Personal Stories

If Only We Could See the Noise Exposure

With a noisy holiday on the horizon (hello, fireworks!), let’s remember how too much noise poses a risk to our hearing and overall well-being, and how we should protect our hearing, for life.

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Let’s Bring Bling to Hearing!

Wouldn't it be cool if manufacturers of hearing aids partnered with designers like Gucci and Prada to make beautiful hearing aids, much like designer eyeglass frames?

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How We Got Our Dad to Say Yes to Hearing Aids (With Some Help From Aristotle)

Aristotle’s three appeals—ethos, logos, and pathos—helped us get our dad into an audiologist's office.

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How My Hearing Loss Inspired My Tech Career

Being born with bilateral profound hearing loss to two Deaf parents and having one hard of hearing sister meant a life of constant misunderstandings and questions.

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The Enduring Legacy of Les Paul in Music and Science

Since 2014 the Les Paul Foundation has funded six Emerging Research Grants on tinnitus, deepening our understanding of its causes as well as improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

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The Magic of Streaming

Streaming the audio from videos directly to my hearing devices became an option as either standalone or as something to pair with the captions. Once I learned this was an option, I gave it a try and found that the audio was much clearer to me than before. It was so clear that I didn't need the captions to understand what I was watching!

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Sleeping With My Hearing Ear Up

About 18 years ago, I woke up one morning with extreme vertigo, or dizziness, and then later noticed that my hearing was decreasing in both ears. I also had some shooting pain in my cheeks/facial nerves. A couple of days later, I realized I had tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and it was so loud early on—or at least so new to me—that it would wake me up and keep me up at night.

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From Reading Faces to Publishing Research

I spent the first 20 years of my life attempting to hide my congenital hearing loss. Like most kids, I just wanted to fit in and be like everyone else, so my younger self could have never predicted that I would have ended up focusing on disability and hearing health within my career.

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At 91, Looking Back

Over the years, I learned a lot about coping, between the hearing loss and other serious health problems. The discrimination I have endured, especially in my childhood, has taught me to withhold judgment toward others for any reason.

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How Les Paul’s Mother Nurtured Him to Change the Music Industry

Even when Les Paul was a preschooler, his mother Evelyn recognized his talent. She would arrange for her young son to perform for local fraternal organizations. Les was so tiny that they placed him on top of a table where he would sing, dance, and tell funny stories.

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