Do you have someone with hearing loss in your life? With 360 million people worldwide (nearly 50 million Americans) experiencing debilitating hearing loss, chances are that you do. You probably notice how they sometimes struggle to keep up with the conversation, or that they avoid social exchanges that might be challenging or exhausting. Perhaps you Continue reading
Disability
An Inexpensive Solution to Live Transcribe’s Android Only Problem
My recent post The Next Best Thing in Speech to Text Apps generated much discussion. Many people were excited by Google’s Live Transcribe technology — the accuracy and speed of the captioning is notable — but the fact that it is only available on Android devices was a source of frustration. One highly motivated individual in Continue reading
Hearing Loss & Allergy Season: A Nightmare in Pollen
It’s allergy season. That stuffy-nosed, watery-eyed, and always itchy part of the year. When the sniffles begin, I know my hearing is about to take a temporary dip. On my worst allergy days, I feel like I am walking in a fog. Sounds are muffled and my ears are popping more than usual as they Continue reading
What My Hearing Loss Has Taught Me
Big birthdays breed reflection and so it was a few months ago that I realized I have had hearing loss for almost half my life — probably longer since it often takes time for someone to notice their own hearing problems. I’ve been using hearing aids for less time — it took me a while Continue reading
The Language of Disability: What’s In a Name?
In Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Juliet famously asks, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” She wonders how the name someone has can define them, rather than the characteristics of the person himself. This seems logical enough, a name is just shorthand for describing Continue reading
