The Buzz About Cochlear Implants

So many people have expressed interest in cochlear implants. I’m pleased to tell you that I’ll be going on a tour of an actual cochlear implant manufacturing company. I will be able to share these details with you next month in this blog.

I want to clear up some misconceptions about CIs. First of all, they do NOT work for all DHH people. Unfortunately. But they are getting better every year.

Also, there are many DHH people who do NOT want to get a CI, and their wishes should be respected. You should never force your opinions and insist they get it, on a DHH person who doesn’t want one.

If, for example, your DHH teenage child refuses to get a CI, leave your child alone. Chances are that after the implant, he or she won’t turn it on and refuse to undergo the mapping and the training and traveling needed to have a successful experience with a CI. I grew up without a CI and I’m fine, as far as I am concerned. Yes, amazing as it sounds, you CAN have a successful life without a hearing aid or a CI.

If DHH parents don’t want their DHH child to have a CI, LEAVE THEM ALONE. They get the final say in how their child will be raised. Never mind that well-meaning hearing people get all excited and flustered when a DHH parent decides the DHH child isn’t going to get one. The decision between DHH parents/ hearing parents and their DHH children on whether to get a CI or not is a personal, medical and family issue. Sorry, but parties not involved are wise to keep quiet. Parties not involved should just show their support, for whatever decision is reached.

I know there’s shock and awe about how great CIs are. But there are still some drawbacks to having a CI, as any CI person will tell you. Remember, for many DHH people, it improves hearing abilities, but does not transform that person into a 100% hearing person.

So, the best thing I can tell you is that all DHH people, parents of DHH children, and anyone associated with DHH issues should keep an open mind and respect for anyone grappling with CI issues. Furthermore, all those involved with DHH interests and issues should keep themselves informed as much as possible about CI research and development. Even if  you don’t plan to get one, you should know the latest updates on all DHH technologies, and that includes CI developments, as much as possible.

I hope to include photos from my upcoming tour. Keep watching this blog.

Have You Made DHH Plans for 2010?

For DHH people, it’s important to be involved in activities that interest you. By being active in social and advocacy groups, you greatly improve yourself.

Many people who are DHH think they shouldn’t be involved with DHH groups. WRONG. By excluding yourself from such groups, you may miss out on important developments/announcements, such as cochlear implants developments,  finding out about new sources of money for hearing aids, new captioned movies, theater shows, and DHH social events, etc. 

Not only that, you will be able to see how you stack up with other DHH people. More importantly, you will feel included in a group that totally supports and understands you. Few hearing people really understand the loss of hearing except other DHH people. 

So I would urge you to consider joining or getting involved with DHH events. It does NOT mean abandoning your hearing friends. It means having a group of hearing and deaf friends. I will admit having a party with DHH and hearing people does not work. As it is, many DHH people travel in two completely different worlds. I am one of  them, and I am not complaining. It helps avoid the feelings of marginalizations, that you don’t belong anywhere. I prefer to avoid feeling marginalized by joining events, both DHH and hearing.

The same goes for parents of DHH children. You should be involved in groups involving other DHH parents. You will feel better about yourself when you see others going through similar experiences. And yet you can still participate in hearing events.

So, in this vein, I want to encourage  each and every DHH person to make a plan for this year. What are you going to do? For me, I’m going to attend a CI meeting in February; a hearing loss convention in June, and a DHH expo in Las Vegas in July. I will talk about these events shortly.

Make plans now for 2010. For by doing this, you are actively being involved in events that really interest you.

And that is what life is all about.

I Am Back

Enjoyed watching the Rose Parade with my DHH friends. In case you don’t know, there’s a roped-off section for DHH people. You get front row seats, and an interpreter, if you need it. There’s also reserved parking and nearby restroom facilities. However, free wristband tickets are required. If you want them for next year, email me at: ruth_6572@hotmail.com. 

I’ll be attending a cochlear implant meeting in February. And in June, I will attend a hearing loss convention in Milwaukee. And in July, I’ll be attending a DHH expo in Las Vegas.

I will discuss these DHH meetings in a future posting.

What about the book proposal? Well, it’s coming along. It should be finished way long before the end of 2010. I have already decided on the publishers I want to send the book proposal to. 

I will be blogging more regularly from now on, until the holidays come again at the end of 2010.

Happy New Year!

On Hiatus

The book proposal is close to being done. I have been eyeing some DHH publishers to send it to.

Since the holidays are coming up, I’m going on hiatus from the blogging. I have 30+ people coming the day after Christmas, so I’ll have to give my two blogs a rest until January 1st.

Let me take this time to wish everyone Happy Holidays.

Dr. Larry Fleischer

I just got word that Dr. Larry Fleischer, CSUN professor, passed away yesterday after arriving home, at Burbank Airport. He was very active in Deaf Studies and in deaf affairs.

He was a very nice man, and often stopped to talk to me while I was attending CSUN. I regret that I haven’t seen him for many years though. 

I understand more info will be posted soon when and where a memorial service will be held. 

My condolences to his family.

Still With The Book Proposal

I’m still working on the book proposal. It’s starting to look really good, and I had to change one chapter a bit.

I’ve already got ideas for a second book. 

I’m still at the House Ear Institute, helping out with lipreading research.

I will be at the Walk4Hearing in Long Beach, CA on November 8th. Hope you can join us. I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to make a donation. If you join the walk, you’ll get a free T-Shirt.

Upcoming event for 2010: I believe I’ll be attending the HLAA National Convention, to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in June 2010. More details later.

Enjoy Halloween this coming Saturday. Hope you have your candy ready by then.

You’ll Never Ever Be Alone

October is National Protect Your Hearing Month and it’s also Audiology Awareness Month. It’s a good month to check out your hearing for the upcoming holidays.

My DHH book proposal went out for review. I won’t hear anything until October 19th. So now I’m reading other hearing loss books and if I see anything I like, I’ll post it here. 

A new neighbor came over to visit us a few days ago. He’s our age. It turns out he knew we (my husband and I) had hearing problems and were fascinated by us. 

Why? Well, he wears two hearing aids and had suffered from hearing loss since childhood. I think he is happy to be friends who understand what he has gone through. He never had DHH friends to share with in the past. That’s good that he has us now. 

Remember, you’ll NEVER be alone, when it comes to having hearing problems. There are parties, organizations, clubs, travel events, conventions, schools, and all sorts of new technology for DHH (deaf and hard of hearing people) available to help you. 

Many DHH events are now live-captioned. This is good for DHH people who can’t sign, are bad at lipreading and signing, and don’t know how to use hearing aids yet.

There are two organizations that exist to help those with hearing loss issues. They are Alexander Graham Bell Association and the Hearing Loss Association of America. (There are others too.) I will talk about these two organizations in the next posting.

My husband and I will stand in solidarity with anyone who is suffering from hearing loss. 

You’ll never ever be alone.

Book Proposal Is Essentially Finished

I have to do a bit more tweaking on the proposal, and then it goes out tomorrow.

Let me take this time to tell everyone about the Walk4Hearing fundraiser, which will be in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, November 8th, 2009. It starts at 10 AM, and it’s a simple, beautiful walk right by the ocean. 

My husband is the honcho man for Walk4Hearing people living in Ventura County. Even if you can’t donate, join the walk. Show you care about hearing loss. The money goes to help develop awareness about hearing loss and what we can do about it.

If you want, you can visit the Walk4Hearing website at: www.walk4hearing.com. Our team name will be posted in a few days, and then you can donate to the Simi Valley Chapter or to Ventura Communities.

I’ll post more information about it in a few days.

Getting There

My DHH book proposal is nearly done. I think maybe in a week or less. I am writing the sample chapter now.

We’re due for a brutal heat wave next week. Darn. But my husband and I believe it’s the last one for 2009, and then October will breeze in.

I love October. It’s my favorite month of the year. 

I will be helping with hearing loss research for the House Ear Institute shortly. I will share my experiences about that later.

If you have any questions about my book project, feel free to email me at: ruth_6572@hotmail.com.

The Grunt Work Has Started

Well, the weather has cooled off significantly, so I’ve been working on the DHH book proposal. It is coming along, and I have a target date of end of September. 

I also will be helping the House Ear Institute in downtown L.A., helping with research purposes. It is in the field of lipreading. It sounds really interesting, and so I’m happy to help out.

I won’t be posting as much, but I’ll still be here. Any questions or comments, email me at: ruth_6572@hotmail.com