Our son with a hearing loss opened up our family’s world and made us all stronger.
Lucky to Be Different
Continuing to Make Connections
I’ve been able to still send used cochlear implant processors from Australia to Iran. I have great friends and a lovely network that reaches kids in rural areas and even adults, people who have no support other than the kindness and compassion in other people.
Meet the 2024 Emerging Research Grants Scientists
As of this year, our general hearing health grants have been renamed Elizabeth M. Keithley, Ph.D. Early Stage Investigator Awards in recognition of Keithley’s impact on the field and long service to HHF, and the awards’ focus on supporting the next generation.
Cochlear Implants on the Court
College basketball’s winningest player of all time, Antonio Anderson lost his vision as well as his hearing from separate causes while only in his 20s. It cut his career short—but not his passion for the game.
How I’m Teaching My Kids to Advocate for Themselves
While as a parent advocating for your child is important, teaching kids how to advocate for themselves is more impactful.
Plum Blossoms and Perseverance
Plum blossom trees are important in Chinese culture because they bloom through cold winters, symbolizing perseverance. Throughout my childhood, perseverance has played a huge role in my story.
Help America Hear’s Scholarship Competition
It was inspiring that several students mentioned in their essays that they planned to major in audiology or related fields to learn how to help others with the same “invisible disability.”
What Is Inclusion, Really?
Being kind and courteous to everyone we meet, even when they aren’t kind to us, is hard. Believing people’s experiences and perceptions, even when they don’t match your own, is hard.
Humming Again
I realized that the learning process undertaken by new cochlear implant recipients is analogous to the way infants learn language, advancing as repeated words emerge from a bewildering stream of noise.
Apparent Benefits of Cochlear Implantation Before Age 2
These findings are important because they provide valuable insight into the interaction between the learner’s age (developmental period effect) and their linguistic experience (quality and quantity of linguistic input) in early development.