No matter the challenges we face, time marches on. It seemed like 2020 would never end, but now another year has already come and almost gone. Thank you to all my readers for their support, engagement, comments and tips this year. The more we share with one another, the more successfully each of us can live with our own hearing loss.
2021: An Exciting Year for LWHL
2021 was an exciting year for the hearing loss community. In February, Zoom made its ASR (automatic speech recognition) captioning available free for people with hearing loss, demonstrating the power of advocacy. In October, Zoom made its ASR captioning available for everyone, but more work remains. True equal access means captions would be available for all participants at all meetings/webinars without host support.
In April, we debuted our hearing loss documentary We Hear You, winning several awards at film festivals. We continue to market it to mainstream media outlets and conferences, in the hopes of expanding its reach and building awareness about the hearing loss life. You can watch the film now on Vimeo on Demand.
Gael Hannan and I co-authored a book! Combining personal stories and practical advice, Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss is the operating manual we wish we’d had at the start of our hearing loss journeys. Gael and I can’t wait to share it with you this spring. Join our email list to stay informed about pre-order specials.
I spoke at several conferences (virtual and in-person) and continued to write articles for Hearing Tracker, Find Hearing, Psychology Today and of course, here on this blog. I look forward to more of the same in 2022.
Our Top Five Hearing Loss Posts of 2021
Enjoy the top five most popular posts on Living with Hearing Loss this year. Which was your favorite? Or visit our most popular hearing loss blogs for a more complete listing.
- Zoom Makes ASR Captioning Free for People with Hearing Loss
- Sound of Metal Movie Ignores the Typical Hearing Loss Experience
- Hearing Loss in the Workplace: An In-Person Meeting
- Does Your Tinnitus Worsen in the Winter?
- Documentary “We Hear You” Shines a Light on the Hearing Loss Experience
I am taking next week off, but will be back with more content in 2022. I wish all of my readers a happy, healthy and joyous close to 2021. Here’s to a great 2022!
Thank you, Shari, for the insights and information you share in your blog. I read it every week. Last night I watched my local city council meeting on Zoom, and enjoyed having the automatic captions! It’s due to your advocacy that many of us have been helped in ways large and small.
That’s great! It’s wonderful how the whole community worked together to advocate! Thank you for your comment.
Happy and joyous Holiday and New Year to you! I look forward to your emails knowing there will be good information and advice within each one sent.
Thank you.
Thanks for your kind words! Happy new year!
A couple weeks ago you posted the FCC disability issue link. Thank you! Our television captions have been missing every third line for months, I contacted the hotline, and now we have every line. No more guessing based on context. Also, thank you for your advocacy as I am noticing more and more sites include captions. Wishing you and yours a blessed holiday season.
Wonderful news! Well done! Have a wonderful holiday season!