When my husband, Rich picked up on my hearing loss, I was neither interested nor compelled to do any research to solve the problem. I conceded he was right and went for a quick fix. And so, over 20 years ago, I made my very first hearing aid purchase, hastily and out of pure necessity.
From Macrame to Masks
This adjustable elastic was designed for those with special needs, such as those with autism and wearers of hearing aids. The principal is simple: One strap goes around the neck, the other one around the head. The problem was the bottom elastic—it gets caught in the hearing aids and the elastic turns into a slingshot.
How Billy the Marlin Went to Bat for Inclusion
Billy the Marlin certainly did his part practicing social distancing during the 2020 MLB season. Not only did the Marlins’ popular, long-beaked mascot stay clear of those around him during games, he also helped raise awareness for the hearing impaired.
Don’t Miss a Word: Make the Most of Your Doctor Visits
When a physician or other health care professional verbally provides information that is essential to a patient’s health and wellbeing, every word is valuable. A conversation about a new diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up can be stressful, though, and it may be difficult for the patient to comprehend and process all of the new information.
Helping Those with Hearing Loss During COVID-19
One group of people that have been hard done by during the pandemic and its repercussions is the hearing loss community. With masks and social distancing becoming recommended or even mandatory in many public places, it can be tricky to communicate with a community that relies on context given by lip-reading.
A Design Fix for Face Masks
My wife Nathalie and I are both artisans, originally from Normandy, France, now living in New Jersey. I design and make furniture and Nathalie works with textiles. When the pandemic started affecting our New York-New Jersey area, we watched as local hospitals were in dire need of PPE (personal protective equipment). We wanted to use our talents to help, so we started making fabric face masks with ties/elastic around the head.
A Texas Accent?
I had hearing problems all my life and speech therapy through grade school. I always say that it was as a result of speech therapy that I do not really have a Texas accent! (Although some people would disagree.) I don't know why I didn't have hearing aids as a child, but I always sat in the front seats of classrooms to be sure to hear.