30 years ago this week, George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which had been passed by a bipartisan Congress. Change for people with visible disabilities came quickly. Curb cuts became the norm, and allowed people in wheelchairs to cross the street. Wheelchair ramps aided not just wheelchair users but people with … Continue reading What the ADA Means to Me
Hearing Loss Association of America
Resilience
Whenever I am with a group of people with hearing loss, as I was last week at the annual convention of the Hearing Loss Association of America, I am impressed by the hurdles so many have overcome. Sudden or severe hearing loss is an ever-present challenge all on its own. So many at Convention, however, … Continue reading Resilience
Share this:
Thanksgiving TLC
It’s Thanksgiving, the beginning of the holiday season. In rapid succession come Christmas and Hannukah, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, not to mention office parties. Like many with hearing loss, I approach the holidays with some trepidation. The most difficult situation for me is a large holiday dinner. Here’s my advice. Practice a … Continue reading Thanksgiving TLC
Share this:
How I Learned to Love My Cochlear Implant.
In 2013 in my first book, “Shouting Won’t Help,” I wrote about the difficult experience I had adjusting to a cochlear implant I received in 2009. That section was excerpted in Bloomberg View and it is still easily available online. I often get letters from people who have seen the article and are worried by … Continue reading How I Learned to Love My Cochlear Implant.
Share this:
Considering a Cochlear Implant? You’re Never Too Old.
Is there an age limit for cochlear implant recipients? I asked this question of several cochlear implant surgeons around the country. Their answer? Never. All have implanted patients in their 90s and, as Anil Lalwani, of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center said, he "routinely" operates on patients over 80. His oldest patient is 93. … Continue reading Considering a Cochlear Implant? You’re Never Too Old.
Share this:
What Do Consumers Want? Try Asking a Consumer.
If you asked consumers what is most important when buying a hearing aid, would they say price or sound quality? Hearing Tracker, a respected independent online resource for consumers, and USB Evidence Labs recently surveyed more than 360 audiologists about what brands and features consumers ask for most when buying a hearing aid. Not surprisingly, … Continue reading What Do Consumers Want? Try Asking a Consumer.
Share this:
The Day I Lost My Hearing
Every year I observe the day I went deaf. My life changed that day. At first it seemed nothing but negative, a catastrophe. Now I see that it gave me an opportunity, a door that opened onto a new world. I remember the day because it was a holiday -- Halloween. My hearing had been in a … Continue reading The Day I Lost My Hearing
Katherine Bouton: Smart Hearing 