My advice for anyone starting this journey is to make sure that you know your limits so you don’t get into a situation that you can’t handle. Plus, make sure the people you’re interacting with know what you’re going through so they can help.
From Shock to Sound: Our Family’s Cochlear Implant Journey
When Lucile was little a lot of parents would say to us, “Oh, she has such good manners. She looks you right in the eye.” They didn’t realize she was just very much focused on their faces and lips as they were talking!
‘Why Can’t They?’
This path in parenting the hard of hearing—let’s face it—can be exhausting. If you walked alone, and because this disability is so often invisible, your village might not be on your front porch. You have to go hunting for it.
Listening to Quiet Voices
Exposure, Empathy, and the Power of Story
For Deaf and hard of hearing children, books and stories are vital spaces where they can see themselves, feel understood, find community and belonging, and lay the foundation for confidence and identity development that will set them up for success throughout their lives.
How a Personal Need Turned Into Helping Others
I made one hat to solve problems, never imagining how many other adults and children would relate. It’s an honor to be able to give something back to the cochlear implant community that understands this journey so well.
My Aha! Moment
Advice I’d Give My Younger Self
Looking back over each grade when I felt embarrassed, I wish I could have told myself that even when people ask questions about the FM, by the next day they have usually forgotten about it. Most of the time I cared more than other people did.
How My Hearing Loss Is a Win in the Water
After years playing water polo without my hearing aids because it’s a must, I’ve figured out my own game. I’ve got my own tricks.
Inclusive Stories for Children With Hearing Loss
My firsthand experience with hearing, speech, and language development challenges, both personally and as a parent, helped shape my writing.