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.
Just have to make do with what I’ve got and accept things as they are.
Not Deaf or Hearing Enough
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 elbow and kids teased her at their sleep-away camp.
The bad side. When I was a teen, I went shopping with my mom in a mall clothing store. I was trying on clothes and my mom had gone to look for something elsewhere in the store. The sales person was talking to me on the other side of the closed door. I either had my hearing aids off (to avoid squealing) or I figured someone was talking to someone else.
Braille Mobile Phone
About time something like the Samsung’s Braille mobile phone hit the market. Kudos to Samsung. By the way, Wired lists Samsung as the #3 company in its Wired 40 list.
Also came across Assistive Media site that contains over 800 audio recordings. I’ve added this resource to the Audio Training Resources list.
This is the third time I’ve updated this entry as I keep coming across related information today. HumanWare announces a PDA for people who are blind and visually-impaired.
Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Feedback
One major improvement that comes with a cochlear implant is no more squealing or whistling. If I was about to hug someone, I got nervous because I feared my hearing aid would squeal. It happened a few times and made me uncomfortable or embarrassed depending on who the other person was. The cochlear implant doesn’t squeal. The only time I get feedback with the implant is when using certain cell phones. The sound is more like static or the noise you hear when a modem makes in connecting right after the tone.
I could hear the squealing most of the time and it wasn’t easy to adjust the hearing aid to make it stop. I either had to lower the volume or jiggle the ear mold until I heard nothing.
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 unbearable for him to become deaf. I try to show that there are all kinds of deafness and how we feel about it.
The debate on which terms to use: deaf, hearing loss, and so on, has been around as long as deafness. Political correctness aside (these terms should all be fine anyway), each one conveys different connotations. The one that may not be politically correct is “hearing impaired” because some see “impaired” as implying a disability. When I say “hearing impaired,” it’s out of laziness because “hard of hearing” takes more effort to say. Same amount of syllables, but still I find it easier to say “hearing impaired.”
Donate Old Hearing Aids
From DeafNetwork:
What is HARP?
HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of-hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids.
How are the hearing aids distributed?
The hearing aids go to the Callier Center at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Callier Center then distributes the hearing aids to people who demonstrate a significant financial need.
Are the donations tax deductible?
Yes. All hearing aid donations to HARP are tax deductible under the Callier Center’s 501(c)(3) status.
How can I donate my used hearing aids?
The best way to donate is through the mail. Donations through the mail can come from anywhere in the United States. After contacting HARP, you will receive an envelope in the mail with a case to put the hearing aids in along with a pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelope. Simply put the hearing aids in the case, put the case in the envelope, and drop the envelope in the mail.
Who should I contact to donate my hearing aids?
E-mail Laurie at harp @ utdallas.edu or call her at 214-905-3055 to donate!
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 costs a few cents and it’s all I need for emergencies. I’ve had very few emergencies in the last 20 years… thankfully.
We still need pay phones. Hey, cell phone batteries die. Cell phones stop working. Cell phones lose signals. Cell phones don’t appear in every kid’s backpack. Heck, many kids don’t have cell phones. Let’s hope phone companies keep pay phones even though they know cell phones bring in more money. The challenge is to find the best places to park a pay phone as there aren’t many and they need to be located where people would need them.
Inspiration for this post comes from Toby. Thanks. I agree that posting advertising on pay phones isn’t the best thing to do when targeting execs and business owners.
My Implant Hurts
For over a week, my head has been hurting where my implant lives. I couldn’t understand why this was happening as I’ve had the implant for three years. Was my head not borg? Could it actually resist assimilation? I had been having a lot of headaches lately (not just around the implant), so I didn’t realize that the implanted area was also sore until I finally had a few headache-free days.
Yesterday, while driving, it dawned on me. I noticed the middle part of the external implant device (the magnet) had a deep gap. The magnet is adjustable. The deeper it goes, the harder it attaches to the implant. I guess over time, it shifted little by little as I took the implant off when it finally got too attached and hurt. Now it’s back where it needs to be — maybe a little tighter as I have thick curly hair, making it a challenge to get the implant attached.
DVD CC Labeling Class Settlement Notice
From TDI by way of Deaf Network:
ATTENTION: IF YOU ARE DEAF OR HAVE HEARING LOSS AND HAVE PURCHASED, RENTED, OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED A DVD OR OTHER HOME VIDEO PRODUCT, OR IF YOU HAVE OBTAINED SUCH A PRODUCT FOR USE WITH CAPTIONING OR CLOSED CAPTIONING, PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THIS PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED BY COURT ORDER.
Embarrassing Moment in School
I often turned off my hearing aids while in the middle of something that caused them to squeal as I had them turned all the way up. It wasn’t until I got digital hearing aids that I could stop topping out on the volume.
In 7th grade science, we did a lab where we looked for some living thing in a microscope. Bending over to look for the thingy, my hearing aids yelped. Off they went. My table struggled to find this stubborn thing. I couldn’t contain my excitement when I spotted it, “I found it!”