I loved reading this Fox News story because the owner of an auto shop took the initiative to create a new product because he wanted his shop to communicate with customers who were deaf. As a result, he saw business go up from 2 or 3 deaf customers to 30 per month! It’s a great …
Category: The D Life
Ear Overload
Cochlear implant. Sunglasses. Visor. iPod headphone. It’s a miracle my ear hasn’t fallen off. The biggest frustration is when I play tennis. Even wearing glasses causes problems since I wear sport sunglasses. I have the best ones I could find that provide the right shade with thin earpieces. Yesterday, in an attempt to get a …
Deaf Facts
DeafNetwork had these fascinating facts in its newsletter. I don’t know who deserves credit for putting this together, but it’s a neat read. The resources, however, appear at the bottom of the article. At least 1 out of every 10 people (8.9% to be exact) in the USA has a hearing loss. Generally speaking, it …
Apple Ignores the Deaf again with iPhone
First iPod. Now iPhone. iPods don’t support captions or subtitling. iPhones aren’t compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants. Paula Rosenthal has been speaking up loud and clear about the issue that ComputerWorld heard her and others. Disappointing. Apple dares to be different, but it doesn’t recognize those of us who are different.
Talking During Services
A family friend told us about their temple using an interpreter at the Rosh Hashanah services. The three members who used the interpreter sat to the side in the front for the best view of the service and interpreter. Now, talking during services is tradition. Even my mother, who values services and follows along, refuses …
Fingerspelling and Lipreading in Grade School
I ran into a classmate from high school online. She emailed me through classmates.com and we caught up with each other within a few emails. She stays in touch with two other classmates, one of which brought back memories. Robbie loved to fingerspell with me from across the classroom. He was a clown borderline troublemaker. …
Calling TTYs
I don’t remember where I saw this Microsoft form, but it had a field I had never seen on a form before — at least, not from a company that doesn’t deal with products primarily for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. I’ve put all but one TTY into the closet where they are turning yellow in …
Doubles Tennis
For the first time, I’m joining a tennis team… two of them, actually. The coaches and team captains are working to pair us with partners. So I have to start thinking about tips to help my partner communicate with me during the game. Funny thing, I can’t recall how I communicate with my volleyball, basketball, …
Competiveness
Would I be as competitive and a perfectionist had I not been born deaf? I don’t know. Growing up, sports was my thing. I loved playing team sports. I tried golf and tennis lessons, but gravitated toward teams. Thinking about that, you’d think I’d prefer individual sports since you don’t have to worry about communications …
Companies with Barriers to Getting Business
I went to a company Web site to read more about its products and possibly place an order. Unfortunately, there was a huge barrier plastered all over the site — “Call if you want more information!” Call … call … call … this toll free number. No online chat. No e-mail. No contact form. Nada. …