, my best conversations were those that combined speech with sign. As the afternoon wore on, I started incorporating signs into my conversations even when communicating with people who could hear. It just felt natural to be signing whenever I knew the right sign for what I was saying.

Rusty was a big hit at the picnic. Most of the people there have had a dog in their lives at some time. Rusty was well behaved as usual and loved all the attention he received. My son Charlie hit it off with Julie's son and another boy there about his age. I only saw him when it was time to eat and time to leave. He was off playing the rest of the time just as I had predicted. His social skills are much better than mine!

In coming to terms with my hearing loss, I have became aware of how often I avoid socializing in groups. That could be partly my personality but it is probably also caused by my trouble with keeping up with group conversation. I'm perceived as being quiet because I don't talk much as I'm usually a beat behind everyone else. Nowadays, I only feel comfortable being in group conversation with my closest friends. That's why coming out to a social event like this was an important step out of my comfort zone. I'm glad I took the risk, though, because the people I met today were welcoming, friendly, and interesting. I look forward to interacting with them again and getting to know them better.