My sister told me about a conference scheduled for November here in Dallas and encouraged me to submit a proposal. I’m not afraid of public speaking, but rather others understanding me and hearing their questions. A few years ago, I did a panel at sxsw and it went OK. I was the moderator, so I …
Category: The D Life
The Front Row Dork
School, meetings, conferences, speakers. I felt like a dork having to sit in the front row in school by choice. I was grateful to teachers who did assigned seating saving me from “making the decision” to sit in the front. Dorkier than sitting in the front row in a class: sitting near the front when …
Making Small Talk at Events
I’m not shy, but I am afraid — not for the same reason listed in the article: “Most of us are afraid of rejection.” Rather, I’m afraid that I won’t understand the other person. I’ve reported this before that lipreaders on average only catch one-third of what’s said. Read every third word and you’ll see …
AOL Closed Captions for Online Video
Fabulous news! About time a company did something. America Online announces close captions for online video. AOL today announced it is now testing closed captions for streaming news content from CNN that will enhance the online media experience for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Captioned CNN video content will be available throughout …
Dark Room and the Deaf Photographer
I received an email from talented photographer Peter Bryenton, and asked if I could post it here because it gave me insight in a major problem that a deaf photographer has to deal with. They came up with a clever solution… but it isn’t perfect. He kindly agreed and provided an expanded note. There’s a …
Illness and Hearing
I didn’t wear my implant for almost two days because I was sick. When I put it back on — whoa, it was uncomfortable. Took a little time, but got used to it. It takes time to get used to wearing braces and eye contacts — the same applies to hearing aids and cochlear implants. …
Not Deaf or Hearing Enough
I’ve heard this argument in different forms. She’s too Jewish. She’s not Jewish enough. She’s too much of a democrat. She’s not Republican enough. Here the person isn’t deaf or hearing enough. I don’t 100% belong in either world, although I have a higher percentage of belong in the hearing world than the deaf world. …
Communicating with the Deaf
A reader provides tips for communicating with someone who is deaf and she says that deafness is not a visible disability, which can be nice as well as difficult. The good: You’re not instantly judged when you meet strangers unlike other disabilities. My daughter has a friend who has an arm that stops at the …
Deaf vs. Hearing Loss vs. Hearing Impaired vs. Hard of Hearing
Reading this Letter to the Editor in regard to this story triggered my thinking about the terms related to deafness. But first, a comment on the story. While the letter writer is right that the statement could’ve been easily omitted, Dave Crosby was being honest about his feelings about his own deafness. It would be …
Pay Phones Need to Stick Around
Pay phones were disappearing and I was concerned about that for a while. As you know, it’s pointless for me to pay for a cell phone that I would only use in the case of an emergency. That’s a lot of bucks to pay every month even with a basic plan. A pay phone only …