SayWhatClub Weblog

DEAF AT THE DELI
SayWhatClub Weblog I spent yesterday shopping and running errands.  It was a good day, as I didn't really run into any particular difficulty...  I wasn't doing things where I needed to listen or concentrate intently. My last stop before heading home was the grocery store.  It was late, and the deli was actually closed, but I paused [...]
Wed, Feb 01 2012

HOW DO YOU HANDLE COMMUNICATION WITH HAIRSTYLISTS AND...
SayWhatClub Weblog It's hard to find a hairstylist that “gets” you.  I put off going to the hairstylist for this reason.  When I lived in Atlanta, I finally found a lady I just loved, through a coworker.  I was sad to move from the area, mostly because I had to leave Addy behind!!!  You might think I'm [...]
Sun, Jan 29 2012

Hear Me
SayWhatClub Weblog I rarely walk around without my hearing aid on during the day, as I work full-time and am in constant conversation with my clients.  However, on this one day,  I decided to be deaf.  Not sure why, except that maybe the constant noise of phones ringing, peoples' voices chatting away was beginning to overwhelm my senses that [...]
Thu, Jan 12 2012

South Pacific
SayWhatClub Weblog Utah-CAN worked hard to get a play captioned for us and I wanted to support their efforts. I dreaded using the phone to buy tickets so I drove downtown to buy them from the theater. The play was South Pacific, nothing for me to get excited about but I wanted to support my community efforts. [...]
Mon, Jan 09 2012

SayWhatClub Convention, then and now
SayWhatClub Weblog In the late 90′s I started an internet search late one night for a hard of hearing support group. I felt alone in my hearing loss and desperately wanted to know others like me, how they coped and if there were secrets for getting by in the world. The first few entries listed on the [...]
Tue, Jan 03 2012

Vacation with a Hearing Loss
SayWhatClub Weblog The airplane A few weeks ago I went to Maui with my aunt and her grand daughter. After having so much trouble hearing on the plane from Chicago to Salt Lake, I warned my aunt right away about not hearing well at all on planes. “I'm basically deaf on the plane,” I tell her. “The [...]
Sat, Dec 17 2011

For the blog, from Lorne.... It's hard to believe ...
SayWhatClub Weblog For the blog, from Lorne.... It's hard to believe that the year is almost over and the countdown to 2012 has begun. So too is the countdown to the 2012 SayWhatClub convention, to be held at the Red Lion Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, from August 15 to 18. Our convention webpage is [...]
Tue, Dec 13 2011

Making Our Holiday Season Accessible
SayWhatClub Weblog The holiday season is upon us and many of us with hearing loss and late deafness have to figure out strategies to get us through the holiday parties, family gatherings and shopping.  OH! you don't have a strategy? You just plan to skip the office party? the holiday family dinner? or sit quietly through it [...]
Sun, Dec 04 2011

Listening and Hearing
SayWhatClub Weblog You would think listening and hearing go hand in hand but they don't. For those of us with hearing loss, we listen with our whole body; mind, eyes, what we have left of our hearing and sometimes intuition. There is complete focus as we listen to others and even though we ask for repeats, we [...]
Wed, Nov 23 2011

Going to the Movies
SayWhatClub Weblog Assistive Listening Device sybmol I used to be an avid movie buff. I went to the theater once a week, at least, and there were times when I knew almost every movie up for an Academy Award. I waited at midnight in a line to see Star Wars Episode 1. My heart broke watching The [...]
Wed, Nov 16 2011

Never Mind vs Deaf Nod
SayWhatClub Weblog We try our best to hear in most situations. We want to hear. If we miss something, we ask for a repeat and still can't understand, maybe because of background noise or we are stuck on a key word and the other person utters the two most hateful words, “Never mind.” Those words are a [...]
Fri, Nov 11 2011

Hearing Aids 101
SayWhatClub Weblog I belong to a writing group here in Salt Lake City.  The writing center had it's 10 year celebration last night and I was asked if I wanted to represent out little group.  Sure!  My topic is almost always hearing loss as I'm looking to educate others.  I asked the Connect list what would be [...]
Sun, Oct 23 2011

TECHNOLOGY by Chelle George
SayWhatClub Weblog A hard of hearing life would be isolating without today’s technology.  I can only imagine it as lonely.  I remember what life was like before computers.  I lived in a small, desert town of about 15,000 people and there were no hard of hearing resources available locally.  It was an hour and a half in [...]
Fri, Oct 21 2011

AN IDENTITY CRISIS OF MY OWN!, by Michele Linder
SayWhatClub Weblog I’ve been a “Better Hearing Consumer” follower since Gael Hannan began writing this blog, and Gael’s latest article, “Lament for a Hoh:  My Hard of Hearing Identity Crisis”, is as entertaining as ever. Like Gael, I detest the label “Hard of Hearing”.  I rarely use it anymore, but when I did use it, for lack [...]
Wed, Oct 12 2011

I’ll Read Your Lips, You Read Mine: Random Thoughts from a...
SayWhatClub Weblog “Gael, did you know Digby has fleas?” asked my friend as he looked into the fridge for snacks. “That’s too bad,” I said. My friend turned back to me, puzzled. “What’s too bad?” “That the dog has fleas.” “Who said that? “You just did.” “I asked if you’d like a diet pepsi.” “Oh. Thanks…and glad [...]
Fri, Sep 30 2011

ACTION, CAMERAS, CAPTIONS
SayWhatClub Weblog Summer is here and some of us are spending some hard earned money to take a vacation.  Some of those hard earned travellers are also hearing impaired and are consumers of the airline and cruise industry. 36 million Americans are hearing impaired and/or deaf, yet we are still struggling to obtain captioning on television, the internet, [...]
Fri, Aug 05 2011

Meet TED, Dave, Kelly, and Brian, by Michele Linder
SayWhatClub Weblog This started out to be a simple post to Connect, my home list on the SayWhatClub, but grew into something more upon receiving some news that was expected, but, nonetheless, sad. I decided to post my words here instead. It all began with my watching a wonderful TED Talk given by Dave deBronkart, entitled, “Meet e-Patient [...]
Fri, Jul 29 2011

THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, “ALONE” HAD FIVE LETTERS!, by...
SayWhatClub Weblog Recently, I read an article entitled, “Alone”, by Christopher Jon Heuer, posted on Deaf Echo. You can find the article here, and a short bio of the author here. In the article, the author tells the story of kayaking alone on the Potomac River and being forced to defend paddling without a companion. While standing in [...]
Tue, Jul 19 2011

Selective Hearing
SayWhatClub Weblog Every so often when I'm having a great time with friends, somehow we get onto the topic of other people they know who can't hear– maybe a parent or an elderly uncle or someone like that.  Invariably a comment will be made that this person can really hear.  He or she isn't as hard of hearing as [...]
Sat, Jul 09 2011

AARP Responds to Tweets
SayWhatClub Weblog Think twitter is just a bunch of nonsense? Well think again. Did you know that the AARP does not provide captioning for their webinars and online videos? 36 million Americans are hearing impaired with a large majority being 55 years old and up, which is the population the AARP focuses on.  Baby boomers watch out! We've arrived. [...]
Fri, Jun 24 2011

Communicating with the Hearing Salesperson
SayWhatClub Weblog Hearing impaired I said. I'm hearing impaired. Could you please rephrase what you just said? Oh, I'm sorry, I know how to fingerspell and sign. No, sorry, I don't sign, I'm hearing impaired. I just need you to give me the “subject” and then rephrase what you said.  I'm just not catching what you are trying to tell [...]
Thu, Jun 23 2011

How Do You Define deaf?
SayWhatClub Weblog I just came across this post last week that asks about the definition of deaf. You can find more replies here [link]  ”Greetings – I just had to complete an on-line training course in “Diversity”. There was a question that asked what preparations should be made for an interview with a person known to be [...]
Thu, Jun 09 2011

The Cost of Hearing Aids–Why It May NOT Be About Supply and...
SayWhatClub Weblog In my previous post I mentioned Dan Ariely’s book Predictably Irrational. Ariely discusses a number of studies on human behavior that marketers routinely use to manipulate consumers. One of the chapters I found extremely provocative and thought provoking was called “The Myth of Supply and Demand.” But before we get to that chapter he demonstrates [...]
Fri, Jun 03 2011

Why Hearing Aids Cost So Much
SayWhatClub Weblog I recently read a book called Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.  For the first time ever I understood why we are willing to pay $6000.00 for digital hearing aids, while we wouldn't dream of paying more than $200.00 for an iPod that can do so much more and uses basically very similar technology.  There is no [...]
Wed, Jun 01 2011

New Captioning Options At the Movies
SayWhatClub Weblog Over the past couple months I have been hearing rumors that Regal and Cinemark theaters will be offering captions and access to ‘every movie, every time' nationwide.  Could it be true?  Meanwhile, Captionfish suddenly has strange new abbreviations like USL next to its listings.   This week, the Seattle area is showing 97 CAPTIONED movies at 19 theaters!! (...
Thu, May 26 2011

Social Bluffing by Katie (guest writer)
SayWhatClub Weblog Becoming hard-of-hearing a few years ago really turned my world upside down.  Before the hearing loss, I was a real outgoing person in social settings.  Now, I find myself being left out (unintentionally) of some great conversations.  The reason I’m left out is because I cannot hear the conversation.  In a group of people, instead [...]
Sun, May 22 2011

Greetings from the SayWhatClub Convention in Baltimore,...
SayWhatClub Weblog I'm attending the 2011 SayWhatClub Convention in Baltimore, Maryland–another first experience (who would have thought that at age 51 I'd still losing my virginity in so many ways ) for me. As someone who has had hearing loss most of my life, but with very limited contact and experience with others who cannot hear, I [...]
Sat, May 14 2011

Is the SayWhatClub for You?
SayWhatClub Weblog Is the SayWhatClub for You? If you or someone you love has a hearing loss and is saying “What?” much of the time, then the answer is “Yes!”     The SayWhatClub is an all-inclusive online hearing loss forum where it doesn't matter what type of hearing loss you have, how or when you arrived [...]
Mon, May 09 2011

The Hearing Aid Tax Credit being proposed……Stinks
SayWhatClub Weblog Senators Olympia Snowe and Tom Harkins have introduced S.905.   This piece of legislation provides a tax credit of up to $500 per hearing aid, every 5 years. There are 6 other Senators who are the original co-sponsors of this piece of legislation. Personally, I find it insulting. A tax credit of $500? When was the last [...]
Fri, May 06 2011

Better Late Than Never…..Big win on captioned theatres
SayWhatClub Weblog ALDA vs. Cinemark theatres lawsuit was a big victory this past week.  Cinemark theatres have agreed to provide closed captioning options at first run movies.  This is truly a big victory for all of us.  Regal theatres have also promised to provide captioning at their theatres nationwide. What this means for people like you and [...]
Sat, Apr 30 2011

The SayWhatClub Online Voices Quarterly Newsletter
SayWhatClub Weblog [link] Filed under: Accommodations for Deaf, ADA, Aging and hearing loss, ASL, Assistive Listening Devices, audiogram, Audiologists, captions, Closed Captioning, Cochlear Implants, Deaf Culture, Deafness, Disability Rights, Employment, Hard of hearing culture, Hearing aids, Hearing Loss, internet videos, late deafened, Life, Miscellaneous Ramblings, Purchasing hearin...
Sun, Apr 24 2011

Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay for Hearing Aids by Dr....
SayWhatClub Weblog This article was written by John S. Ford MD, MPH  Los Angeles, California, who is a full time assistant professor at UCLA.  This article was in Dr. Fords' blog and written on 12/19/07 Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay For Hearing Aids Toni Brayer MD of EverythingHealth asks the question, Why won't insurance companies pay for [...]
Sun, Apr 17 2011

Hearing-loss and border scrutiny: A personal saga By Lorne...
SayWhatClub Weblog Is the SayWhatClub considered a subversive organization? More specifically, is there a way to enter the United States for a SayWhatClub convention without arousing international suspicion? I live within five miles of the Canada-U.S. border and enter the United States often for vacations, overnight getaways and day trips. The questions I get from U.S. Customs [...]
Fri, Apr 15 2011

The King Speaks, But Not to Everyone by John Waldo
SayWhatClub Weblog This article was written on February 14th, 2011 by  John Waldo*, prior to the Academy Awards --- The King Speaks, But Not to Everyone By John Waldo* America’s movie-makers have frequently been at the forefront of social change, using the unique power of film to help us see the world through the eyes of those [...]
Mon, Apr 11 2011

Do we really want Physicians to have the right to dispense...
SayWhatClub Weblog Believe it or not but the Senate has a piece of legislation in front of them right now called NYS Senate 3788 [link] It repeals a long standing prohibition in NYS on the for profit sale of hearing aids by Physicians.  This prohibition was enacted to protect the rights of consumers by ensuring that Physicians [...]
Mon, Apr 04 2011

Social Bluffing by Katie L.
SayWhatClub Weblog Becoming hard-of-hearing a few years ago really turned my world upside down.  Before the hearing loss, I was a real outgoing person in social settings.  Now, I find myself being left out (unintentionally) of some great conversations.  The reason I’m left out is because I cannot hear the conversation. In a group of people, instead [...]
Tue, Mar 29 2011

Imparting the Value of Hearing Aids to Clueless Medical...
SayWhatClub Weblog Sometimes when I go to doctor's offices or hospitals it happens that I have to take my hearing aids out.   For example, when I see the Physical Therapist, I know I may want to take my hearing aids off when he massages my neck.  I have a case in my purse that keeps them safe [...]
Fri, Mar 18 2011

Today is, I hate hearing people day for me.
SayWhatClub Weblog I am so tired of having to explain to people why I cannot understand, let alone hear, what someone is saying.  Why is it so difficult for hearing people to understand? Is it that they are clueless? Is it that they don't want to understand?  Do they understand but they're afraid of hearing loss?  Or [...]
Tue, Mar 15 2011

A Woman with a Hearing Loss: The Inner Struggle
SayWhatClub Weblog I've been doing alot of thinking lately about me, who I am, what I want for myself and what my future holds.  Without a second thought, what seems to pop up in my mind is my hearing loss.  My hearing loss is the first thing I think about when asked “who are you?”  My hearing [...]
Wed, Mar 02 2011

Why Isn’t There More Deaf Access to the Live Stage?
SayWhatClub Weblog Every once in awhile it happens.  A simple invitation to dinner and a movie, or out for drinks with a group of friends  sends me into a tail spin of self pity.   This time it was a play.    Normal people- hearing people- enjoy these things.  I can't.  After nearly forty years of hearing loss you [...]
Sat, Feb 19 2011

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later: Police Brutality Against...
SayWhatClub Weblog Several incidents of police brutality against deaf and hard of hearing people around the country have me concerned.   The most recent and ugliest took place in Seattle last August.  A woodcarver named John Williams was shot four times in the side and back after police officer, Ian Birk, asked him to put down his carving [...]
Fri, Feb 11 2011

SUPER BOWL XLV Will Go Down in History
SayWhatClub Weblog I am so not a football fan. What do I know about tight ends? I thought they were called tight-asses for the longest time. Shame on me.  But as I said, I am not a football fan. So why write about SuperBowl 2011? Because this is the game that will be remembered by many of [...]
Sat, Feb 05 2011

Social Cues and Reading Peoples’ Faces
SayWhatClub Weblog I have a colleague at work who has a hearing loss.  He's had it for so long and though he's discussed it with me (because he knows I have a hearing loss as well), he still refuses to look at hearing aids. I'm concerned because of what I am seeing around us. My colleagues react to him by [...]
Sat, Feb 05 2011

FRUSTRATED DEAF CITIZEN
SayWhatClub Weblog The other morning I ran across a Yahoo news link: [link] I clicked on the link and it took me to a video with the headline, “Sign Language Opens Music World to the Deaf Citizens, Sat, Jan 22 7:31 AM IST – ABC News 3:08 | 652 views, Person of the Week Allyson Townsend uses [...]
Wed, Jan 26 2011

Dear Lady in purple legwarmers
SayWhatClub Weblog Dear lady in the purple legwarmers, Today in Nia* you said something to me in passing, “You must love to dance.” I heard you say it. I wasn’t looking at your face but I heard you clearly.Those five words held more meaning than you will ever understand. Let me try to explain. I am deaf. [...]
Sat, Jan 22 2011

January 2011 Edition of the SWC Online Voices Newsletter
SayWhatClub Weblog [link] Filed under: Uncategorized
Sat, Jan 22 2011

Never or Always Surprised
SayWhatClub Weblog Why am I forever surprised by people who I thought understood my hearing loss, showing a lack of understanding when I ask them if I can turn on the captions on their television?  This recently happened to me. I don't know what they were thinking.  Did they think the captions were going to mess up their [...]
Mon, Jan 17 2011

Are your hearing aids on?     Don't you just hate when...
SayWhatClub Weblog Are your hearing aids on?     Don't you just hate when someone says to you “are your aids on today? are you sure they're working? No matter how many times I explain to hearing people that hearing aids do not give you 20/20 hearing, I get a look of disbelief. Hearing people seem to believe that [...]
Fri, Dec 24 2010

The Holiday Blues for the Individuals with hearing loss
SayWhatClub Weblog With the holidays having passed for some of us, and with the holidays coming up for others, what do you dread the most that affects your hearing ability? Here's a list of things I've observed, whether in myself or others: -being at a party with lots of noise and music and unable to hear a [...]
Wed, Dec 22 2010

Audiologists are people too, who sometimes do not...
SayWhatClub Weblog What is it about finding a good Audiologist? or should I say, Why is it difficult to find a good Audiologist? or maybe I should ask, what makes one say, ” I found a great Audiologist.” I've been wearing a hearing aid now for about 16 years and have gone through Audiologists the way I [...]
Fri, Dec 10 2010