Chronicles of a deaf Audiologist
Rehabilitation beyond hearing aids and cochlear implants: lipreading instruction, brain/auditory training and communication strategies.
Success for Hearing Better
HEARa is dedicated to the idea that people need the right information, at the right times, to be successful with hearing loss. HEARa’s mission is to reach out to adults with hearing loss and say—keep going. Learning about your hearing loss should be a lifelong process.
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From the chronicles
Learning How To Read Lips No. 7
Anyone who has difficulty with hearing would benefit from learning some lipreading theory. When you know which sounds look alike, you can make an educated guess if you have some foundation in the theory. Check out my free Lipreading Challenge on YouTube, or learn how to read lips in an online group class! https://heara.ca/programs/ (Click […]
When you have hearing loss, it’s important to be persistent
It’s a fact of life—for people with hearing loss, that is—that other people forget. They forget that you have hearing loss, and they forget to communicate in ways that make it easier for you to understand. This even applies to the people that you work and live with on a daily basis. According to psychologist […]
Sound provides information that helps you with balancing yourself
Research examined how sounds affects a person’s ability to keep their balance while standing still, with their eyes closed and when standing on a pliable, squishy surface. They also looked at how wearing noise-canceling headphones (a complete lack of sound) affected balance. They found that people had more difficulty staying balanced or standing still on […]
My biggest challenge with hearing loss
I was born with normal hearing. My hearing loss progressed quickly. When I graduated high school, I had profound hearing loss in both ears (i.e., I am deaf). I struggled for years. I am no longer struggling. It’s been a combination of awesome technology and skill development. I want to share what I know about […]
Learning to Lipread No. 6
Substitution practice is a surprisingly effective way to increase your lipreading skills. Try it out below. If this type of practice appeals to you, check out my Lipreading Challenge on YouTube.
The Best Yoga Pose for Hearing Loss
When someone asked me what I thought was the best yoga pose for hearing loss, I thought about what I have seen on social media about yoga and hearing loss. I didn’t have personal experience with anything I had read. For me, the Mountain pose has been a great teacher. The Mountain pose is about […]
Is everyone mumbling? You might have hearing loss
It can be frustrating for a significant other to be accused of mumbling. Hearing loss can make common, everyday words difficult to recognize. Most people who have permanent, age related, or noise induced hearing loss usually have a sloping hearing loss, which means they don’t hear the high pitch sounds clearly. Consonant sounds are high […]
Learning How to Read Lips No. 5
Learning how to lipread is all about restricting the possibilities. This is a shared responsibility. Since communication is a two way street, clear communication is ALWAYS a shared responsibility. As a speaker, I can limit the possibilities when the other person is having difficulty understanding. I can say, “I am talking about my career aspirations,” […]
Tip for Communicating with People who have Hearing Loss | Get Attention First
If you have hearing loss, it’s important to ask people to get your attention before speaking. You might not necessarily know that the other person is speaking to you unless they get your attention. If you miss the first few words, that’s valuable information about the topic that you are missing. If they call your […]
When You’re Learning How to Read Lips No. 4
When you are learning how to lipread, it can be really helpful to get some instruction on lipreading theory. For example, knowing which sounds look alike can be helpful. If the first thing you see doesn’t make sense, then you can do a quick substitution of another sound. This takes practice in addition to knowledge […]