Thank you InnoCaption for including me in the first-ever Empower Retreat for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) advocates and influencers. It was a thrill to spend time with people I have admired from afar on social media and to meet so many others helping to break down hearing loss stigma.
The two-day event included many opportunities for networking as well as a fascinating presentation by Jera Bean with tips for increasing the impact of our advocacy efforts through online branding. We learned more about the founding of InnoCaption, its mission to make communication on the phone easier for people with hearing loss, and got a sneak peek of some new and exciting product extensions. Stay tuned!
My favorite recreational activity (besides meeting everyone!) was the accessible yoga class on beautiful Laguna Beach. It featured both sign language interpretation and real-time captioning on our phones! Heaven!
Meet the Advocate & Influencer Attendees
I am pleased to introduce you to this talented group of dynamic advocates and influencers for the deaf and hearing loss communities. Some advocate through speaking engagements and trainings, while others incorporate advocacy into posts about their daily lives. Each person is raising awareness, breaking down hearing loss stigma, and forging the path for the next generation of people with hearing loss. I am grateful to have met them. I learned something from each one.
Check out their bios below to learn more about them. You can follow them on their platform of choice through the links in their bios.
Dustin Giannelli
Born and raised in Boston, now a resident of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Dustin Giannelli is the CEO & Founder of HearsDustin LLC, a Disability-Owned Business Enterprise certified by the Disability:IN organization. As a public speaker who is profoundly deaf and has worn hearing aids since the age of 5, Dustin shares his lived experiences as a way to highlight DEI best practices and the importance of accessibility and communication in the workplace and classroom. His passion, positivity, and advocacy are contagious! Visit Dustin on LinkedIn.
Elisa Richards
Elisa Richards is a colorful multi-hyphenate creative. She’s honestly a little overwhelmed by how many art forms she takes on. Currently, she’s producing and directing a docu-series about The Rollettes, an all-female wheelchair dance team. Elisa also has her own small business, Bionic Outlaw, where she illustrates funky, tongue-in-cheek stickers that de-stigmatize hearing loss and invisible disabilities. When she’s not making comedy videos, traveling or watercoloring, she can be found tucked in the corner with a cozy weighted blanket reading books. Visit Elisa on Instagram.
Emily Jones
Emily Jones is the vivacious creator behind the Definite Hearing YouTube Channel. Born with moderate to severe congenital bilateral hearing loss, she grew up learning to communicate with the help of hearing aids and cued speech—a visual system that supports spoken language. Raised by hearing parents, Emily embraced both the challenges and opportunities of her hearing loss from an early age. A proud graduate of Brigham Young University, she holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus on advertising. Now, Emily balances life as a mom of two, a digital marketing pro, and a hard of hearing micro-influencer.
Janna Rovniak
Janna Rovniak is a Certified Peer Mentor for the deaf and hard of hearing. She has been hard of hearing all her life and works with others through speaking, writing, workshops, and personal coaching to help challenge the stigma of hearing differences. Visit Janna on Instagram.
Katie Norton
Katie, a lifelong hearing aid wearer with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, initially shared her powerlifting journey on social media. However, her focus shifted to deafness and advocacy as her followers expressed interest in her experiences. She now serves as the social media manager at Perkins School for the Blind, a nonprofit that supports kids with disabilities. Outside of work, Katie enjoys reading, watching football, and staying active through weightlifting and pickleball. Connect with Katie on Instagram
Leighton Allen
My name is Leighton. I’m 23, and I live in Destin, Florida. I share my life on TikTok as someone who is profoundly deaf and uses cochlear implants. I am passionate about advocating for cochlear implant awareness and being a role model for the next generation. You can find me at the beach, where I love being active. I am always down for an adventure!
Marin Bragg
Hi! My name is Marin and I’m a student at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, studying to be an audiologist. My dream is to help young children become confident with their hearing loss! I’m a model signed with JAG Models in NYC. I use my platform to educate people about the DHH community and to inspire people to not be afraid to advocate for their needs! Visit Marin on Instagram.
Marne Sullivan
Marne Sullivan is an athlete, advocate, and speaker who founded @hear_and_out, an Instagram community sharing life with hearing loss from a student-athlete’s perspective. Born deaf and fitted with a cochlear implant at 3 ½ years old, she is passionate about storytelling and community connection. A D1 track and field athlete at Boston College, Marne recently completed her fifth year at the University of Southern California. Her mission is to inspire others, help businesses create meaningful content, and advocate for accessibility in sports, work, and life, while aiming to elevate the Deaflympics in Tokyo in November 2025! Visit Marne on Instagram.
Matt Klotz
Matt is a 5x Deaf World Record holder in swimming and a D1 athlete at LSU. He holds ten deaf
gold medals and was an Olympic Trials swimmer. He was the Runner-Up for the reality TV show “Big Brother” in season 25. Visit Matt on Instagram.
Michelle Hu
Michelle Hu is the founder of Mama Hu Hears, an Instagram community that supports hearing parents of deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children and inspires DHH peers. With over 15 years as a pediatric audiologist and personal experience as a hard of hearing individual—equipped with hearing aids at 3 and now thriving with cochlear implants—Michelle offers both professional insight and personal resilience. Her mission is to empower underserved families, ensuring they feel seen and equipped to thrive. Discover more at www.mamahuhears.com.
Sammy Cruz
My name is Sammy Cruz, aka DefStar. I’m a deaf hip-hop artist (which is known as Dip Hop) and comedian. I was raised in Jersey City, NJ.
Salma Cruz
My name is Salma Cruz. I am Deaf and lived in Germany for three years to gain experience and learn German sign language. I enjoy making crafts and beaded bracelets. Visit Salma on Instagram.
And Me! – Shari Eberts
Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her award-winning book Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues. Follow me on Instagram.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is far from a complete list of advocates and influencers in the hearing loss space, so please forgive me if this list doesn’t include your favorite one. Drop their name in the comments so others can enjoy learning more about them too!
About InnoCaption
InnoCaption is owned and led by two co-CEOs whose partnership and collaboration led to the launch of the first mobile-focused captioned phone service. The company focuses solely on smartphone technology and utilizes live stenographers (CART) to provide faster and more accurate captioning despite the higher cost it entails. InnoCaption is the only captioned phone service provider that lets users choose between automated speech recognition technology or live CART on every call. Their recently published white paper presents research that shows the positive impact on users’ mental health and happiness when regularly using captioned telephone services.
Readers, what hearing loss influencers do you follow?
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